When it’s 110° in the shade, what could be better than escaping to a really cool camp? Summers certainly sizzle here in Arizona. Fortunately, there are plenty of cool camps!
Kids, about 10 million strong, will make their escape this summer to some 24,000 camps in the United States. That many kids can’t be wrong!
Yes, there are at least 24,000 camps in the United States, and no two are completely alike. There’s a great chance you can find one that fits like a glove.
One way to narrow your search is to understand that generally there are two different types of camp—traditional camps and the more focused specialty camps, which are growing in popularity.
Nancy LaPook Diamond, president of KidsCamps.com, has a lot of good things to say about traditional camps. “The traditional overnight camp is a wonderful, wonderful experience,” she points out. “There is nothing like it. The overnight camp or typical day camp gives a child a little bit of everything, a very well-rounded experience.”
In the 10 years that KidsCamps.com has been online, LaPook Diamond has witnessed a mind-boggling increase in specialty camps. They list specialty camps of all kinds—from bowling, crew (rowing) and farm to space and aviation. If you want to refine your ways, sign up for an etiquette camp (manners and social graces). Or maybe you want to elevate your skating skills with a high-flying skateboard camp.
The list is far from over. LaPook Diamond also has seen an increasing demand for specialty camps for kids with autism, diabetes, HIV and other special needs. There are also camps that focus on performing arts, film and TV, computers, modeling and even circus performance!
Although there’s a dazzling array of camps, good camps everywhere offer the same thing—a great learning experience and essential life lessons.
“The camp experience allows kids to unlock their potential and discover their world in a way where play can be a learning experience,” says Peg Smith, chief executive officer and spokesperson for the American Camp Association. The ACA accredits camps all over the country. To be an ACA accredited camp, a camp is evaluated on about 300 health, safety and program standards.
One summer camp experience that’s making waves is “Adventure Camps,” at SeaWorld of San Diego. “With our program,” says Jonathan Isaacs, supervisor for the resident camp program, “kids not only meet the animals and interact with them, they have a chance to build relationships, to make new friends and meet people they wouldn’t ordinarily meet.” Camp, concludes Isaacs, “is all about learning life experiences.”
Learning positive life lessons by being with others is important at every camp. At the Arizona Science Center, kids who are interested in science benefit from being with other students who are so inclined. For older kids (12–14), science camp becomes even more specialized as the Science Center sets up at the world famous Barrow’s Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital. Activities at this challenging week of camp include extracting DNA, cancer research, and finding, marketing and distributing cures for diseases!
Melissa Lerma, family program coordinator for the Science Center, says that campers should benefit greatly from interacting with people on site. “There are high school students doing different volunteer work, and there are college students, so the kids will see students who aren’t much older than they are.”
In addition, the Science Center offers “Living in Color” camps for kids 5–11, which focus on Earth’s dynamic systems like the ocean. Each environment is represented by its dominant color (for instance green for rainforest and blue for ocean).
Even with the growth of specialty camps, Smith says their isn’t any kind of revolution about what camps have to offer. “It’s not so much that activities are changing. What’s beginning to stir with some momentum is the partnership between the camp community and the parents when it comes to youth development.” Smith says that parents recognize how much the camp experience can help advance a kid or young adult.
Camps can teach kids many life skills like conflict resolution, connecting and communicating with other people, how to negotiate shared space, meaningful decision making and healthy risk taking, Smith points out. At camp, such skills aren’t learned sitting down. “It’s done in such a way that it is part of (the kids) natural environment and natural setting.”
Camp experts say now’s the time to score the right summer camp. Some families started their search in the fall.
“Many camps fill up quickly and they need to be visiting a site like KidsCamps.com contacting camps, getting information and making their plans,” LaPook Diamond says. KidsCamps.com is also an ACA partner. The ACA is also a tremendous resource for the camp seeker. The ACA just published its first magazine, CAMP: A Resource for Families, which is available for $4.95 plus shipping. In addition to their general Web site, the ACA also hosts www.CampParents.org that’s devoted entirely to parents.
For more local camps, kids and parents need to check out Boomer’s Summer Camp Guide that starts on this page.
“We always say there’s a camp for everyone,” Smith says. Parents really need to do their homework to find a camp that fits their kid. Smith points out that being accredited means that a camp meets certain standards, but there are many other factors you also need to look at. How are camp employees screened?
Do many of the counselors and campers return? What emergency procedures exist? Is the program developmentally appropriate?
“There are multiple things you can do. You can visit the camp, you can call the camp and speak with the director or ask for a parent reference who has been to the camp,” Smith says.
One of the benefits of more traditional camps is the time just to hang with friends and to relax. Smith says this down time is really something kids are drawn to. Free time enables kids to be creative and come up with fun activities on their own.
Summers in the desert can be really long. If you’re torn between a traditional and a specialty camp, why not get the best of both worlds by signing up for both?
It’s a small world, and today’s camps reflect an increasingly diverse population. “More and more children are coming to us today knowing more than one language,” Smith says. Many campers these days are used to traveling across the country. A few even visit from other countries.
These long-distance travelers are especially eager to connect with new friends at camp. “They are very in tune to wanting to meet people from different parts of the country and the world,” Smith explains.
Those thinking of attending Adventure Camps at SeaWorld might consider this. Isaacs points out, “kids have the opportunity to interact with other kids from different backgrounds that they might not (get) to meet in their hometown.”
For those living in landlocked states like Arizona, the ocean world can be a mystery. “Most people only get to see pictures of animals that live in the ocean like sharks, stingrays or even dolphins. With our program, kids and campers actually have the opportunity to get up close to them, to interact with some of our animals and meet their keepers and trainers to develop an appreciation for the animals,” Isaacs explains.
LaPook Diamond says that an extremely expensive camp can cost more than $10,000! The good news is that prices vary as much as the types of camps you can go to. “Some are non-profit, where the costs are very minimal or not all all. There is a whole range—there is a camp for everyone,” she continues.
According to the ACA, the average weekly fee nationally is about $320 for overnighters and $200 a week for day campers. Smith points out that if money is tight, families should ask if camp scholarships are available. “Over 65 percent of our camps with ACA offer some sort of scholarship,” Smith says.
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