A few elementary-aged children huddled around a table to make a pie Tuesday morning, an activity aimed at helping them learn life skills.

They were just a few of the roughly 20 children taking part in the seventh annual Circle of Friends Camp this week at the Hormel Historic Home.

Circle of Friends is five day camp each summer that serves first- through fifth-grade children on the autism spectrum.

“There’s a lot of children out there that it helps reach and gives them an opportunity for the summer to be with other children who are like them,” said Jenni Harves, one of the directors of the camp.

The camp started in 2010 to give children with Autism Spectrum Disorder a fun experience and an opportunity to expand their social skills and ensure participation.

The camp, which runs June 27 to July 1, offers various activities for the kids, such as music, art, theater dress up, yoga, bowling, science, a trip to the zoo and a camp carnival on the last day.

The program is staffed by special education professionals from Austin Public Schools and Mayo Clinic Health System – Albert Lea and Austin.

The camp also completes a community outreach project each year, which helps the children learn how to go places along with various social skills that relate to the project.

Harves and co-camp director Lynsey Peterson O’Donnell agreed their favorite part of the camp is watching the children grow throughout the week. Harves and O’Donnell always enjoy seeing familiar faces come back each year and seeing the connections the children make with each other.

“It’s nice to see how they’ve grown,” O’Donnell said.

Children attend the camp Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Friday.