Are summer camps worth it? (not sleepaway camp)

[cathmom]

I mean those week-long, morning or afternoon or sometimes both, focus on one subject, kind of camps. Like art camp, or archery camp, or Spanish camp, or...whatever.

 

Every stinking spring I get inundated with notices about all these camps and I think about doing them. This morning I got a notice about an art camp. I do want my dds to learn more art techniques. But to have both girls take both the morning and afternoon sessions, it would be about $500!! It's really hard to justify that kind of money! and then there's getting them there and back every day for a week, lugging around the little boys. I just don't know. Have you found this things to be worth for older dc to learn specific skills?

[specialmama]

I've enrolled my dc in one both last year and this year. It's my one week per summer to plan school for the whole next year, organize my supplies, etc. For me it's worth it if they are 1) safe 2) having fun 3) learning. I have paid $110 per child for Mon-Fri art classes from 8am to 4pm at the University. I doubt I'd pay more than that. That's what it's worth to me anyhow, to have my one week to prep. :001_smile:

[cathmom]

That is a good idea and definitely sounds worth it! But it doesn't work in my case, since I would still have 4 dc to look after. Thanks!

[specialmama]

Here's a thought: could you swap with another homeschooling mom during the day for a few days while the older 2 are in a day camp? Then you can return the favor? Or is that too much? Sometimes it would be depending on the kids LOL...

 

anyhooo I did want to add that my dc did learn a lot from their art camp. There were 2 different artists that attended to teach them various things that I could never teach them. If I had the funds, I'd send them during spring break too, because it's just a great opportunity to learn from others and with a very short commitment time-wise. HTH!

[Tap]

Dd does a couple camps each summer. Last year it was a day camp (mixed outdoor activities) at a place that also does horseback riding lessons... so she could decide if she wanted to go to the horse back riding camp. It was a success and she did another week of just horse camp. She also attends day hike camps with the church.

 

This year she is attending horse camp again, and a couple art camps. One is only glass mediums, and the other on black and white photography.

 

 

What I look for is something that can give her a unique experience that I can't possibly provide at home. Horse camp, glass art camp with pieces being fired in a kiln, photography with a dark room....

 

If she missed the opprotunity...oh, well. Honestly, her life wouldn't be any different. It is an indulgence. A little extra bit of life. But if it was a financial strain....I wouldn't do it. I work outside the home to pay for these indulgences. I like to work, so it isn't punitive for me. It pays for swim team for ds14 and fun classes for dd10.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

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Edited May 1, 2009 by Sebastian (a lady)
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[Sebastian (a lady)]

For an art camp, it would depend on how serious it was. Would they be learning quality techniques or would it be mostly crafty? The price would be tolerable if it were going to help my artistic son really develop skills like shading or perspective or drawing from life (like drawing a real flower or a still life).

But it seems way too high for a craft oriented camp (for comparison, our Boy Scout summer resident camp is $250 a kid and this includes 3 meals a day).

[Kate in Arabia]

My kids usually go to a zoo camp for the week when we're home for the summer. The added bonus there is that the olders would go to camp, and I would walk around the zoo with my youngest. I only ever do half-day camps.

 

Are any of the camps in a location where you might take your littlers and do something just with them during that time? I always looked at it as a chance to focus on a child (or children) who otherwise didn't get so much individualized attention from mom.

[Arch at Home]

I think that camps are beneficial in many ways. I like having them experience learning with out Mom. Camps are an opportunity to meet new friends. We live in the Urban Core so I send my girls to Girl Scout Day Camp to get them out of the city and experience nature. I also send all of my kids to Shakespeare camp. This is one thing that I know little about. They are developing a strong love of the bard and enjoy trying their hand at acting.

[iquilt]

We found last summer that so many of these "camps" are just daycare substitutes while the kids are "home" for the summer, with little actual instruction. I've had much better luck with camps that don't offer after-care or that are for only the morning or the afternoon. We stick to camp experiences that are only for part of the day and with teachers we know so I know my kids will get something out of it. We don't do many scheduled activities over the summer. HTH

 

I wanted to add what we have signed up for, if it helps. My two littles will be doing a Kindermusik camp M-F for for 1 1/2 hours each day with a teacher they've had before. All three are taking swimming lessons again this year with SwimAmerica, and all three will be coming with me to VBS at our church while I teach. I'm hoping the local high school offers their fabulous drama camp again this summer for my oldest but they haven't published the dates.

Edited May 1, 2009 by iquilt
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[bettyandbob]

It's hard to tell looking at ads and brochures whether a camp is good at its advertised focus. I was going to put my ds in a science camp one year. I talked to a woman who did programs at our local nature center about it. She told me her kids had liked it, but it was day camp with all those traditional daycamp activities and just a tiny bit of science--she knew my kid would want the science stuff all day and not day camp craft time/field games, etc. We've done art camp, but it was with an instructor we'd taken classes through the local rec center with. We already knew she was amazing. So, when she opened her own studio we followed her.

 

My dd has more recently done sleep away art camp through our diocese. Our local instructor closed her studio. The church camp was ok as far as art instruction. Dd won't be going back--the diocese raised the fees.

 

I think to know if you are going to get what you want you have to ask around, find people who've done the program before. One of the pps is right--many or these programs are glorified babysitting. My experience with classes and camps is the instruction is often better in programs that are not run by county rec programs or corporate franchises, but I know there are exceptions.

[snickelfritz]

But, I have picked programs that ran for just a few hours each day. At my kids ages, the all day ones are sure to be more babysitting.

 

We've done morning music camp at a local church. Horse camp. And our local community college does classes that cost $30 each for 4 days of 1 1/2 hours.

 

With older kids, I would expect to find more quality day-long programs.

 

 

 

I like the chance for them to try new things with a lower cost and lower commitment than doing it all year. We stop some of our school-year activities to free up the summer for the summer camps and swimming. As they get older, I expect that we will use the camps to expand on interests that they already have.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I loved camp as a kid, girl scout camp in particular. I do so wish I could provide that kind of opportunity.

Circus Smirkus is one I have longed to send one of them to.

archery and sailing would be a dream for my other one.

oh well, it is what it is. At least we still have a roof over our heads. :)

[Tammyla]

Our local Recreation Center, offers very inexpensive summer classes and sessions here. Many are taught by college students working towards a degree in their field and others by long time staff members. I don't think a 6-8 week session has ever cost over $100 and that was high due to sport or items you keep. Many were under $40 dollars and met anywhere from once to three times a week. Mine have enjoyed art, swimming, basketball, ballet, tap, sculpting, etc.

 

There are also lots of opportunities at the local nature centers. Keep looking for less expensive options. Some of our local expensive ones are just day care and there just isn't much learning going on.

[swellmomma]

My kids love going to daycamps in the summer. Ds started last summer at age 4 with half day camps, the older have been doing full day campes for a couple years now. They typically do 1 week of bible camp and then 1 week of another camp at somepoint in the summer. The only bad experience we have ever had was last summer at zoo camp, when another child molested dd, but the zoo staff and police were fabulous in how they dealt with it and we are not dissuaded from trying other camps.

 

*I* also love the camps. WHile I love being with my children after a full year of virtually 24/7 care (only snippets of time without them all year), and no spouse to help me around the house, I *need* that break for a couple weeks each summer to get the house in order, and get myself emotionally and mentally ready for the next year of school.

 

In the past they have done cooking camp, drama camp, zoo camp, sports camp and a myraid of general camps where each day is a different theme. This year dd wants golf camp (or the horseriding one if I can afford it), ds10 wants jedi camp, and ds5 wants a dinosaur camp. I find if you chose one that is designed to focus on a particular skill or theme it is much better organized than the general ones.

 

Aside from each taking 2 weeks of daycamps and our family camp the rest fo the summer is home doing school and relaxing so it doesn't leave us more stressed at the end of summer. I had hoped to send them all to 4-5 camps each this summer which would only have them home for 2 weeks total but decided against it. I still want that downtime with them, even if I do need a break at some point with 2 camps.

[Ellie]

My dds did day camps as well as residential camps and always enjoyed them both.

[Penelope]

I have done half day camps for the oldest. I would not want to spend that much, though. I like to have him do things that I wouldn't normally be able to do with him-- like physical things, horses, group games, or art.

 

It is a pain to drive back and forth, and that is why I won't do ones that are more than 15 minutes away at this age.

 

Honestly, I like it for the break, too. I still have the little ones with me, and last summer I had special things that I did with my 3 yo during camp time. My oldest and I do need short breaks from each other now and then.

[cathmom]

I just wanted to clarify the amount I said. I had gotten an email about an art camp from a friend of mine. I have seen the kind of work her dc did with this teacher. The morning session is $125 per dc with a 10% discount. Since it's a half hour away each way, I was thinking they could do the afternoon session too (lunch is not included). That would be $250 each dc, or $500. The sibling discount would cover the material fee. I would have to add in the cost of gas, my time, and making bag lunches for them. I would really have to think it's worth it to do something like that, so I wanted to get your experiences. Thanks!