Do you send your kids to summer camp?
Tracy can't believe she's plunging into the world of camp scheduling while snow is still on the ground
Hurray for summer camp? This is how Tracy imagines Anna's summer. Photo: Lighttruth via Flickr
I haven’t had to worry about this particular issue before. Until now, both my kids continued on in their preschool three days a week over the summer, just as they did the rest of the year. The preschool also solved our new scheduling issues as Anna started school and we were faced with two weeks of Christmas holidays and many, many PA days (I had no idea there would be one every month!). Anna can always just go there when her school is closed.
But now, the next frontier: summer holidays. Technically, I could put Anna at the preschool the three days a week that I work, but I need to get her out of there. She’s outgrown it (she’s turning six soon!), and as I mentioned last week, there’s a chance it might be closing altogether. The solution (at least for one kid) is to wade into the waters of summer camp.
I never went to summer camp myself, and don't remember any of my friends going either. My dad worked shift work and my mom worked part-time, so I guess they just made it work. Geesh — what did I do all summer? I think we just hung out. But I'm actually really excited to give Anna a chance to spend her summer trying out new things. I only hope she agrees.
But who knew I’d have to start thinking about this now, in February? At the YMCA, the schedule was out in January and when I discovered that spots were quickly filling, I spontaneously signed Anna up for a two-week aquatics camp. So there’s two weeks taken care of. One week we’ll be on holiday. I gave my mom my best puppy-dog eyes last weekend and asked if she’d be willing to take her lovely granddaughter for a week this summer (she said yes! Hurray!).
So …I guess I have a few more weeks to fill. Our Parks & Rec guide should be out soon, and the gymnastics club has camps too, though I think they’re pretty pricey. Funny — I called them to see if their summer camp schedule was out and the woman exclaimed, “Summer?! We’re just figuring out our March break camp!” Now I don’t feel like I’m so behind.
I remember hearing my sister stress over the jigsaw puzzle of summer care — piecing together camps, programs and vacation days, while making sure the kids also have plenty of that all-important downtime to just enjoy the beauty of the too-short summer months. And part of me feels a little anxious about sending Anna off to random places each week, so I’ll have to do some digging to make sure I feel confident of the care and supervision she’ll have.
I hope that I can find camps that don’t require a weeklong commitment or I’ll never see poor Anna. And I am thinking about checking in with our neighbour who babysits the girls sometimes, to see if she’ll entertain Anna for one three-day stint.
Do you put your kids in summer camps, or do you make other summer care arrangements? And if you put kids in overnight camp, how old were they when they started (I’m definitely not planning that for Anna this year, but wondered how common it is to put six-year-olds in overnight camp)?
Photo by Lighttruth via Flickr
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What do you think?
Isabela (not verified) says ....
I just got the brochure!there is the cutset picture of Sixhole Session III before Ridge Runners!!!!I love it! and I miss everyone.CAN'T WAIT TO TRAILBLAZE!!!Anna
Gavin (not verified) says ....
Laurie,Hello! We should have the dates for esmmur camp by the end of February and hopefully all the rest of the details (times, costs, etc) by mid-March! We are still waiting on confirmations from the parks! We will post on here as soon as we get the info and we'll send out an email as well! Thank you!
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Tracy Chappell says ....
So happy to hear that so many of your kids really enjoy camp! I'm sure Anna will love it too. We just got our Parks & Rec guide for summer camps and I was surprised by the price - no cheaper than her preschool actually. I'll keep looking to fill in my remaining three weeks, but I do think having our neighbour babysit for one of the three-day stints would be a great, low-key break for Anna.
Thanks!
srcx3g (not verified) says ....
I enrolled my then 4yr old in an afternoon camp through the city, for the 2 days in the week I had no care while I went to work. I'd drop her off, go to work an hour later & my husband would pick her up on his way home. She LOVED IT!!! Although our family has grown since then & I am now home through the day I continued to sign her up, for 2 full separate weeks, to give her a break from her sisters :) These camps are just 1/2 days due to her age group, but run through our neighbourhood groups(camp leaders employed through the city though) & are WAY less than any other camps I've looked at. I usually let her choose her weeks once the schedule comes out, as each has a different theme...she looks forward to them & always has something to tell us about when we pick her up :)
Ali JM (not verified) says ....
I am lucky that my parents take my kids for two weeks each summer (one at their house and one at the cottage) and we also have two weeks off. My son is at daycare for the other five weeks and my daughter has been going to summer camps since she was six (she is now 12). She loves them! They are all daycamps. Some are through Parks and Rec and others are private. She loves to be busy and active so camp suits her personality.
Liz (not verified) says ....
I babysat all summer, ask around to see if your friends have older kids looking for a week or two of work, it's cheaper than some camps and your kids get to play at home those weeks! And even though she might be too little this year, start asking around about overnight camps up north... I worked at one when I was sixteen and seventeen and always regretted missing out on being a camper, kids who went every summer knew everyone and it was like their second home! It's an amazing experience, and kids do start at six, seven, eight yrs old. Good luck!
KATHY HUMPHREY (not verified) says ....
Since my daughter out-grew daycare (last year) she goes to day camp through the YMCA for about 5 weeks through the summer. She also goes to sports camp for two weeks at our local university, and is going to sleep away camp for a week as well. I will be taking a week's holidays, and we will be going away. I am a single mom and pretty much have to program her all summer long while I work unfortunately.
dooodah says ....
So timely, I just signed my older daughter up today.. She went last year and had a great time. I think it helped her become more independent because she was forced to meet new kids and try new things..
jack11 says ....
Hi Tracy, I also work part time, but I like to give the kids a break from the daycare they are in 2 - 3 days per week. I hire our regular (high school) babysitter for a few weeks since she's not in school and not old enough to work full time. She takes them to the pool, park, etc. where I would normally take them on days off. (I also work from home, so it can be a bit tricky if I'm in the house, but this seems to work well for us and feels a bit more like a lazy summer schedule).