I’ve been thinking a lot about summer camp lately. Yes, both of my kids are under the age of 5, ut yet summer camp is invading my thoughts everyday.
You see, my daughter goes to a Montessori pre-school. The key word beings school. They take the summer off and run a summer program. However, the summer program is more expensive than the regular school year program and we like to keep our options open.
Summer camps have been advertising since early January. Last year I had no clue that you needed to have your camp plan taken care of before Spring. But that was a lesson learned and this year we were ready! My holiday season included: Thanksgiving grocery shopping, Christmas shopping and Summer Camp shopping!
So how do you find a summer camp? My best suggestion is to ask.
- Ask your neighbors, local friends with kids, etc. As you know, other parents are often the best advisors.
- Then, check other people’s reviews on the camp. Just because one person had a good experience doesn’t mean that the majority of people have had positive experiences.
- If possible visit the camp. This requires some pre-planning – you’ll want to visit while the camp is in session, so you’ll need to make your list of camps at least the summer before you’ll need one.
- Talk to kids who have gone to the camp. Ask them about their counselors, the activities, other kids, etc.
- Talk to the camp director. Ask him or her to send you a calendar of activities, reccomendations, demographics, etc.
- Talk to your child about what they like to do. This of course depends on your child’s age and ability to tell you what they like, but it is invaluable information.
- After all that, the decision is up to you. Good luck!
Do you have a summer camp you love? Let us know! Email me at andrea (at) PARENTise (dot) com
