Summer Planning

[2chatter]

Do I send DS to camp that’s $275/week and where he went when we pulled him from his school last summer and he is in a classroom environment but has weekly sports classes, cooking classes, in center bowling, art classes, etc OR do I send him to the local sports association for $200/week where it’s teen supervision and junk food?

Essentially, should I be cheap? We would save $450 with the less expensive camp total, which sounds like kind of a lot but I really don’t love the less expensive program. Our experience at his last school really made
me nervous. Help me justify the bigger spend in my head...

So far this summer our camp expenses are: $375, $375, $475, $250, $250, $350, $350, $250 and includes a month of summer school for the younger two, university volleyball camp for DD, older two at sleepaway camp, mission trip for older DD, farm camp for middle and DS. OMG summer is expensive. That’s $2575 without day care for DS. I think both DDs will be funding one
of their camps with their savings. That drops it to a less than 2K number at least for camps....

[mustardseed2007]

To me that's not that much more when you're talking about a noticeable difference in the quality of child care.

[twinmomma]

As someone who pays for the cheap, teenager program for after care, choose the more expensive program. I HATE our after care situation, but other options would easily double (or more) our costs so we suck it up. For the price increase you're talking about, I'd jump on the better program. It's a pretty small increase for a much better program.

[katrine05]

I agree with mustardseed2007

I'm trying to figure out what to do with DD this summer. My in home DCP (where DS goes) asked if I'm going to send her there for the summer. It's going to be my cheapest option, but I'm sure she'll be bored with a bunch of toddlers (might have a few of her old friends there, but no activities/outings). Trying to find a balance between convenience and cost and keeping her entertained. I'll take a couple weeks off (dayhome is closed), at least 2-3 weeks of camp, and maybe the rest at the dayhome? Most places don't have camp registration info out yet so I'm not sure what the price differences are yet.

[186momx]

Ok, I'm not going to whine about the $180 per week for summer camp at DD's aftercare. Or the $143 for a week full of gymnastic camp.

Is there a time difference between the 2 camps such as expensive camp goes from 9-3 cheaper camp goes 8-6?

[2chatter]

I thought it was a reasonable price difference, too, but i also thought i might be emotional about it so this so helps. 186momx - the prices include extended care. The farm camp is, for example, $100 less per week without after care.

That’s the one I am most excited about as DD is a counselor and the other two will be campers. For real, dropping and picking up all three in the same place is crazy awesome. The issue will be - both want to sign up with friends and friends want to sign up because DD is a counselor. My car only seats 7. Transportation is going to be dicey.

Summer totally stresses me out.

[mommyatty]

Honestly, I would go cheaper camp not because it’s cheap but because I think summer shouldn’t include classrooms if you have another option. We send our kids to camp at their school, but it’s not classroom-based. It’s all about activities with fun enrichment thrown in. Like last year each week’s theme was a children’s book so they had Mad Hatter tea parties and played croquet during the Alice in Wonderland week. And had a guy bring exotic animals during Dr Doolittle week.

This year, DD qualifies age-wise for other school camps, so she wants to do cheerleading and Lego camps.

[traveltheworld]

I'd pick based on the quality of camp and how much time they'd devote to outdoor and active activities. In the grand scheme of things, a few hundred dollars isn't all that much.

I hate summer camp planning too!

[2chatter]

mommyatty - by classroom based I mean...it’s not free reign. The sports camp is a facility with 18 indoor basketball and volleyball courts plus two indoor soccer fields and an upstairs for dance and karate. DD at 8 got left in various places and kind of ran around rampant in the giant building — and it seemed most kids do, too. They have counselors but they aren’t responsible for a specific group per se - it stressed me out. But DD slept really well with all the running around. Snacks were things like an Icee and a cinnamon bun. I just kind of hate it, but I do love the sports classes in the two structured parts of the day. Before and after care (before 10 and after 2) are the chaos and it’s not like I can do only the 4 hours. I really hate summer until it’s here, y’all.

[divanerd]

I would send him to 275 camp or pay a sitter that amount weekly and find activities that are low cost.

I've been so focused on next school year applications I need to enroll for summer camp this week. Thanks!

[2chatter]

divanerd - sitters here we have always paid $10/hour plus activities in the summer, so $400+ a month. Have you found and hired sitters for a weekly rate like that? I have heard people say things like that but don’t know how...We currently pay $100/week for 8 hours of after school care, so that example trends the other direction....

[waverly]

If you don't like the cheaper camp don't send him there.

[phdmomma]

I would just pay a little more. This is our first year dealing with summer camp and it’s a pain. Applications opened on the first. Also I just signed up DS for aftercare for fall, and it’s good I did so early because now it is completely full.

[divanerd]

I have not used a sitter yet so no clue on cost.
We have been lucky his school has a camp.

We are moving this summer and will need to enroll in a new private school and camp this summer. I may just pass out thinking of all the change.

[mommyatty]

With the description you gave of the kids just running rampant, I couldn’t do that. But I can’t do chaos. It makes me break out in hives. DD is the same way. So more expensive camp would get my vote!

[sunbutter]

I vote for more expensive. But I also drop 6k plus aftercare on 8 weeks for my two kids.

[akafred]

Honestly I would look for a third option. I don't like either one you mentioned. I agree with mommyatty that summer shouldn't involve classrooms if it can be helped; personally I like camps that are at least 75% outdoors. The money, if you can afford the difference, won't matter in a couple of years, but the location and activities will.

[2chatter]

akafred - the classroom is just a small group with one dedicated teacher who stays with them
the whole day as they rotate through the different rooms instead of a free for all. It will be 100 degrees so we are avoiding the only local camp that is mostly outdoor. Friends have tried it and have withdrawn. The spendier program spends three hours outside, two in the morning and one in the afternoon (split between two thirty minute segments if it is super hot). We are also looking for no swim as DS hates swimming - which rules out gymnastics/swim programs. This is BY FAR the hardest kid to schedule. And I am looking for no transport as I prefer a five point at his age and he often falls asleep - I am paranoid about all the transportation heat related deaths. Ugh. This kid....

[waverly]

It sounds kind of like our daycare camp. One or two teachers in the same classroom they were in for the school year, but no real curriculum. Instead they do water days (no swimming just water play), field trips except your doesn't do those, lots of outdoor time.

Mine are now doing the outside camp for summer but we have much nicer summers than Texas. We started that when DS was 6 because he was outgrowing the daycare model and I wanted him to learn to swim and do more physical activities.

I do agree at looking to see if there is another option. But just roaming a huge sports complex building with no real supervision would have me nervous too. Our summer camp has the counselors with the kids at all times, and same counselors for each age group.

Maybe you rationalize it to yourself as he is 5, so he should be with more supervision. Maybe the next year or two he transitions to something a little cheaper as he gets more independent.

[sandandsea]

Pick whichever you like better. We are doing an academic/play camp for the first part through his school and it’s super cheap. $1500 for the first 5.5 weeks of summer. The last 2.5 weeks will
Be more active hopefully but also significantly more expensive. We have a hard time finding places open early and late enough for two working parents.

[akafred]

It sounds like you really like the more expensive one a lot. Go for it! My priorities may be a little different than yours but that is ok too; we have different kids with different needs.

Interesting aside: I asked DD today to choose between 2 specialty camps the same week. One is musical theater and the other is a science camp with explosions. She chose musical theater. I am still shocked!

[2chatter]

I think my issue is I don’t really like either of them that much....maybe he does a solo week of farm camp, a week home with a sitter for 30 hours when DD is also here, a week somewhere I haven’t found yet, a week at the center and I ask DH to take a week off (he has SO MUCH PTO banked).

I also think I’m used to the kids all walking now and dread the morning rush to drive and fight traffic.

I remain sad about our move here in only one way - DD went to an old school for real summer
Camp in our neighborhood at the same age (and I also went there as a kid). Why doesn’t that exist here??

[akafred]

Wait, what is farm camp? That sounds amazing! JMO but if your DD handles transitions reasonably well, send him to all this summer and then you will have a place to send him next summer based on his favorite. We did and still do this with DD, but we are doing fewer camps now and/or trying to align with friends because she struggles with making friends in a new environment now that she is a little older. We'll probably only do 1-2 new camps this summer and use 1-2 that she is familiar with for the rest of the summer.

[covergirl82]

Ugh, summer planning. 2chatter, would it be feasible to look into hiring a college-student nanny (as a third option)? It's not classroom-based and at least it's with a person more mature (or should be) than high school teens. People in my area do that, and we probably will in the next couple years.

Our current summer situation is that the kids will go to in-home DCP (where they went before they started school), but we also sign the kids up for 2-3 sports or art camps and DCP won't transport them, so DH and I have to (or hope they have friends in the camp and other parents might be willing/able to pick up or drop off at DCP's house). So that's a hassle, and then we have to pay for their spot at DCP's as well as the camps, so I agree, summer child care and activities is $$$$$$.

[2chatter]

Farm camp is amazing! It’s on an early 1800s farm in our city, and on the same street as our neighborhood so it’s a straight shot. They do all kinds of neat stuff - I don’t know why I had ruled out sending DS there while the girls are at sleepaway camp. This is DS’ first summer not in DC, and the plan was always to send him to his former Montessori, but that school closed. We will for sure have a sitter for part of the summer - afternoons after the summer school in June, a week here or there.

And I so wish my family or DH’s family were more like my family growing up. My parents had 8 and 7 siblings so I was sent all over the country to stay with aunts and uncles in the summer.

[kimberlybb]

This thread has made me slightly terrified about arranging childcare when my kids are too old or no longer interested in the school age program at daycare.

[shakinros]

I’m totally copping out this summer and sending DD back to her preschool. They have a nice program with cooking and science and field trips and splash day every Friday. She’ll be one of the oldest cause it’s a center, but there’s usually a handful of kids going into 1st and 2nd grade there in the summers. It’s about $275/week, which is cheaper than any specialty camp around here and it’s open the hours we need (8-6).

The school district runs a summer rec program for the first half of the summer that’s open 8-6 but my impression is that it’s the kind of supervision we have in aftercare, same as twinmomma described. No way am I leaving my 5yo in a situation like that with K-8th graders for a whole day.

[sunbutter]

Jan 18, 2018 8:41:17 GMT -5 kimberlybb said:

This thread has made me slightly terrified about arranging childcare when my kids are too old or no longer interested in the school age program at daycare.

I’m starting to worry about the other side..DS (9) has started to grow out of the summer camps and aftercare we use. But I don’t see myself leaving him alone before 12...

[2chatter]

sunbutter - I was worried, but after sixth grade it was actually really easy to unschedule DD. She didn’t want all the programmed time and was responsible enough to be at home.

The summer after fifth grade was the hardest here but it helped to remember it was ONE summer. Hard to do when DD was annoyed.

[sunbutter]

2chatter Yes, after fifth is what I worry about. He is excited to be a CIT when he gets old enough so hopefully that will help. And I can ship him off to an Aunt who doesn’t work yet is fun, young and healthy for a few weeks.