Learn-may2013
SUMMER CAMP? IS IT THAT TIME ALREADY?
Article submitted by Tricia Kassotis, Coordinator, Early Childhood Education
Zane Park
At Summer Camp
Yes it sure is. Time to think about sun, sand and the perfect summer day camp for your child.
Ottawa has a wealth of day camps available for children. Many are just around the corner and filled with creative ideas to stimulate children right through to those proverbial dog days of summer.
Choosing a camp can be overwhelming. There is such a thing as too much choice. But by focusing on some key considerations, parents can narrow down the choice to ensure they make a good fit between their child’s character and interests, camp cost and dates, as well as the camp staff and program environment.
When making the big decision, after a clean, safe, administratively sound operation that doesn’t wipe out your bank account, consider the following things when visiting a camp for the first time, and always visit the camp first before you sign the registration:
- The type of environment your child needs: recreation, learning, or both. For some children summer means sun, fun, and total relaxation. If the idea of camp resembling school in any way brings on a frown low enough for your child to inhale, avoid educational type camps, unless your child has a specific interest in the area: computer camp, reading camp, drama, or art camps. However, if you want the camp to be used as a stepping-stone for integrating your child into a new school year, or as academic maintenance for the fall, then academic camps are the way to go. Many academically focused camps allow children to maintain some of those hard won skills attained during the school year, over the summer.
- The match between your child’s character and the camp’s staff. If you know that your child is a handful on a good day, look for a camp with experienced staff with a low staff to child ratio that has some structure during the day. A high needs child in a large group of children with untrained staff and loads of free time is a recipe for disaster. Think end of day melt down that lasts until bedtime. On the flip side, consider how a naturally shy child will cope on a field trip, in a forest or on a school bus full of overzealous children screeching out the lyrics to the latest camp song. A low key camp, where the children can form small group friendships while engaging in art, Lego, or outdoors in the park, may better meet a shy child’s needs.
- The length of day in which your child can cope. Camp days can often be longer than the school day, especially if driving time is factored in. Overnight camps double the length of time your child stays in camp mode. If you have a child is fatigued by the end of the school day reconsider an extended day camp; 7am – 6pm which includes before and after camp care. See if you can arrange carpooling so the children can arrive later in the morning and leave in the early afternoon. A day full of outdoor play, hockey, soccer or trampoline play means tired and hungry children by the end of the day. Pack a lot of snacks, and make sure there is built in time for the children to rest to avoid camp burn out.
Fun, safe, creative, and interesting are the key words for children and camp. Programs that combine relaxed learning, outdoor fun, and enough down time will ensure that parents never hear those two dreaded words . . .
“I’m bored!”