August 2018 Archives

It's no longer a secret that obesity is a full-blown health epidemic in America. If your child or teen is unhealthily overweight, they're not alone.

Fortunately, there are weight loss summer camps that provide both the enjoyment and teach the skills necessary to live a healthy lifestyle. While some people are simply fortunate to have fast metabolism or physical advantages, the ability to live a healthy life is a teachable skill.

Losing weight is difficult, and there can be discouraging setbacks. So if you're considering weight loss summer camp for your child or teen and want them to have the best opportunity for success, consider these three tips.

1. Make Sure Your Child or Teen Is Committed.

Have an open, honest discussion with your child or teenager. Discuss the potential health complications about being overweight or obese. Do not make the discussion about how they look.

Focusing on appearances leads people to feel shame, which can make them feel hopeless. They probably already feel poorly because their peers at this age can

Instead, make sure that they are on board with improving their health at a weight loss summer camp. If they go in with a positive mindset, your child or teen exponentially increases their chance at success. Psychology is half the battle.

2. Start with Healthy-Eating Habits.

Weight loss camp won't help your child or teen if they can only maintain healthy eating habits while at camp. Losing weight is a commitment, and the weight can come back as easily as it can shed.

With that said, start with healthy eating habits. Fewer greasy fried foods. Lean meats if you are a meat-eating household. More vegetables and fruits, especially when snacking. Fewer foods drenched in sauces.

This is all stuff you've heard before, but if you don't start these habits before camp and keep them up after camp, then any progress made in camp will not stay.

3. Convince Your Child or Teen of the Fun Activities.                         

The idea of a weight loss camp can seem like a drag. It sounds like hard work.

The good news is that these camps are actually fun. Getting outside, doing physical activity, naturally produces chemicals in the brain that make people feel better.

So help your child or teen understand that they will be playing games like basketball or volleyball. They'll get out of the heat with swimming. And they'll learn skills that they can take with them after camp is done.

 

Imagine a world overrun with robots, performing the smallest tasks, taking the jobs of human beings, and even vacuuming your floor. There's no need to stretch your brain because we're already living that world, which is why robotics is taking over summer camps around the country.

It's no secret that robotics is the future, and that the usefulness of a STEM education is only poised to grow from here. The good news is that robotics is actually fun for all ages.

Kids love robots. The sales of Lego building blocks and the Transformers franchise prove that. Teens and young adults love technology. They take apart everything, and if we're lucky, they put it back together when they're done.

Whether you're planning a career or hoping to instill a love of the STEM and robotics fields in your children, summer camps with robotics are a great opportunity for kids and young adults to learn while also enjoying a wide array of fun activities.

What do you do at Robot Camp?

At robotics camps, the campers will design, build, program, and test robots. They'll learn about Artificial Intelligence, and will explore the basics of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering.

Some camps even bring out the competitive spirit of campers with robot competitions. Campers love these events, often racing against the clock to build the best robots. They then test how these rushed robots behave, sometimes with hilarious results.

The activities at these summer camps can vary. We haven't yet reached a workless utopia where robots handle every important task, so in this transition phase, we still need to prepare our children for a country where robots are seriously displacing human beings for paying jobs.

Fortunately, robotics summer camps are fun and educational. So consider the future for your future camp.

Many young people are attracted to the glitz and glamour of acting. They love the chance to be creative and to embody a character that is different from their own personality.

There are several types of acting, however, and your child's interests and expectations will dictate what camp you should choose. It's important to align the camp's activities and objectives with your camper's.

So with that, here are the five things you need to know before choosing an acting summer camp.

1. Acting isn't as easy as it looks!

Campers will have lots of fun, but if they want to improve, they'll have to take direction from instructors. When practicing acting for the camera, many campers will have to learn the difference between long shots and close-up shots, and they'll have to adjust their type of acting to the camera angle.

Also, when acting for the films, young actors will learn how to film and act scenes out-of-sequence or out-of-order in the script. This means jumping around from scene -to-scene and making sure the young actor/camper understands where their character is at in the story.

2. There are different types of acting.

Theater acting is different from film acting which is different from musical theater.

Theater is in front of an audience in a big stage. The performance style is much larger to project the emotion all the way to the back row. Musical theater, of course, puts an emphasis on singing and music.

Film acting requires an understanding of the camera's location, and the style is much smaller because the camera picks up every detail.

There are also camps for improvisational acting.

3. See if the camp will cast you in a real production.

Many camps will have connections with local theater groups or casting agents, so if your goal is to make connections to get cast, then this is something to ask about.

While there's no guarantee of fame and fortune, it's nice to know what other campers have gone onto do after their training.  For example, the New York Film Academy acting program boasts of their successful camp grads:

"Glee, The Middle, Parks and Recreation, The Feature Film, and This Must Be the Place are just a few of the countless film and television productions that have casted our talented acting camp graduates." 

4. Acting can be a confidence boost.

Acting is great for extroverts who love to get out in front of a crowd or a camera. But this isn't all children. If you have a child with social anxiety or shyness, acting camp may help them build confidence.

Don't force it though. Have a talk with your potential camper, and see if it's something they're interested in. There may even be a trial period to see if acting is something they might enjoy.

Overall, acting camp can be an enjoyable experience if you know what you're applying to.

When it comes to trends in summer camps, science is the second hottest thing after rising temperatures. But why are science summer camps becoming the go-to destination for kids and teens?

Science camps are great for a variety of ages, and they help to foster the interests and skills that help young people in the world of today. We'll give you the top 5 reasons why science summer camps are the best.

1. Science camps are fun.

Let's cut to the chase. Kids and teens aren't going to want to go to a summer camp unless it fills this most important of priorities.

And science camps are very fun. Science, as a topic, spans a number of different areas of interest, and there are so many activities for each field of study.

 Far from a classroom, kayaking is a great way to get out and learn about the environment and specific ecosystems. Building and programming robots are activities that bring about the joys of playing with toys. And astronomy builds on the sense of wonder that everyone has as a young person.

2. Science summer camps promote learning.

Not everyone learns from reading books and listening to lectures. Many people are kinesthetic learners - or the type of people that learn from having a hands-on experience.

Science camps cater to these types of learners. For example, kids and teens can engineer a self-driving robot and even create worlds within a video game.

By putting science into your hands in the real world, science camps promote a tactile and memorable way to learn.

3. Science camps promote socialization.

There has long been a stigma that kids and teens who are into science and math are introverted or anti-social. Science summer camps dispel that stereotype.

Sleepaway camps naturally put students together in close proximity and teach them to live and grow together. And science, specifically, gives students exciting group activities and experiments to partake in, so they can work together.

Also, science camps encourage girls and young women get into science and math, fields they have traditionally been left out of.

4. STEM jobs are the future.

Fun and games are great, but science camps also prepare your kids for the world beyond the learning environment. Getting your child interested in STEM is an investment in their future.

More and more jobs relate to science, robotics, coding, and other STEM fields. Even a basic understanding of science and math helps future jobseekers when they go into other fields.

5. Science helps kids and teens understand a world bigger than themselves.

Science, in general, encourages people to look beyond themselves to the world around them. At camp, kids can learn about ecosystems and other forms of living creatures that depend on one another to survive.

Kids and teens can learn how to take care of the environment and the world around them. Some camps have activities learning about animals or space.

The exact area of focus depends on the camp, but the study of science extends beyond a single person. Thinking beyond oneself makes your child happier, more positive, and more empathetic for the world around them. That's why science is great.