Stop us if you’ve heard this or you’ve been here before: Your child comes home after school, or tells you before bed, that “I don’t want to go to school.”
Gulp.
While kids don’t have much, if any, choice about going to school or not, they do have one when it comes to summer camp. Or at least they should, according to several area parents we asked about tips for finding the right camp for your children this summer.
“We typically pick camps that support what our kids are interested in at that time,” says Myra Ryder, a Shaker Heights parent of two boys, Lachlan, 11, and Keegan, 8. “We absolutely include our kids in the decision. Because they’re going to be the ones at that camp for 6-8 hours, we want to make sure they’re doing something that interests them.
“We also want them to want to go back. It’s hard enough to get them to want to go to school every day during the school year, we don’t want to go through that for the summer, too.”
Many (other) factors to consider
Once child buy-in is secure, then the real evaluation work starts. Logistics become key, parents say: cost, safety, scheduling and outcomes.
Dawn Blankenship, a Hinckley Township mom of two boys, Sawyer, 8 and Jude, 5, says those are key factors in her family, with two working parents and limited wiggle room. For that reason, her sons typically have participated in camps that are extensions of current activities — like rugby, football and Boy Scouts.
“We don’t have much time for ‘just for fun’ camps anymore,” she says, compared to when the boys were younger.
Another key factor for Ryder: Who’s going to be there?
“If the kids know other kids going to a camp it’s so much easier,” she says.
Other parent priorities
Maggie Smith, a Solon mom of two — Henry, 7, and George, 4 — works full time, as does her husband, Sam. So half-day camps are out.
Luckily, she has found camps that fit her children’s skill sets and interests that also work with the family’s complex logistics needs.
“We really seek out options that work for our schedules and provide enriching experiences,” Smith says.
Despite those planning challenges, though, Smith says she does not and would not sacrifice must-haves in camps.
“We of course look at safety, supervision and training provided to the counselors, water safety protocol if swimming is involved, and length of field trips if they’re included,” Smith says.
Ryder, similarly has a long list of considerations she has high on her list: Does the camp meet and support their school environment? Her oldest son, Lachlan, attended a preschool focused on nature exploration and play — and the family subsequently sought a camp that extended those themes.
“We now look for sports camps that support existing sports or are sports they have an interest in or are afraid to commit to a full season,” Ryder says. “Additionally, our schools have a wonderful music program, and students play an instrument starting in fourth grade. So we’re seeking out, again, something that extends those programs and interest.”