2020 Summer Camp Thread!

[SKL]

Can't believe that most of the summer camp schedules are out already!

What are your plans?

My kids would like to have more freedom, but I still want them to do some camps.  They are 13 and I work full-time.  For better or worse, they have aged out of most of the camps they've done in past years.

Some that I'm pretty sure we will do:

• Culture camp to celebrate birth country etc.
• Junior medical camp.
• Kid2 will spend a lot of time at her horse barn.  Should be included in her lease anyway.
• Kid1 - hoping to get on the "Zoo Crew" and if not, I think I will put her in zoo "Counselor in Training" and Conservation Leadership camp.  Not sure when I will know about that.

 

Considering day camps:

• Academics (math and writing), but these are part-time and far from home, so I will keep looking around.  Also considering Mathnasium or just doing online math at home.  Or some combination.
• Week-long multi-sports camp.
• Week(s)-long girl leadership / adventure camp.
• Scuba camp.
• Chess camp.
• Cooking camp.
• Should I get the kids to volunteer for VBS?

 

Some other things may pop up as options later.

And the kids' friends want us to do another campout.  Not sure if we will still own the property, but we'll see.

[jboo]

Debating a pool membership, which would cut significantly into the Summer Camp budget.

But I did see week long summer day camp on drawing dinosaurs and reptiles. There's a half day option for younger children, full day for the older. The younger kid is socially anxious to the point of selective mutism, but he loves dinosaurs and spends a lot of time drawing them. I was thinking I could send him to the half day and, as a security blanket, one of his older siblings to the full day. Hmm.

[SKL]

I found some more interesting options in the next county over (parks system).  One in particular "wildlife vet camp" would be perfect for my eldest.

My kids have expressed that they don't really like outdoor camps.  One in particular does not do well in the heat.  That's a bummer because so many great options have come up for nature, survival, adventure, etc., but they are all outdoor of course.

I think we will do the scout camping too ... just a weekend.  They will not want to go to the longer scout camps.

[Guest]

DD is applying for a 10 day field station course, which isn’t technically a camp (it’s for college students), but, if she is accepted, would serve the same purpose. She also has a conference she plans to attend. 

[SKL]

I finally had a sit-down with my girls and this is where we're at so far:

• Wildlife Vet Camp - if I can get in.  Non-County residents have to wait until next week to apply.
• Jr. Medical Camp - high school version.  Registered and paid.
• Culture camp - materials have not come out yet, but this is a definite yes.
• [some weeks off, maybe travel?]
• Zoo Conservation Leadership camp (includes 1 overnight).  Registered and paid.
• Half day, two week writing course to prepare for high school.  Registered and paid.
• Scuba camp is tentative depending on when Kid2's sleep-away horse camp might be.

They said no to everything else for now. 

We need to do serious math work and find some kind of regular exercise that they will do.  At home, they can do lots of cooking, start a small business, and do some projects and chores around the house.  Maybe I can find a financial kind of course ....

[SeaConquest]

Summer plans are already being finalized here. Crazy how quickly everything fills up.

Sacha won a scholarship to spend one week at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. He also registered for a week at Duke Tip's Crisis camp (a mock oil spill where he would serve on a scientific research team trying to stop the spill). He should hear back about whether he got into the Duke camp later this week. So, if he gets in, he will fly unaccompanied across the country and spend 2 weeks away from home, which will be a big deal for him.  He is also waiting on final approval for an internship with Virgin Galactic. It's already been approved by legal and HR, so it looks like everything is a go. The CEO just needs to give it his final blessing, but apparently he is really supportive of stuff like this, so it's just supposed to be a formality. This would be a dream come true for Sacha if it happens, so we are all praying that it comes through. Other than those major things, he will also do some of his usual camps again -- San Diego Junior Lifeguard camp, AoPS math camp, a coding camp, and a few fun camps at the YMCA.

Ronen will probably spend the whole summer at camps at the YMCA and his kung fu school. He had a blast at a YMCA travel camp last summer, going all over to different parks, beaches, playgrounds, attractions, etc. around Southern California. We will probably mix the travel camp with some specialty camps like cooking and art. His kung fu school has super fun theme camps like ninja, gamer, nerf, which he loves. Thankfully, the YMCA has great financial aid and my mom bought Ronen's summer camps at his kung fu school for a Hanukkah gift when they were on Black Friday special. 

I will be doing my psych and OB rotations in nursing school, along with getting a bunch of specialty certifications, so it's going to be a busy summer for all of us. 🙂

Edited February 11, 2020 by SeaConquest

[SKL]

I found out that my kids' high school has "band camp" in August (2 weeks 9am-3pm), which means I need to move or cancel 2 weeks of camps I already paid for.  😕  I sent a couple emails requesting changes.  We'll see if the camp programs cooperate.  (ETA - scuba camp got moved, so that's still a go.  Still waiting on a response from the other - writing class.)

VBS dates have finally been announced.  Same week as Kid2's sleep-away horse camp.  I think I will force Kid1 to volunteer at VBS.  It will give her time with some of her friends.

Kid1 got informed that she did not get picked in the lottery for the Zoo Crew.  One less thing to worry about.  🙂

Edited March 11, 2020 by SKL

[hs03842]

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Edited June 8, 2020 by JoyKM

[SKL]

Now I am hoping school doesn't get delayed into summer and muck up the summer camps I've paid for.  The first camp June 8-12 is a really cool sounding one that they have not done before.  Someone said maybe their 8th grade Washington DC trip could be delayed into June.  Then I would have to choose one or the other.  Oh well.

[gstharr]

I  just signed the 9th grader up for AP Chemistry, at CTD, as back-up, if his June trip to Argentina is cancelled. Hoping that at least domestic activities return to normal by then. But, i doubt it. Really don't know what I will do with him if CTD doesn't work out.

[Guest]

DD's field course is cancelled for late June as of yesterday. I'm thinking I should have her look at the online offerings and see if anything looks good, since it looks like nothing physical is likely to happen.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by dmmetler

[Guest]

On 3/13/2020 at 10:15 AM, SKL said:

Now I am hoping school doesn't get delayed into summer and muck up the summer camps I've paid for.  The first camp June 8-12 is a really cool sounding one that they have not done before.  Someone said maybe their 8th grade Washington DC trip could be delayed into June.  Then I would have to choose one or the other.  Oh well.

My guess is that it will be delayed longer than June. DD was supposed to be at a Smithsonian run field station in late June/early July, and they are closed until June 30.

[SKL]

Favorite camp (late June) is canceled.  No word on the others yet.

DC trip won't be in June - it was canceled.  At least I don't need to worry about that any more.

[Guest]

DD signed up for two online classes in topics that interest her. They're ones with regular synchronous meetings, so that will also give her someone to talk to other than family and the occasional zoom call.

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by dmmetler

[SKL]

Yesterday I got emails from 2 different camps saying they are still planning on summer camps proceeding.  One is rescheduling the June camps to late July, the other is currently keeping the schedule as originally planned.  I mentioned this on facebook and another mom in my state said she also got an email yesterday from yet another summer camp that is still a go.  Must have been some communication that sparked all these emails.

At the moment, my kids only have one camp registration in the first half of summer.  It is at an outdoor park.  I just checked their website and there is nothing about camps being cancelled or changed.

I did go ahead and cancel the writing camp which was conflicting with band camp.  This is because a second conflict arose with the rescheduled Jr. Medical Camp.  (Writing camp was 2 weeks, part time.)  I hope they give me a refund as that camp is one of the more expensive ones.

[mom2scouts]

The one sports camp we were considering for dd has been cancelled. DS was waiting to see if he got into a military summer program, but it isn't going on and a language camp he was interested in has been cancelled too. He qualified for another prestigious event in July that hasn't cancelled and says they are waiting until June 1 to announce whether the event will continue.

[JadeOrchidSong]

On 3/13/2020 at 4:47 PM, gstharr said:

I  just signed the 9th grader up for AP Chemistry, at CTD, as back-up, if his June trip to Argentina is cancelled. Hoping that at least domestic activities return to normal by then. But, i doubt it. Really don't know what I will do with him if CTD doesn't work out.

What does CTD stand for?

[Sk8ermaiden]

Mine was registered for two camps. One is a traditional summer camp, but it's offered for free for children who have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent to cancer. It's run by students at universities and has chapters all over the US. It's pretty amazing. They canceled pretty shortly after universities closed. With the students scattered to the winds (and even overseas), and their main fundraising galas canceled, there was no way. They're attempting to go online? But I really don't think that's going to work out very well.

Her other camp is a gymnastics camp in Tennessee that draws people from all over the country. They have announced they're canceling week one, but proceeding as normal starting June 1. It makes me a little nervous. I'll be keeping an eye on how things are going as everything opens up. I have like 5 weeks to decide.