By Mandy Walton

Published Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 5:39 p.m.

Updated Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 5:39 p.m.

School is out and the kids are bored. Summer break can be especially boring for “tweens,” the kids approaching and just experiencing their teenage years. They aren’t old enough to get a job, yet are too young for playgroups at the park. Long days watching hours of television, playing computer games, and texting can lead to overweight, cranky, and even less-smart kids.

What are your kids doing this summer?

Why not give your child something to look forward to, and an opportunity to further their skills and make new friends? If your child is interested in cooking, robots, dinosaur digging, dancing, extreme sports, or basketball, check out the City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department Specialty Camps for 2009.

Designed for children ages 9-14, specialty camps are one week in length and only cost about $100.

“It’s not a bad price for an entire week that you know they’ll look forward to,” local mom Terri Hayes said.

K*Bots camp will feature competitions building robots; Cooking Essentials and Cooking Aficionado camps delve into the basics of cooking, all the way to cooking from scratch; Basketball Boot Camp features NBA veteran Jerome Williams who will teach life fundamentals--more than just how to dribble and shoot; Dance Camp includes a performance at the end of the week; Archaeology Adventures introduce kids into the world of digging; Outdoor Adventure & Survival Camp will have you hiking and camping like a pro; Extreme Sports Camp will teach new tricks, jumps and spins for bike riders, as well as introduce campers to a famous X-Games champion.

“These [camps] look to be fun and educational, and when my daughter is old enough, I’ll be enrolling her,” said Hayes.

Henderson’s Parks and Recreation Department also features other summer camps available for kids ages 4-14. Checkout your Henderson Happenings guide, visit the Parks & Rec Web site or call 267-4100.

These camps sound so fun, even I want to sign up for one!