By Sherrie Le Masurier It's that time of year again when the thoughts of many busy parents turn to summer and the advance planning of it all. With our hectic work schedules sometimes the best option is to send our kids off to camp.
From my experience and the experience of other parents I know, a traditional kids summercamp is often the best way to go. Unless your child has a particular interest in say sports, drama or arts & crafts, a traditional kids summercamp offers the greatest variety of activities for the average child. Traditional kids summercamps seem to offer a mix of everything from fun outdoor sports and recreation activities to arts & crafts and one-on-one activities. Now is the time to start planning how our kids will be spending their summer vacation. Okay, but with so many summercamps out there how is a parent to know which one is right for their child? First off it's important to know what questions you need to should ask the staff at any traditional kids summercamps you’re looking into. Often the answers the camp staff give you will provide you with a good sense of whether a particular camp will be to your child's liking. For starters, what's the camp's philosophy? Does the camp offer a general mix of activities or do they put a greater emphasis on some things more than others? For instance are most of the activities team sports or are they a combination of team and individual? Other important questions to ask include: Is the camp accredited by some kind of regulatory body? What about the camp counsellors? How are they chosen? What kind of training do they have and is there a screening process in place? Does this traditional kids summercamp offer certain activities to get children acquainted with each other? If your child is quiet and shy what would they do to help her feel more comfortable? If there is a problem, who can your child speak with in addition to her counsellor? And can your child call home if she needs or wants to? How are medical emergencies dealt with? Do the counsellors have first aid training and is there a nearby hospital? Are parents always contacted right away? What kind of insurance does the camp have? What types of activities does this traditional kids summercamp offer? What kind of instruction is provided and how long do the activity sessions usually last? This is important to note if your child has a short attention span. How much of your child's day will be spent indoors and how much outdoors? Also, if the weather is exceptionally hot can the kids go swimming, use sun shelters or go indoors? What type of food will be served? Be sure to inform the staff if your child has any food allergies and inquire as to how this is handled. Will there be day trips? If so, do the children board a bus or travel in cars driven by counsellors?
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