Scouting for summer camps

Summer vacations are here. With schools closed and long summer days outstretched before us, parents are in look out of activities and engagements to keep their children busy, and what better way to do that than to enroll them in a summer camp. Normally, schools offer summer camp for their students, but the neighbourhood children are also welcome to enroll. While some schools like Excelsior American School allow students to invite their friends and cousins to enroll in the summer camp. Arti Anand, psychologist Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says, “Summer camps provide an opportunity to children to engage their minds in creative and active pursuits away from the indoctrination of TV. They learn new things which makes them confident” Normally, children believe summer vacation is for watching and re-watching runs and re-runs of their favourite shows and to fiddle with their cool videogames. “Normally children stay indoor these days. By enrolling in an active sport like horse riding or skating they get the much-needed reprieve from TV and the necessary exercise”, says she.

Namita, spokesperson for Alpine school says, “The whole philosophy behind summer camps is to keep children busy by engaging them in creative pursuits without encumbering them with the burden of studies.”

Shopping for summer camps

Many playschools in conjunction with various hobby classes spring summer camps in these months to cash on the trend. They may be a viable option as they are in the neighbourhood, still if you are deciding on summer camp, it is advisable to talk to your children and explore their areas of interests.

• Activity—the kind of activity in the camp should be in sync with the interest of the child. Gitanjali Dogra, manager with Amadeus school Gurgaon, says, “Amadeus school offers sporty activities like horse riding and skating, and have facilities of swimming pool for children and parents alike.”
• Counsellor—As goes with any group-based activity a moderator or counsellor is assigned to a group. The group should be large enough to foster interaction and small enough to be monitored. Ideally, seven to eight members in a group suffice.
• Duration—Summer vacations are meant for unwinding and relaxing. A camp engaging children for a duration longer than three-four hours and more than four weeks thwarts the purpose and begins to double up as day-care.
• Transport—You got to find about the pick-up and drop facilities. Alpine school offers free transport on their bus route, informs Namita.
• Meals—Will the children get some refreshments at the camp or will they need to carry their own?
• Amount of activities—Any camp that boasts of doing too many activities will not do justice to even one.
• Cost— Summer camps come at a tag of Rs. 500 per week to Rs. 1500 per week.
• Flexibility—Will the programme allow you to enroll for a week or two or you have to enroll for a month?

Before scouting for summer camps it is a good idea to have a heart-to-heart talk with children on what they wish to do. After all, children should be interested in the array of activities that are on offer in the summer camp to make most of it.