SUMMER CAMPS

IN ANY ORDINARY YEAR, summer break is a time when kids tend to do a little backsliding in terms of the knowledge and skills they developed or honed over the previous school year. Of course, we can all agree that, thanks to the COVID pandemic, this past school year was anything but ordinary. For much of the school year, most students were either learning virtually from home or splitting their time between in-person and remote learning in some sort of hybrid schedule. As a result—and despite teachers’ heroic efforts to adapt their lessons to the virtual classroom—many kids are already at a deficit before summer has even begun.

The good news is, after a COVID-driven hiatus last summer, many area schools and organizations are once again offering a wide variety of summer camps designed to help kids develop and broaden their horizons in sports, academics, music, nature, and a host of other personal interests.

Whatever your child’s passion, there’s a summer camp that will help him or her explore it in greater depth.

In addition to closing the learning gap created by COVID, summer camps offer a host of healthy benefits to kids, including (but certainly not limited to):

Escaping the screens

Virtual learning, social media use, videogaming, television viewing, and other screen-based activities keep today’s kids glued to computers, smartphones, TVs, tablets, and other devices for an excessive and unhealthy amount of time each day. In fact, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that children ages eight to 10 spend an average of six hours per day in front of a screen, kids ages 11 to 14 spend an average of nine hours per day in front of a screen, and youth ages 15 to 18 spend an average of seven-and-a-half hours per day in front of a screen. Summer camps can help kids escape the screens, engage in healthy social interaction, and experience the real world in all three dimensions.

Nurturing a love of nature

Many summer camp options tap into kids’ natural affinity for nature, helping them to develop a greater appreciation of—and desire to protect—the world’s incredibly diverse array of plant and animal life as well as the vital niches and habitats they occupy.

Building on their strengths

Does your child seem to have a fascination with building things, creating artwork, playing sports, making music, stage acting, star gazing, fishing, or any other special area of interest? If so, there’s a good chance you’ll find a summer camp that caters to this interest and can help your child strengthen his or her skills and knowledge base in that particular area.

Learning teamwork

Many summer camp activities encourage kids to work together collaboratively to achieve a particular goal, which builds strong social and communication skills and helps bring out assertiveness and leadership skills in some individuals—all of which will benefit the campers in their future careers, relationships, and other endeavors. Of course, it’s not uncommon for summer camp team members to become lifelong friends.

Developing independence

Though they may be working as a team on activities and projects, kids who go to a summer camp often experience a boost in their sense of independence and self-esteem—even if being out of their usual comfort zone makes them feel somewhat anxious at first. Without parents and familiar teachers immediately present, campers must learn to draw on their own strengths and develop new problem-solving skills in order to achieve goals and meet new challenges.

Learning to give something back

Last, but certainly not least, many summer camps offer activities that inspire kids to help people in need or find other ways to make a difference in their community, such as picking up trash or distributing food to the needy or elderly. As a result, campers develop a spirit of volunteerism that will encourage them to “pay it forward” throughout their lives.

Where can you begin to find summer camp options that will give your child all these benefits and more? The local camps advertised in this special section of Healthy Living News are a good place to start. Also, be sure to check the updated list of camps in next month’s issue.