GET FIRED UP TO BE A HAPPY CAMPER

All across America, millions of kids are anticipating the prospect of attending an overnight camp this summer. For most of them, that anticipation is eager, looking forward to a chance to get away from home and do something new and different.  Once upon a time, selecting a summer camp was a simpler process; the choices were fewer and the camps were generally close to home, often affiliated with a local organization or church. Kids tended to go to camp with their siblings and friends; often, it was the same camp their parents had attended a generation earlier.

There are vastly more camp choices today. More than just cabins in the woods, summer camps for kids offer a huge variety of fo cused programs, ranging from various sports, academic or artistic activities to programs designed for the learning-disabled or weight reduction. Pick a pastime and geographic area, and you can probably find a camp to suit.  Although many camps are likely filled for this summer, there are still options available. Don't miss The Post-Gazette's Summer Times section coming out in the May 21 Weekend Magazine, which will have many summer camp options. You also might check ads in the back of the Sunday New York Times magazine or the travel section of the Washington Post.  With so many camps, how can parents pick one that's right for their kids? Two organizations can help. The American Camping Asso ciation has been accrediting summer camps since 1910. Its annual directory lists more than 2,000 choices ($16.95 by mail; call 800-428-2267 or www.acacamps.org).  The National Camp Association, can also help narrow the field (800-966-2267 or www.summercamp.org).  But increasingly, the summer camp experience need not be limited to the young.  Maybe it's because as time and money become more at a premium, people want more from their vacations. Or it could be the slew of specialized, adult camp opportunities fthat have sprung up in recent years. At any rate, many adults are finding that a vacation at a camp can be more rewarding than a week at the beach.  Sports camps for adults are popular and can greatly improve your game, whether it's golf, tennis, or even baseball. There are jazz camps, chess camps, gourmet cooking camps, clown camps, fly-fishing camps, even space and flight training camps. You can learn how to cane a chair or build a house. There are specialized camps for seniors; even camps for grandparents to take their grandkids.  Many religious and health-oriented organizations hold summer workshops and retreats where campers can nourish body and soul. Outward Bound, famous for its wilderness survival camps for teens, offers a range of treks for adults. Even Disney has jumped on the adult camp bandwagon with its new Orlando Institute.  Though these summer camps run the range from inexpensive to pricey, all offer an opportunity to engage in something that goes be yond everyday life, to hone old skills and discover new interests. And of course, there are still lots of "camp" camps, where grownups can do all the summer activities they loved as kids.  For information onadult summer camps, there's a good book, "Vacations That Change Your Life," by Ellen Lederman (Sourcebooks). Another Web site, www.grownupcamps.com, lists several hundred camps and can be searched by region and area of interest.  Davis and Elkins College, on the edge of the huge Monongahela National Forest in Elkins, W.Va., offers another kind of camp experience. For the past 26 summers, the college has transformed itself into a learning center dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional American music, crafts, dance and folklore. This year, from July 11 to Aug. 15, it hosts a series of more than 200 different week-long workshops. Working closely with master practitioners, participants are exposed to a wide range of skills, from making bent willow chairs to playing blues harmonica. The class list includes book-binding, flat-picking, swing-dancing, story-telling, gospel-singing, and many other, often disappearing arts at various levels of experience.  Each of the Center's five weeks is also themed to different cultures and ethnic traditions. The Irish week features more than 20 workshops, from the Button Accordion to Gaelic language and song. During the Blues/Swing week, you can learn the Social Lindy, Shag, Big Apple or Carolina Jitterbug. There's a Cajun/Creole week, a Bluegrass/Dance week, and an Old Time/Vocal week. Classes are complemented by lectures, demonstrations and evening concerts.  Even in off-hours, teachers can be found joyously jamming with students and other faculty. Workshop tuitions average $330; room and board $255 a week. For information, contact Augusta Heritage Center, Davis & Elkins College, 800-624-3157 or www.augustaheritage./com.

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