As summer steadily approaches, parents all across Kansas City are beginning to think about activities to fill up their children’s free time. One option is summer camp. If you’ve been wondering what the hype is all about, look no further. We’re going to cover the types of offered, the questions you should be asking and items your kids will most likely need to pack.
Let’s start with traditional (overnight) camp. The length of time offered ranges from one or two nights to eight weeks. Traditional camps typically offer the widest range of activities. Your child could go swimming, sailing, play soccer or football, learn archery, put on a play, go hiking and horseback riding and so much more, all in one place. The only potential downside is that there probably won’t be much room on the agenda for academics. They’ll be having too much fun!
The second type of camp is day camp. Most day camp programs offer shorter sessions lasting a month or less, but there are a few eight-week programs as well, depending on your location. Day camps offer many of the same activities as traditional camps do. The potential downside is the drive time to and from the camp every day to deliver and pick up your child.
Within the overnight and day camp programs are subcategories. There are traditional programs, specialty programs and special needs programs. Let’s examine the latter two.
Specialty camps typically focus on a particular sport, the arts, religion or academics. Kansas City mom, Deb Clem-Bucker, says her daughter loved Johnson County Community College’s programs. “They have some great science, theater and art camps, as well as educational ones.” These are just a few of dozens of specialty camps being offered in the area.
Special needs camps offer programs for children who have physical or psychological impairments, such as blindness, diabetes, obesity, severe behavioral problems, autism and cerebral palsy. Camp Planet D in Kansas City is an overnight camp for children ages 7 to 14 with diabetes. Heather Jack of Overland Park says, “When I worked at the Speech-Language-Hearing clinic at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, they had a fantastic summer camp. It was for children with and without challenges with speech. We could barely keep up with demand”
There are camp programs for everything you can think of. The next step is determining what your child’s interests and needs are in selecting the right camp. Here are some important questions to consider, thanks to www.PBSKids.org:
- Is your child ready for overnight camp?
- How far away will you be comfortable with his going?
- What length of time will suit him best?
- Would a big camp be ideal or a smaller, more personal environment?
- What activities would your child enjoy most?
- Do you want a co-ed camp?
- How much structure do you want your child to have there?
- Would a general camp or a specialty camp be preferable?
- What camps are within your budget?
Once you’ve determined what type of camp would best suit your child’s needs, the next step is finding a camp. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a few camps you’re interested in and conduct a bit more research. Asking questions about their counselor-to-camper ratio, first aid certifications and camp accreditation can help you feel more at ease.
Camp can be a great way for your child to explore her independence a bit without stretching outside the safety parameter. Kids also get to try new things, learn, socialize and above all else, have fun!
Jennifer Bosse is a wife and mom living in Kansas City. She can’t wait for summer fun.