sammydog Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Local camps are starting to have open houses and they have me thinking about what the ultimate summer experience would be for my kids. I'm not sure. Endless hours of leisure and free play with lots of access to art and projects? Some great independent experiences, such as stays with relatives/cousins? A memorable road trip? A cool nature camp? A Fresh Air Fund child to stay with us? We live in NJ so we have access to a wide variety of camps and experiences and to NYC. What we don't have is lots of kids available for free play all summer. Kids are 9yo DD and 7.5 yo DS. How do you plan your kids' summer? What would you do if you had 'carte blanche' in your local area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 For my littler kids the ultimate summer is endless leisure. They don't even care about whether their friends are available. They just want to go to the pool and play in the backyard. My older kids get bored and lazy after a couple weeks of leisure. I usually have them choose 2 or 3 camps in areas they feel passionate about. Last year dd10 went to ballet camp and craft camp, while ds8 went to science camp and soccer camp. I try to spread the camps out so that they are interspersed with weeks off. During off weeks, I take the kids to a museum at least once a week to keep life interesting for me. We usually vacation in the off season, so we don't travel a lot during the summer (other than a long weekend at the beach) and our cousins are close by so we just invite them to the pool or the museum with us. Last summer we did a huge road trip to Pennsylvania (to coincide with the 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg). It's not something we would normally do (traveling in the summer when it's hot and crowded), but it was a great experience for the kids. If we were close to NYC, then I would definitely be leaning toward fewer camps and more trips to the city. I think it depends on the kids though. If they have something they are really passionate about, then definitely go with more camps. If camp would just be a time-filler then I would be inclined to put that money toward experiences in the city, time at the beach, or a fun road trip. It really depends on your kids' personalities and interests, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 We have awesome summers! I don't know how the kids will feel about it when they get older. ( they are 3 and 6 with one on the way now) We spend most of the summer at a campground where you purchase your lot and can keep a camper on it permanently. You can add decks and 3 season porches but there are strict limits as to the size, so they aren't very big. It's a huge campground (I believe they call themselves a resort...which might be pushing the definition) there are multiple pools, a small waterpark, mini golf, a couple beaches, golf course, basketball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, an ice cream place, a pizza place, they even have a zip line and ropes course. They offer swim, golf, tennis lessons, there is a kids club that they can go to or not, where they do fun active or crafty things. There's a nature club and a teen club that have events/activities. It's a very large place, everyone gets around on golf carts and kids can get a golf cart license at age 12. So older kids can have more independence than they might have at home. We stay out there most of the summer, it's abut 45 minutes away. Last year, we tried to come in for too many things, this year it is all getting axed. The 6 year old will go to a church camp one week and we will come home for that, but not for Monday park days and Wed. T- ball games. Of course, this year I will have a young infant, so that may make things difficult as well. My kids are too young to run free. But they LOVE being out there. They LOVE to ride bikes all the time and go to the beach or pool every day. They love all the activities. The kids have cousins the same age who stay out there a lot too. And my MIL/FIL also have a place there. I don't know if that will change as they get older....they may want to stay home to see friends or join sports teams.....we will cross that bridge when we get there I guess! I would NEVER have guessed that this is how I would spend my summers. But where I live (not as bad as others who have posted their winter temps) winter is long and dark and we just want to soak up the sun all summer. I do make the 6 year old do phonics and math in the morning before swim lessons, but most of our day is just beach or pool, tennis or mini golf. If your kids are old enough, ask them what they want from their summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 My boys opt for camps every week of summer holidays for the past few years and they choose the camp they want. All my neighborhood kids are in camps so they have no one to play with. They love road trips too but they let us (parents) decide as it depends on when hubby clears his annual leave, when hotels are less costly and other factors. Basically they want to be out of the house and surrounded by kids their age. They have ask for golf camp, archery camp, science camp (the hands on kind), math camp (puzzles kind) for this coming summer. They love travelling to new places especially other states and other countries. We went back home to Asia for a three week holiday one summer and they enjoyed it. The popular camps are filled by end of January though so we have to plan early on the dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Ultimate summer? Money no object? Travel abroad - England, Ireland, France Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliotterae Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Last summer was kind of our ultimate summer but I'm worried we won't be able to repeat it or do anything comparable for awhile. My girls and I went on a month long vacation to Florida with my best friend. DH stayed home and went to work, poor guy. We stayed at the beach for three weeks and then a week in Orlando. Saw different beaches, museums, and cities and boardwalk areas. We met Winter, the dolphin from Dolphin tale and then spent some time at Disney, Seaworld and Busch Gardens. We usually only travel in off seasons but it was a great time. If money was no object, travel wound always be our chosen way to spend free time. Most summers we spend in the backyard. We have a pool and the girls love the water almost as much as I love the lounge chair and a good book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Summer is pretty much the same as the rest of the year. We do spend extra time at my parents house, they have a lake. That's about it. The best summer ever would just be having Daddy get the whole summer off work. That way he can be with us more, and stay for extra time at my parents house. Also having friend over more. I assume they would like more time playing Terriria (a computer game) with Dad, and my brother-in-law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Well, if he were to have his way, he would play minecraft all day, and I suspect that would not be season-dependent. Sigh. As it is, I am happy to plan the summer for him. He is doing 3 days of 4H engineering camp, a trip to the Midwest to visit grandparents, a trip to language school in France with me (one week) and 2 weeks in Eastern Europe. The rest will be light-schooling and tennis camp. Summers aren't usually this busy, but we are doing some things outside of the public school schedule. We also live fairly close to NYC but I hate the city in the summer honestly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threedogfarm Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 My kids want to camp out all summer in a canvas tent that they plan to make, just like the kids in Swallows and Amazons (except it won't be an island in the middle of the lake--it will be be beside our pond instead). I, of course, wonder if they really will do that, but I whole-heartedly support this. I think this would be ideal for everyone involved. I am happy to join them at their camp fire every night if I am invited. . .I just want to be able to go in and sleep in my own bed at night. BTW--my kids are not crazy about camps--that's fine with me because they can be really expensive around here and I hate doing all the running around to drop them off and then pick up them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Dd8 wants an East Coast historical road trip. On her list of sites to see are Niagra Falls, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, Colonial Williamsburg, Washington DC, and some historical church sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmmiSays Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 We have awesome summers! I don't know how the kids will feel about it when they get older. ( they are 3 and 6 with one on the way now) We spend most of the summer at a campground where you purchase your lot and can keep a camper on it permanently. You can add decks and 3 season porches but there are strict limits as to the size, so they aren't very big. It's a huge campground (I believe they call themselves a resort...which might be pushing the definition) there are multiple pools, a small waterpark, mini golf, a couple beaches, golf course, basketball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, an ice cream place, a pizza place, they even have a zip line and ropes course. They offer swim, golf, tennis lessons, there is a kids club that they can go to or not, where they do fun active or crafty things. There's a nature club and a teen club that have events/activities. It's a very large place, everyone gets around on golf carts and kids can get a golf cart license at age 12. So older kids can have more independence than they might have at home. We stay out there most of the summer, it's abut 45 minutes away. Last year, we tried to come in for too many things, this year it is all getting axed. The 6 year old will go to a church camp one week and we will come home for that, but not for Monday park days and Wed. T- ball games. Of course, this year I will have a young infant, so that may make things difficult as well. My kids are too young to run free. But they LOVE being out there. They LOVE to ride bikes all the time and go to the beach or pool every day. They love all the activities. The kids have cousins the same age who stay out there a lot too. And my MIL/FIL also have a place there. I don't know if that will change as they get older....they may want to stay home to see friends or join sports teams.....we will cross that bridge when we get there I guess! I would NEVER have guessed that this is how I would spend my summers. But where I live (not as bad as others who have posted their winter temps) winter is long and dark and we just want to soak up the sun all summer. I do make the 6 year old do phonics and math in the morning before swim lessons, but most of our day is just beach or pool, tennis or mini golf. If your kids are old enough, ask them what they want from their summer. This place sounds wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Ultimate summer for my girls would an extended trip to the beach, water parks, the lake and the pool... Frog and lightening bug catching in the evenings. Back yard camp outs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Ultimate trip for ds would be travel to Japan, Russia, and Germany, in order of priority. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 DD will be going to her first professional herpetology conference (as a student-her mentor is still trying to figure out if an "accompanying parent" can go with her to sessions without paying the full registration fee), and I expect she'll be doing a lot of fieldwork this summer as well. She does want to go to cheer camp this summer, possibly residential, for a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Week after week of Irish music camps and festivals including a few in Ireland would be my kids' dream summer...well except the oldest who would rather be doing wrestling camps all summer long. They will have to make due with just a few of these and not every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 my kids would pick travel to Europe. But, after that it would be a full summer of dance camp during the day and rehearsals for a big musical in the evenings. And somehow being whisked to the beach/ocean in the midst of all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 My kids would travel: the beach, Universal Studios HP, Europe. As it is, we usually just have baseball and veg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 We had an amazing summer last year when we traveled the US. I think traveling abroad would be their biggest wish. I'm not even telling dd about this camp because I can't afford it, but if she could, I'm sure she'd spend her whole summer here: http://www.whalecamp.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 My son's ultimate summer would involve attending several weeks of some kind of intensive musical theatre program with daily tap dance classes. Bonus points if this mythical program took place on the grounds of a traditional summer camp, where he could swim and do archery and all of that stuff whenever he wasn't in class AND if this wondrous place was located close enough to New York City to allow for evening field trips to see Broadway shows at least two or three times a week. And, of course, the program should conclude with a full weekend of performances of the production they rehearsed during the camp. Yep, I think that would about do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Library Momma Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 My son's ultimate summer would involve attending several weeks of some kind of intensive musical theatre program with daily tap dance classes. Bonus points if this mythical program took place on the grounds of a traditional summer camp, where he could swim and do archery and all of that stuff whenever he wasn't in class AND if this wondrous place was located close enough to New York City to allow for evening field trips to see Broadway shows at least two or three times a week. And, of course, the program should conclude with a full weekend of performances of the production they rehearsed during the camp. Yep, I think that would about do it. This pretty much exists:except for the field trips. http://www.campmohawk.com/programs/performing-arts/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifra Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I have sent my middle daughter (my oldest living at home--she's 13 now) to sleepaway camp, but this year it will not be in the cards financially. So we will be back to Mama Camp. I try to take the kids to swim every day--either at the pool in our apartment complex, of if it is too hot for me to supervise them (we live in Texas and sitting in the summer sun can be brutal), I take them to a municipal recreation center with an indoor pool. They can also play basketball in the gym at the recreation center and play "rec room" games like pool, foosball, etc. We also try to do one arts and crafts activity a day. My son (age 9) has lately been initiating craft projects on his own. I highly recommend Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash for craft ideas. Often we go to the art museum (we're members so we get free admission and free underground parking--so very nice in hot Dallas) where we can cool off (art museums are physically very cool so the art work will not deteriorate). The local art museum has art projects for the kids during most summer weekdays. My daughter plays guitar too, so we have had her learn patriotic songs for us to sing along to on July 4. In cooler climates (like where my parents live), we have gone fruit picking during the summer. Very educational and it gets your kids to eat healthier foods! When we lived in a townhouse with a backyard, we had a garden too, and the kids loved picking the vegetables. Also in my parents' vicinity is a reservoir with boat rentals--paddle boats, canoes and kayaks. It's a good skill for the kids to learn and great exercise. I have only recently found a place like that in Dallas, but the heat around here (and now the cold) has not made for a tremendous amount of opportunity for us to do this here yet. Mothering Magazine had an article some years ago that spoke of the need of young children to have a relatively unstructured summer. Your local library may have a digital copy of this article: "A Summer to Savor," which appeared in the July/August 2008 issue (#149), p.p. 36-41. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 My 10 and 11yos love the day camps our environmental center runs. We're trying to squeeze our budget to get them into as many weeks as we can this year. (They offer 4-5 in their age range.) We try to do several day trips to Knoebels, use our zoo and science center memberships, and get a decent amount of swimming in. Also, lots of bike riding, video games, and playing in the dirt/woods. I'd like to say we try to do most of those things through the school year, but we've been struggling to just get school in lately!My kids think they have pretty awesome summers! I'm sure they'd consider Disney part of an "ultimate" summer, but the thought gives me a stomach ache, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Ariel says her ideal summer would consist of swim team, camping, a week at her cousin's, maybe a vacation "somewhere", go to the zoo and aquarium, horseback riding every day, even after swim practice. And NO SCHOOL. Personally, I think she would love some kind of performing arts camp,or even just the traditional summer camp experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Local camps are starting to have open houses and they have me thinking about what the ultimate summer experience would be for my kids. I'm not sure. Endless hours of leisure and free play with lots of access to art and projects? Some great independent experiences, such as stays with relatives/cousins? A memorable road trip? A cool nature camp? A Fresh Air Fund child to stay with us? We live in NJ so we have access to a wide variety of camps and experiences and to NYC. What we don't have is lots of kids available for free play all summer. Kids are 9yo DD and 7.5 yo DS. How do you plan your kids' summer? What would you do if you had 'carte blanche' in your local area? If I lived in your area I would send my kids to http://www.frostvalley.org/ I worked here in college for three summers and I think it's the best place on the planet. I would love to be able to put my kids on a plane and send then there every summer if I could. Only I would be jealous I wasn't with them. :) ETA: for those children with special needs, I worked in the specialty camp MAC. It is a wonderful experience for children with autism, Downs syndrome, etc. ETA: there's also something here for every member of the family. ETA: also it's a fantastic place to work if young adults or college kids are looking for something to do in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammydog Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 My daughter has camped at Frost Valley a couple of times! She loved the experience but I'm not sure she'd survive the food there all week, especially as a gluten free girl. :) (as a sleep away camp, that is) But I'm looking into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 This makes me really want summer to come lol! I have no idea what my kids would say. Though for Astro I'm pretty sure the beach would be involved, and Link... I'm not sure. Pink's little so she's happy with whatever. Last year was our year at home, so to speak - we didn't go out and do a ton of stuff by any definition. This year I'm already looking at what I want to do with the kids each month (it's easiest for me to say we'll do a couple of things per month with them that are outside the range of normal - little day trips, etc. Stuff in town doesn't count!) We've never done any camps of any sort. Link may ask to go to church camp this year (actually Astro is old enough to go now, too) but so far DH is against it. I don't really see it changing. :) I do plan on getting season passes for our local amusement park this year. So we'll go up there a handful of times at least. We haven't had them since the boys were 6 and 4. So now that Pink's 4 (will be 5 by summer), I figured it's a good time to get her started on roller coasters. ;) :D :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 This pretty much exists:except for the field trips. http://www.campmohawk.com/programs/performing-arts/ Mine's too old for this one, unfortunately. Looks cool, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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