Choosing a Summer Camp
Summer camp is an exciting adventure for kids, but which experience will be just right for your young explorer? Understanding the options is key. Many people don’t realize there are so many choices when it comes to summer camp. The best way to decide is to know your audience. Read on for an overview of camp varieties so you can be well-versed as you choose the right camp for your child.
Tip: Check out the KC Parent Camp Guide to find the best camp for your child!
Day Camp
Day camp is a great option for both single parent homes and parents with full-time job responsibilities—and sometimes both! Day camp is usually an option for parents during the summer after the normal school term ends. Some day camps are regional, single sex oriented or religious, and other day camps (traditional ones) are daily and operate like schools do. Day camps like this serve as a filler. While you work, the kids can play. Rest assured that when you choose a traditional day camp, your kiddos are in a structured and healthy environment while you make a living.
Camping Overnight
Camping overnight requires a particular skill and comfort level. I like to classify these skills under two categories, both by how campers sleep: Type A campers enjoy sleeping in a confined space, in this case a tent or cabin. Type B campers relish sleeping under the stars.
These personal differences lead to a huge difference in the way kids experience overnight camp options. Type A campers love nature but prefer to disconnect from it and reconnect with some closed-in comfort while they snooze. Type A campers typically love technique when it comes to camping. They enjoy the challenge of setting up a tent, making home in a cabin, building a fire and planning the details of the camping excursion.
Type B campers, on the contrary, don’t mind any of nature’s elements and typically become one with the great outdoors. They find amazement in astronomy and have fun identifying starry constellations. Type B campers are also usually more open to gathering their food, fishing or hunting. Whether they are type A or type B campers, one thing kids tend to agree on are the campfire sweets, so be sure to send some marshmallows along with the bug spray if your youngsters go for an outdoor camping adventure.
Specialty Camps
Tons of specialty camps are on the market for Kansas City families. Just about all of them require some sort of buy-in, and camps like these ultimately help your children gain confidence in a skill set they have already started to build.
The most common of the specialty camps are sports focused. Camps for golf, baseball, softball, football, soccer and basketball abound. Coaches often encourage whole teams to sign up for sports camps like these, so, odds are, if your kids join a camp like this, they will be joining with friends. The best part about sending your kids off to camps like these is that you come out looking like the hero. Camps like this guarantee your kids will want to show you every new trick in the playbook and how they’re going to use them in their next rivalry game.
Arts camps that develop skills in band, orchestra, dance, theater and other fine arts are another type of specialty, as are academic and STEM options. These camps traditionally build on the basic skills your child already has and wants to cultivate further. These camps also sprinkle in some traditional camp day-to-day activities. Academic and music teachers and directors may have favorite programs they recommend, so check with them.
Specialty camps of any kind can be daunting at first, so speak to coaches and teachers to see what they think needs a little work. Going in with a goal can be helpful guidance.
There are all sorts of camping types, and no matter how you swing it, camp in general lays out a feast of fun and challenging activities, from swimming, hiking, star gazing and making camp to expanding arts, athletic and academic abilities. All in all, summer camp is designed to get kids away from the typical routine of life so they can decompress, have fun and explore new skills and friendships. So when you’re considering the camp that’s best for you and your family, stop, take a deep breath and remember some of these tips first. You’ll find just the right one!
Jessica Samuel lives in Kansas City and is a freelance writer and photographer.
Tip: Check out the KC Parent Camp Guide to find the best camp for your child!