Welcome to the Rice University Artists & Authors Camp (RAAC), an immersive, multi-disciplinary summer literacy experience for rising K-5th grade students. Led by Rice-trained educators and supported by Houston’s professional arts community, this camp inspires young campers to discover how visual, performing, or musical arts can inspire creative expression and transform into captivating original stories, poems and scripts.
Multi-arts Framework
Our program will give campers opportunities to strengthen core foundational literacy skills through active creative experiences:
Listening: Campers hone active listening through interactive storytelling, and workshops led by guest authors, painters, or theater artists.
Reading: Students engage deeply with narrative structure, character development, and portfolios during reading and performance sessions.
Writing: Hands-on workshops guide campers as they craft, illustrate, and publish their own original scripts, poems, and stories.
Speaking: Dramatic improvisation, character performance, and final author readings empower campers to articulate their ideas with confidence.
Reasoning: Through multi-disciplinary creation, campers connect abstract visual and musical concepts to plot development, problem-solving, and creative narrative structures.
At Rice’s Artists & Authors Camp, we believe literacy is the foundation for essential life skills. Throughout our week together, K-5 campers participate in multi-arts workshops that inspire them to write, perform, and publish their very own original creations. Decades of research show that early reading and creative reasoning give kids a major boost across all school subjects (Cabell & Huang, 2020). By weaving hands-on learning into joyful activities, we give campers the success moments they need to build lasting self-efficacy, the belief that they can tackle any new challenge. We invite families to honor their child’s voice in a special end-of-camp showcase of original pieces and hear students read their published work.
Join us for an unforgettable summer of discovery and watch big imaginations turn into real-world confidence!
Register Now
Please read through the information below and view the embedded tutorial videos to make the process as smooth as possible.
The 3-step process for registering includes:
Step 1 - Family Account setup
Step 2 - Pre-registration application for your student(s)
Step 3 - Registration.
If you completed Steps 1 and 2 during the Pre-registration period between December 1-15, 2026, please proceed to Step 3. All others should start at Step 1.
Note: Completion of Steps 1 and 2 during the Pre-registration period does not guarantee your student(s) a place in camp.
- How to Set Up a Family Account – Step 1 of 3
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A Family Account is required to register a student for our 2027 Artists and Authors Camp. To register a student for camp, a parent/guardian must create a Family Account using their own name in order to successfully begin the pre-registration application process. Once you have set up your account, you will be able to add your student(s)/member(s) to the Family Account. You will be able to manage all members in your Family Account.
Note: If you created a Family Account when registering for a different camp, please use your existing account.
Should you need step-by-step instructions, we have created a brief video tutorial to help guide you through the Family Account Set up.
Video Tutorial - Create a Family Account
Video Tutorial - Manage Your Members
- Pre-Registration Application for Your Student(s) – Step 2 of 3
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After setting up or logging into your Family Account, including adding student(s)/member(s) you plan to register for camp, you are now ready to complete the parent permissions application for each student. Click “New Application” in the menu options of your Family Account, then “More Information” and “Apply Now.” You will now be able to “Start” Rice Authors and Artists Camp pre-registration for your student(s)/member(s). During the application process, there are seven “To Do” pages to complete for each student. As you complete each page, you will see a green check mark next to each page to reflect your progress. To move to Step 3, Registration, you must complete all “To Do” items in order to submit the parent permissions application. Completing these “To Dos” will take approximately 6 minutes per student/member.
Before you begin Step 2: “Pre-registration”, you will need the following:
- Medical Insurance Information
- Emergency Contact Information
- Contact Information for an alternate authorized person to pick up your student(s), if applicable.
Video Tutorial - Submitting Student Applications
- How to Complete Registration for Creative Writing Camp – Step 3 of 3
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Once you have successfully completed all seven “To-Dos” in the Pre-Registration Application (Step 2) and they reflect “Complete,” you will be able to register and complete the payment process for your students(s) when registration is open.
Please use the following instructions to complete the registration process. Should it be helpful, you can download the Registration Instructions.
Registration Instructions
1. Scroll down on this webpage to the listing of the Camps available.
2. Select a camp, and this will take you to the cart. If you want to select an additional camp, click “Keep Shopping” in the Cart.
3. When you are finished selecting camp/s, click “Checkout.”
4. If you have already completed pre-registration, log in under “I have a Family Account already.” If you haven’t already completed pre-registration, please go back up to “How to Set Up a Family Account – Step 1” above.
5. At the cart screen, click on “Add/Remove Members” for a camp selection, and in the pop-up window select the student for that camp. Then click on “Enroll Members.” Repeat this step for additional camps selected, if any.
6. If you are registering 2 or more students, the siblings discount will be automatically applied at the end of the checkout process. If it’s not automatically applied, please check "Apply a Discount" in the Cart, then select "SLC Rice Authors and Artists Siblings" from the dropdown menu to apply the discount.
7. Click on “Checkout.”
8. Now, you will select the t-shirt size for your child/ren. Click on the plus sign on the far right of their name and then click on the pull-down menu to see the sizes. Select the size. Repeat this step for each student and click on “Continue Checkout.”
9. Next, click on “View Members” for each camp to confirm you selected the correct student for the camp. Click on “Continue checkout.”
10. Enter your credit card information and click “Continue.”
11. Next, check your email for confirmation of your registration. Note: reception of email may take a few minutes.
Note: Completion of Pre-registration between December 1-15 does not guarantee your student(s) place in camp.
- Cost
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5 day camp at Rice University: $525
Sibling Discount (Two or more) – 5% discount per student
The sibling discount will be applied automatically to your cart during Step 3: Registration. You must register two or more at the same time to be eligible for this discount.
- Camp Descriptions
Camps
Begin the registration process by finding your grade level and campus below. Please note that camps often fill up quickly. You must complete checkout to secure your spot. If your desired camp is not visible, then it is currently at capacity.
Dates, Locations and Grade-levels for Artists and Authors Camp 2027
Choose among two in-person camp dates at Rice University.
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Rice University-Anderson Clarke |
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Frequently Asked Questions
For questions about Artists and Authors Camp programming, please leave a voice message for School Literacy and Culture at 713-348-5333. Your message will be answered as soon as possible. For technical help with registration, please contact 713-348-4803.
- What if the class I would like to register for is full?
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Seats may become available due to cancellations or the opening of new classes. Please check the website often to see if any seats have opened at a particular campus. Artists and Authors Camp does not have a waitlist.
- What is the refund policy?
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If you are enrolling your child in the 2027 Rice Artists and Authors Camp, you have read and understand the following cancellation and refund policy:
A 10 percent processing fee will be subtracted from all refunds. Due to the high demand for courses, registrations are considered final 30 days before classes start. No refunds will be issued after these dates and credits will not be given for future classes. No refunds will be granted for participants who miss a portion of a program. Refund requests before the deadline must be made in writing to slc@rice.edu. Refunds for credit card payments will be processed as credits to the accounts from which they were paid and may not appear as a credit on your statement for up to four to six weeks. Refunds for enrollments paid by check take up to four to six weeks to be processed and mailed by the Rice University accounting office. There is a $30 charge for any check returned for insufficient funds.
If multiple children are registered and have received the sibling discount, and later one or more registrations are canceled so that only one child remains registered, the remaining child's registration will be adjusted to the full price, and a refund for the appropriate amount will be issued.
Although we make every effort to maintain the published class schedules, insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen occurrences may require a schedule change, cancellation or instructor substitution. If the camp week is cancelled, a full refund will be issued. If partial days of camp are cancelled, a prorated refund will be issued.
- Do you offer any discounts on the registration fee?
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Yes, we offer a 5% sibling discount for two or more siblings.
- Is financial aid available for the camp registration fee?
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A limited number of scholarships are available based on financial need. After registration opens, please make your request by emailing slc@rice.edu and an application form will be sent to you. Submitting a scholarship application does not guarantee receiving a scholarship. Please note if your child was awarded a scholarship in either of the previous two summers, you are not eligible to apply for the upcoming summer.
The application deadline is April 6. - How do I access my Family Account after it is created?
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After you create your Family Account, please save your credentials. To revisit your Family Account, you can save the link to login or click on the link directly from the Artists and Authors Camp webpage. To access your account, use the login username and password credentials and follow the login instructions. If you no longer know or have access to your credentials, please follow the Forget Password instructions directly on the login page.
GO TO FAMILY ACCOUNT - What should we expect?
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All classes will be team-taught with class sizes capped at approximately 20 students.
- Health and safety protocols for each camp session will be dependent upon campus-based policies in effect at the time camp is offered.
- Participating campers will be invited to bring basic supplies (paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, small watercolor kits) for individual use throughout the week of camp.
- Classes will be divided into age-level groupings that may include students from more than one grade level. Based on enrollment, classes may include students from more than one grade level.
- Creative writing and fine arts activities will be planned by highly qualified teacher/writer pairs and feature low staff-to-camper ratios.
Friend requests may be made in the student's Pre-registration application. Requests are not guaranteed but we will do our best to grant them. The classrooms may be cool for some participants so a sweater or light jacket may be needed.
- My teen student will drive themselves to camp at Rice University, is parking available?
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Yes, parking will be available in the lot next to our building. The parking permit fee for camp is $39.00. Two weeks before camp begins, please email slc@rice.edu to let us know your teen will need a parking permit. We will need their name and the date of the camp they will attend. We will send you an invoice for the permit fee. Payment is due within 2 days.
Artists and Authors Camp offered by Rice University’s School Literacy and Culture.