Post by cookiemdough on Feb 3, 2015 17:00:49 GMT -5
How much thought do you put into summer camp options? I need a reality check cause I was going for the most convenient and literally the way some treat the process you would think it is the equivalent to applying for private school. So am I lazy or are people normally this focused on "summer enrichment". By the way my son is 7 in case that impacts the answer
My daughter is 6. I am going with easiest (ie, signing up with the program at her school). But, my parenting philosophy can most accurately be described as #lazy, so take that FWIW.
They are SO competitive around here, mainly because there aren't enough I think. You have to be on your game the minute they open if you want a spot. But most of the people I know just do what their kids like and what is convenient for them.
We mostly do daycare summer camp because all the others require daily pickup at 3p OR we have to pay the daycare fee for most of the weeks and then twice the weekly daycare cost for the special camp to also provide after hours care. Just crazy expensive.
This summer we will probably have DD at a summer camp for girl scouts (she is 8) that is a day camp, and then two weeks at her grandparents' house, so with 3 straight weeks off I don't have to pay the daycare.
We got aced out last year because we waited too long. We just do day camp through the rec center, but there aren't enoigh spots so you do need to be on top of it.
We've done the camp thing now for several years, and I wouldn't underestimate convenience as a factor.
I think enrichment is nice, but at age 7, you will be fine with sports camps or anything that is just plain old fun. In the past I've tried to strike a balance between the fun and the enrichment, so my kids do a couple week-long sports camps and few camps that are a bit more academic. So long as the academic camps are age-appropriate, your son will have fun because the people designing these camps usually know what they are doing.
Word of warning: do not wait to sign him up. I made this mistake last year and nearly didn't get my kids into camp because of it. The good ones fill up quickly, so if you think a camp looks good, go ahead and enroll, even if it means writing a check now rather than three months from now.
I go with the easiest ones my kids will like. However, it has turned into somewhat of a juggling act trying to figure out all 3 different camp schedules. I'm in the lazy parenting camp but I'm also cheap. DS is only 5 and we don't send him to the same camp as the girls b/c it's a lot of money for a 5 year old. Eventually we will but not now. Makes scheduling a bit more challenging.
And it's a camp that you have to be online soon after they open registration to get what you want. Sucks, but that's how most things are around here. I do it b/c if I have to spend the whole summer with all of my kids someone may not make it out alive
Our county offers a free M-R day camp at multiple elementary schools. They have college kids do daily activities (I assume for some type of credit). It's 8 weeks of the summer (2 week/session). I have 4 computers open so I can sign him up right at the opening hour. Where I live it is a mad dash and the slots fill up within the hour. I'm too cheap to pay for camp, and too lazy to have to do like actual parenting while watching the 2 year old and driving the middle son daily for 2 hours to his Autism school.
G goes to jesus camp. ironic since we just pulled her from Rel Ed.
If it's the camp I'm thinking of in your town my church growing up (the one my family moved to after leaving the Catholic Church) used to take us for a week there every summer and a retreat during the winter. That church later turned fundamentalist-y, but was cool and normal when I was young. I actually have great memories of that camp!
It can be kind if crazy here. I go for convenience, fun, cost, and where his friends go. I don't care about enrichment - I just want him to run around, get dirty, have fun, and not be sittings at home all day .
I had to sign him up for everything about a month ago - a lot of camps are full already
I haven't started this process for my son, but my sister who has a 14 yr has been doing this for years. It's intense. She has already decided camps for this summer. Hop to it lady
I do convenient and "other": Convenient being the Girl Scout day camp that I generally end up volunteering for as a leader (dammit, I need to learn to say no). "Convenient" and "Other" being the Girl Scout week-long overnight camp that GD1 goes to that's about an hour away and drop off is mid-afternoon. "Other" being the week-long overnight camp that GD1 goes to that's about an hour away to drop her off, but it's a "before 9:00 a.m." so we end up getting a hotel and staying overnight closer to the drop off. (She started this when she was with CPS placement and we've continued because (a) they let us and (b) it's very cheap and (c) she loves going there.)
We do a mixture of traditional camps (swimming boating, archery, etc) and enrichment camps. I also higher a high schooler to watch my kids a couple weeks to.
Post by downtoearth on Feb 3, 2015 18:24:38 GMT -5
Our kids do a day camp as their daycare - Montessori outdoor education type place, but less strict in the summer. It's middle of the road for costs but it has convenient hours and that is good for our work schedules. We also do one week of science camp at a nearby lake and one week of theater camp in another town.
Really I want them outside more than enriched during the summer.
I'm pretty sure I'm sending DD to DS daycare summercamp. The price w/ sibling discount is about what the Y would be (which I'm guessing is the cheaper end) and having only 1 drop off before work would be heaven for me too.
DS attended a mix of therapeutic camps, scout camps, enrichment themed camps and, finally band camp. Planning is a little different for each.
The therapeutic Asperger Camp was exactly like applying to a private school- I had to supply medical records, IEPs, teacher references, order meds in single dose blister packets, etc. Cabins are set up by age and dx; some cabins sell out as early as October.
The college enrichment Kids on Campus sells a few of the popular camps out by Presidents Day- things like animation, computer game programming sell out the first day they're offered. His NHRS Rail Camp- one in the country with 20 kids max, often sells out quickly.
Scout camp gets reserved early because acting now is about 25% cheaper than acting in June. Band camp's easy- they pick it for you.
This is the first year that my oldest (he will be 7) won't be doing camp through daycare.
Price is our main driver. I don't even work full days, but I still wouldn't be able to accommodate the standard hours of most camps around here. So by the time you add on before/after care, I am looking at over $300/week for my kid to attend the YMCA camp 3 days a week. Add on my younger one's daycare costs, and it's just not realistic for what I am making working part time.
The neighboring township runs a day camp that costs half that for 3 days, operates standard hours that work with my schedule, and is on my way to work.
It is not even a little fancy, but they do have 2 pools and a bunch of activities. Sold. I am stalking the registration page. It's not up yet, but I don't want to miss out in case it fills up quickly.
Convenience, fun, cost I don't really look at enrichment/educational value, but DS did get certification in kayaking and canoeing. I sure as hell couldn't teach him that.
We do fun and convenience. I have two of the three in camp, only because DS3 is not old enough. The kids love the wildlife center camp and the lego robotics camp, by the way I have nerds. DS2 loved British soccer camp but last year it was in mid-July and not an option, due to a family trip and we live in GA. This year my kids are looking into camps, as they fill up fast in our area. We will again do the wildlife center and lego camps along with Camp Invention,this is the only one they will attend at the same time. DD1 has her heart set on a week long Girl Scout camp. She is doing her best to sell enough cookies to pay for half of the camp. This will be her first time at a residence camp, so other Girl Scout campers tell me she is okay to go at 9 years old. I try to spend the other weeks exploring the area or just hanging out at the pool, so they get a little down time.
G goes to jesus camp. ironic since we just pulled her from Rel Ed.
If it's the camp I'm thinking of in your town my church growing up (the one my family moved to after leaving the Catholic Church) used to take us for a week there every summer and a retreat during the winter. That church later turned fundamentalist-y, but was cool and normal when I was young. I actually have great memories of that camp!
it's kind of fundamentalist-y now. compared to the church anyway. a couple of summers ago they were teaching the kids to "spread the good news to people who don't believe in jesus" and i was like, "um, no. this is where you learn respect for others and that mommy's best friend is jewish so keep the good news to yourself."
If it's the camp I'm thinking of in your town my church growing up (the one my family moved to after leaving the Catholic Church) used to take us for a week there every summer and a retreat during the winter. That church later turned fundamentalist-y, but was cool and normal when I was young. I actually have great memories of that camp!
it's kind of fundamentalist-y now. compared to the church anyway. a couple of summers ago they were teaching the kids to "spread the good news to people who don't believe in jesus" and i was like, "um, no. this is where you learn respect for others and that mommy's best friend is jewish so keep the good news to yourself."
but it's cheap and they have coupons.
#iamthe99percent
I did a few one week camps with them mostly because they gave my mom a huge scholarship and that was the only way I could have a camp experience. I've blocked out most of the Jesus part. But the 4 days of canoeing down the Delaware with that camp and camping alongside our canoes still ranks in my top 10 fun childhood memories!
Post by EloiseWeenie on Feb 4, 2015 9:55:07 GMT -5
We have an awesome marine biology/science based place that runs camps. Hunter did 2 weeks there last year, and he'll go again this year. They have several to choose from, like wacky science experiments, marine biology, robotics & engineering, etc. The robotics camp only allows for 10 students, so you have to sign up for that one early.
Now that Amelia's 3, she can probably do gymnastics camp, so I may sign both kids up for a week there, so I can have some alone time.
My parents would ship us off for 4-7 weeks during the summer when we were old enough (starting in 4th grade?) out of state at Jewish-Commie camp. We LOVED it. My husband thinks it meant my parents didn't love us and didn't want us around and says that the idea of paying $7K a summer to never see our hypothetical kid is the worst thing ever. I loved it and think the idea of having a kid free summer sounds pretty good
Before that, when we were younger, I did one year at a local day camp and from then on (2nd grade) I was doing overnight camp for at least 2 weeks until the 4th grade.