Summer Day Camps

When I was first married, I never anticipated sending my children to all day summer camps. I figured I would take advantage of the summer as a time to bond as a family and enjoy educational activities together. Nonetheless, the realities of working in the real world hadn't really occurred to me. The thing is that an active child needs constant stimulation, and not every parent can provide it. Children should be able to swim, bike, run around, and have fun in the summer. They should also keep learning. This is what summer day camps are all about.

Last year, I sent my eldest child Jenny to a summer science camp. It wasn't at all like the summer day camps that were around when I was growing up. Instead of emphasizing craft projects and swimming in swimming pools, it was mostly geared towards kids who wanted to explore nature from a technical perspective. We live in a pretty urbanized area, but there are some great wilderness hikes not far from town. Kids in the summer day camp would get to look at petroglyphs, watch different birds and learn about the native plants and animals, and even get some environmental education.

That isn't to say that this camp didn't provide its share of physical activity. As a matter of fact, the first few days that she was home, Jenny was too exhausted to do anything but lie around and sleep after the camp. Apparently, they hiked 10 miles the first day. For a girl who walks at most a mile a day, this is quite an impressive hike. Nonetheless, it isn't that atypical for outdoor summer day camps. Some of them are designed to give kids a physical challenge. All the evidence seems to show that children who are more physically active are happier, healthier, and more functional members of society. For me, it was better to see her completely wiped out than to have her filled with nervous energy that she couldn't release.

Ideally, I would like to send all my children to the same summer day camp. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be able to. My younger son Tom, for example, is completely obsessed with sports. He is not very interested in science at all. As a result, I cannot picture him going to a summer science camp. It just isn't his style. At least we will be able to get him to go to some sports camp during the summer where he can stay in shape.

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