SCHOOL'S OUT; KIDS ROCK ON.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

While some 13-year-olds were thinking about rolling out of bed Wednesday, River Donaghui was jamming with a dozen other future rock stars at the Music's Edge spring break camp at the Shedd in downtown Eugene.

"I like playing guitar, I want to play with more people," said Donaghui, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the fledgling rock band the Stairs. "I'm learning, not so much (technique), but playing in a group."

In another room, camp director Tim McLaughlin established the drum beat to a jazz-funk song, then a 10-year-old boy took a guitar solo, and a 16-year-old girl guitarist nodded her head to the rhythm.

"It's turned into a great thing," said McLaughlin, who invited all types of musicians to the camp. "We're just getting them to improvise."

The Music's Edge, which culminates with a Saturday rock concert, is one of several spring break camps happening this week. There's wrestling in Eugene, swimming in Springfield, hiking at Heceta Head and book-binding at the Maude Kerns Art Center.

Whatever happened to the "break" in spring break?

"We're trying to keep these kids busy," said Debbey Chastain, a program manager at ShelterCare, which is sponsoring a series of spring break activities for homeless children.

"It's really great for the kids to go and do something they wouldn't have been able to do with their families because of the situations they're in," Chastain said. `It gives them a chance, when they get back to school, to tell their friends, `I got to do that.''

The kids in Chastain's group, who ranged in age from 5 to 12, will have plenty to tell their friends. The schedule included a trip to Splash!, the indoor swim center with a wave pool in Springfield, a trek to the Wildlife Safari near Roseburg and an excursion to Emerald Park.

In addition to offering kids something to do, spring break camps provide a break for working parents who aren't able to travel with their kids, says Brent Walsh, a coach at Sheldon High School's spring break wrestling camp.

"It gives kids an opportunity (to learn)," said Walsh, who had more than 30 young athletes at his camp this year. "Also, it's just kind of a fun thing for them to do."

Spring break camps give kids the chance to spend structured time with adults and time with kids from other parts of the city, said Moira Meltzer-Cohen, arts program manager at Maude Kerns Art Center, which is offering a daily art camp. The 24 students enrolled in the camp, which is titled Draw Me A Story, will each produce their own illustrated narrative book.

"It's not just that it's good for them," Meltzer-Cohen said. "They really enjoy it. It's really helpful for them to see that they have made a concrete, complete product."

The Little Vaudeville Spring Break Camp, another music camp happening at the Shedd, brought together a handful of young performers on a recent morning. They danced with canes and sang along to "There's No Business Like Show Business," while taking direction from head instructor Denise Steele.

In another room, a group of even younger Vaudevillians were circled around a man in a carnival hat learning about the ukulele.

"It's real hands-on education that students are not as likely to get at school because it's just not available there," said Eric McKirdy, community education coordinator for the building's educational arm, the American Music Institute.

The city of Eugene was offering music instruction through its Summer Adventures day camp, which also provided crafts, games and other activities for kids.

An Outward Escapes camp was focused on getting kids outside, and, at Sheldon Pool, water polo instructor Ron Thompson taught beginners how to do a basic "egg beater" stroke and helped intermediate and advanced players to improve their overall game.

"It's a good opportunity for them," Thompson said. "They have a chance to play in the pool and younger participants can gain some skills and practice."

CAPTION(S):

Ben Giland, 9, plays a riff during the Music's Edge camp at the Shedd in Eugene. Participants will show off their collaborations at a concert on Saturday. Other students are spending their spring break wrestling, writing, singing, dancing and watching wild animals roam. Instructor Denise Steele leads children through a dance rehearsal during a weeklong Little Vaudeville Spring Break Camp, another music camp at the Shedd. The camp ends Friday with a Vaudeville show. S p r i n g b r e a k