Summer camp / summer school / etc
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"Irene" irene_...@my-deja.com
I don't think I've posted much about ds' kindy experiences so far here. He's had a pretty good experience so far, thanks in large part to lots of parent-teacher communication. Ds (for those who aren't familiar with him) is quite intense, creative, and impulsive. His teacher adores him (thank goodness!) and has been bending over backwards to get him help so he can acclimate without breaking his spirit and also not end up in behavior disorder cl***es. (He's met with the social worker a little, working on anger management and impulsivity, and may do some OT for writing).
Anyhow, his teacher has suggested that we look into doing summer school as a way to give him some structure and continuity throughout the summer. Academically, he is doing very well, especially when taking into consideration that he is the youngest in his cl***. His writing needs work, and he is just starting to read some words. (Ok, this is the eval for *this* kindy cl***, not some of the really demanding ones!) She also suggested we might want to do some sort of summer camp that would stimulate him, as an alternative.
Anyhow, I've left a message asking about summer school at the neighboring school district (ours is so small, they share the program, apparently). I've also started investigating other summer programs.
They range all over the place, from traditional outdoorsy camps that emphasize swimming, sports and field trips (one morning of arts & crafts), to programs at the Chicago Botanic Gardens that are very focused (but relatively expensive, and not very convenient).
I'm not really sure how to proceed with this. There are sooo many options, and many of them are pretty expensive. I WOH mostly full-time, so he needs to be somewhere during the day, no matter what.
I'm trying to figure out where dd (will be 3 this summer) will be -
whether to keep her at her same preschool/daycare, or move her somewhere closer to our house.
I'm also not sure whether it's better to keep him in one place for most/all of the summer, for continuity, or to give him a variety of programs. Anyhow, thoughts?
Irene
Ericka Kammerer e...@comcast.net
I think all this is very individual. Some kids thrive on variety, while others need consistency to be ok. Personally, unless there is an academic deficit that needs to be remedied, I look at summer as a time to expand horizons and cover things that he won't get in school. I also think that summer should be mostly fun and not the same grind as school.
Of course, since you need full day care, that will likely limit your options significantly (unless someone can provide transportation during the day to move him from one place to another?).
I'm mostly at home, so don't have to deal with the daycare issue (though I take advantage of them being gone to go in to work). We generally do several weeks of dance camp (required for Nutcracker participation). We have also done foreign language camps, art camps, recreation camps, soccer camps, Vacation Bible School, and probably some other things I'm forgetting. A number of camps do have before and after care. It is tough, though, and the costs add up quickly.
I think you just put everything in a pile and look for whatever looks interesting, and then you look to see what you can make work logistically and financially.
Often, once you've done that you don't have a lot of options left ;-) Often, all sorts of things look fantastic, but they're just not affordable or you can't get the kid there and back.
Given that he has to be *somewhere* every week, if you do different camps, I would try to alternate more intense camps with something more laid back so that he doesn't feel like he's rushing from pillar to post all summer.
Best wishes, Ericka
mbwag ...@earthlink.net
Glad to hear he is doing well in kingdergarten, Irene! DD1 loves her kindergarten cl*** and has been doing very well. We, too, are struggling about summer care, I've just started asking around to figure out what the kids from her cl*** will be doing.
She also has a friend from her old daycare that she plays soccer with, so we are trying to coordinate. DD1's old daycare offers a camp which I haven't heard great things about, but it would make drop off with DD2 easy. There's a gymnastics place nearby that offers a camp so we are definately doing a week or two there (I have that lined up with at least 2 of her friends).
There's a tennis camp (tennis in the morning, regular camp stuff, including swimming in the afternoon) that I think she'll do a week at. Also a circus camp that I have heard great things about.
Frankly, all my asking has ended up with me being very frustrated, noone has been thrilled with their choices. Our local YMCA is reasonably priced but DD1 spent a week there last year and it was terrible. Very disorganized and, frankly, I'm not sure they would have noticed if one of the kids had gone missing. To top it off, most of the camps have been pretty lax in terms of what the kids can get away with, which ends up being tough on DD1 since she is such a by the book kind of kid. The wildness is very stressful for her.
I am going to do my best to get her into camps with friends of hers, preferably from kindergarten. We'll probably do a mish mash of camps, unless I find one I think she'll really connect with.
Good luck!
Mary W.
"Irene" irene_...@my-deja.com
I have to admit, I tend to agree that he doesn't really need the academics, so long as we can keep some writing practice in there. And I'd like to see him spending more time outdoors, being active. Ds' teacher did reply that she thought he'd do best in a single program, rather than having to get used to different routines all summer long.
(snip) LOL! Thanks for helping put things in perspective! Right now, the Botanic Gardens is looking like it doesn't work from either the affordability or the transportation aspect, although I'm not ruling out doing it for one week.
Right now, we are leaning towards the camp owned by the same company who run his after school care. The setting is wonderful, he knows some of the staff, and I can put him on a bus (tho, alas, earlier than his school-year bus). Ironically, it is 1/2 mile from our old house!
Irene
"Irene" irene_...@my-deja.com
Thanks! Good luck to you, too!
Irene
"Irene" irene_...@my-deja.com
(Following up on myself...) After more input from ds' teacher, and getting a little more info, a plan seems to be coming together...
The summer school program is for one month, mornings only. Ds' teacher highly encouraged this. I can put him in a camp program run by the afterschool care company at that same location for that month. Then, I can move him to the actual outdoorsy camp owned by the same group for the rest of the summer, which gets him both the writing help he needs, and the outdoor fun stuff. And I'll be taking him to the same location the whole summer, since the bus to camp is from that same school. (Or I can pay an extra $20/wk to get a bus to our house) Irene
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