Youth Pick Summer Camp
Friday, March 18th, 2011There is a wide range of Summer Camps to be found all over the country. Most traditional camps offer similar programs, activities and adventures for your child. Specialty camps offer activities that emphasize a particular area of interest or have a subject theme. If your youngster is ready, he or she can take advantage of an overnight resident summer camp, which offers opportunities for learning independence while still setting certain boundaries.
Happily, there really is an Youth Summer Camp for almost any area of interest or need that your child might have. If your child is into arts, there are camps that focus on drama, arts and crafts, dance, and photography. You can also opt for overnight camps that offer programs for weight loss, self-improvement and grief therapy.
Overnight Summer Camps vary in other ways besides activities – there are girls camps, boys camps, and co-ed types of camps for children – sleep away camp, day programs, day programs with tours or trips, and special needs camps. Special needs camps can be best for kids with severe disabilities; they can provide different summer camp activities and experience in a therapeutic environment.
Attending science and nature camps can help the camper find a different approach to science when ideas are explored in a structured way surrounded by nature.
Private summer camps are more expensive than nonprofit summer camps, but price does not always equate with the quality of a young camper’s experience at that camp. It is best to anticipate extra expenses involved in choosing and going to summer camp such as extra canoe trip or activity charges and the cost of your visit to the camp. When you contact a camp you are considering, the director should be happy to give you complete information about the true cost of that camp. Keep in mind as you discuss this or other topics that the attitude of a camp’s directors and staff will have more bearing on your child’s experience than the cost.
Usually the duration of camp can range from one to eight weeks. Consider your child’s willingness to be away from home, for days or overnight. Ongoing discussion with your child will be helpful, especially for balancing fear with anticipation and excitement. A first time camper will often face an adjustment and that may be temporarily challenging for some kids. Find out how the camp accommodates and deals with a first time camper’s homesickness and the initial adjustment to camp life. A conversation about this area with a camp’s director can also show you if the attitude so important to a good experience of camp is going to be there when your child arrives.
Your child may want to join a camp with friends. Although it is natural for a youngster to want to go to camp with his or her friends, there are instances when there is value in time away from accustomed peer pressures. When it comes to learning independence and developing self confidence there can be an advantage to starting fresh in an unfamiliar environment.
Choosing the appropriate summer camp for your child can be quite difficult but the rewards are priceless. A free website, www.summercampadvice.com, is designed purely for the purpose of helping parents and campers choose the best possible summer camp. This user-friendly site has comprehensive guidance information and questions to ask the directors and staff of any given camp when you contact or meet them.
Swift Nature Camp is a Children’s Summer Camp for boys and girls ages 6-15. Our focus is to blend a traditional summer camp activities with that of a Animal Summer Camp