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Summer Camps - Atascocita

Summer Camps - Atascocita

Published: Mar 26, 2015, 4:00pm

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It’s Never Too Early To Think About Summer Camp

The kids will be out of school before you know it, and then what? Now is the time of year when parents should start thinking about summer camp. Most camps easily fit into a family's busy schedule and budget.

Of course, what kids want to do is just have fun, and there are still many questions that need to be answered in order to make good decisions regarding the right camp.

First, it’s important to know your child's physical, mental, and emotional needs, but that's only the beginning. From there, begin by talking to the children. If they have been to camp before, they may already have a favorite. If not, it's always best to focus on the child's interests, such as sports, cheerleading, horseback riding, and so on. If children help in the decision-making process, they will feel better about spending their days or nights away from home.

There are many camps from which to choose. They come in a wide variety of styles and formats.

Below are some examples:

Sports camps

Sports camps typically deal with a specific sport, i.e., soccer, baseball, basketball, football, karate or dance. Most sports camps have different levels. Colleges, high schools, professional athletes, summer AAU teams, churches, organizations and local fitness facilities.

Day camps

Many day camps have a daycare atmosphere. Across the country, attendance at local day camps has grown by leaps and bounds. Many day camps offer a variety of programs for children ages 5 to 15. Each year, programs usually take on a different theme. Activities are divided into age groups and are designed to increase each child's confidence and self-esteem.

Almost every daycare facility offers a day camp, as do public recreation programs. Some offer field trips, while others show movies. These programs afford children the opportunity to have lots of fun! Parents need to visit different day camps before mentioning them to their children. Always ask about staffing. It can be a problem.

School camps

Most private schools offer a limited summer program and the summer staff may not always be certified teachers. Again, it’s best to make phone calls and visit these facilities.

Overnight or Residents camps

Overnight or resident camps; campers stay for extended periods of time, from several days to several weeks. The children usually sleep in cabins, dorms, tents, tepees or other forms of shelter and participate in a variety of well-organized activities. If a child has never been away from home, it's always best to conduct a trial run. Staying overnight at Mimi and Papa’s house or with a friend is a good way to begin. They can also stay at a supervised church lock-in. In an overnight or resident camp situation that is coed, it is important to have counselors of both genders on the premises, at all times. Always ask for a camp check list.

Educational camps

Colleges, private schools or independent-tutoring facilities sometimes offer educational camps. They usually focus on academic subjects, such as computers, math, science or English. There are also music camps. The staff is usually made up of well-trained professionals.

Church camps

Church camps have always been a personal favorite of mine. I never worried a moment when my children attended a camp at our church. These camps usually have a Christian theme and devote most of their activities toward the development of the child's spiritual well-being. Church camps are very structured and typically target young people between the ages of 4 and 8.

Special-needs camps

These camps are usually offered regionally and focus on children with disabilities. Special-needs camps have well-trained staff members at all times. The best source for recommendations for a special-needs camp is the child's pediatrician. Professionals and psychologists highly recommend gathering as much information as possible when making special-needs camp decisions. Locally, there are a few GREAT, web sites with a wealth of information regarding summer camp programs. A few of my favorites are www.KingwoodCamps.com, www.TheWoodlandsCamps.com and www.HoustonCamps.com.  

Also, Mark Your Calendars!  

Plan to attend the 2015 Northeast Houston Summer Camp Fair & Expo on Saturday – March 28 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Woodridge Baptist Church in the Gymnasium. For more information – go to www.KingwoodCampFair.com.  

A few of the camps participating include: Woodridge Baptist Church, The Painted Elephant, Sylvan Learning Center, Painting With A Twist, Eye Level Learning Center, Camp Blessing, Kids In Action, Village Learning Center, Max Bowl North, Camp Cedarbrook, Camp Kingwood/Kingwood Country Club, Camp Invention, Boy Scouts of America, The Academy at Rowland Ballard Preschool, Huntington Learning Center, Clubhouse Play Care and Kosmin Media Group!

Nationally, the American Camping Association is also a great resource for summer camps. You can visit them on line at www.ACACamps.org or call 1-800-428-2267. Parents should be educated about the people who will be responsible for their children at a camp.

Talk with camp directors, doctors and other parents. In addition, parents should read all materials available about the camps under consideration. Compile a list of questions concerning the camp and make an appointment with the camp director. If the camp is long distance, a conference call can be scheduled.

After a selection has been made, parents should make every effort to schedule an appointment to visit with the specific camp counselor who will be in charge of their child.

Questions to consider include location, size, gender, age, geographical representation (children from local area), duration, financial structure of the camp, staff, goals and values, programs, facilities, health/safety issues and food service.

Most importantly, parents should use their intuition. Choosing the right summer camp for your child is definitely a labor of love. The key to success is to start early.

Once a decision is made, make reservations immediately! Space is usually limited and camps fill up fast!

Happy camp hunting!

Debbie

 

(Debbie Dodd is the Sales Manager/Marketing Director for the Kosmin Media Group and also a freelance writer. She is the mother of three and a grandmother. She resides in Kingwood with her husband, Ronnie. She can be reached at [email protected].)


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