The quest for the perfect summer camp!

Most harrowed homemakers find this word to be the mantra of frayed nerves. Having children at home during summer holidays is everybody’s cup of tea. Most metros have playschools and hobby centres that cater to the bored summer child. There are so many summer camps and only one summer. How does one find the perfect place for their child to spend those lazy summer days in an energetic fashion?
It starts with choosing the right program for your child, matching the child's needs and personality with the appropriate summer camp experience and listening intently to the family's concerns. If a few summer camps seem interesting, check them out to make sure they work for your child. Avoid camps that promise a lot of activities in a short span of time. If only one or two sessions are allotted for each activity, the child learns nothing. Yoga, as a part of a camp, is not suitable as postures can be learnt wrong in a group and also because yoga has to be tailor-made for the individual. A cookery class for children below the age of 14 does not help, as they would always require parental help when in the kitchen. The usefulness of a handwriting course is very doubtful because handwriting cannot be changed. One's handwriting is often a reflection of his/her attitudes and personality. However, some areas of handwriting can be corrected and personality traits associated with that aspect should be corrected too. Art from waste and other craft courses are activities offered by many and most summer camps predictably include objects made from ice-cream sticks, pistachio shells and pencil shavings that are not aesthetically appealing. Arts like dance, music, painting and languages take a few years to learn. Summer courses on any of these only serve as a time to find out if the child is interested in pursuing it further. Spoken English classes make or mar a child’s pronunciation for life. In many cases the advertisements themselves are telling. Personality development courses are useful but only if the ideas suggested in these classes are put into practice. Since most children are not self-motivated parents' help is required for one or two months after the course is over for their children to change their thought patterns and build new habits.
A very important aspect to take into consideration is also the age of your child. Keeping a child below 6 years in a full day summer camp can be physically very exhausting. Always keep in mind that the intention of a summer camp or a vacation workshop is for your child to have loads of fun. Honing a child’s skills can take place only in a child friendly environment. As a parent you need to feel comfortable about the hygiene level of the place, the attitude of the caretakers and the quality of the equipment present. If the camp provides food you need to know what they provide before enrolling your child. You also need to make sure that the authorities perfectly understand the medical needs of your child especially if the child is allergic to something.

With so many mind boggling minuses you might be wondering if summer camps are necessary. Many parents avoid giving much thought to this and simply go by what friends or neighbours say or do for their children. The academic curriculum is heavily biased towards learning by rote. Therefore, important aspects like conceptual understanding, reading, thinking skills, creativity boosting arts, sports and relaxation, get neglected. The vacation is the ideal time for parents to see that these needs are fulfilled. So, parents need to find out their children's areas of interest and where they need development and encouragement and plan a suitable mix of holiday activities. Sometimes these activities can be conveniently found under a banner caller “Summer Camp”.

Vacation at home

Most parents don’t look forward to vacationing at home during the summer months. The excitement of going to some place new cannot equal a vacation at home. However, in times of financial uncertainty where planning a holiday is next to impossible, a little novelty goes a long way.
Most of us gather a lot of information about holiday destinations but know very little about our own cities. Summer activities for children in the cities get better and hotter than the summer itself with each passing year. This maybe the best time to hone your child’s talents and interests. The key word with children is novelty to keep boredom at bay. The only thing children lack these days is time and attention from their parents. This is critical in building the most cherished childhood memories. My most cherished memories are the ones I spent going to the beach with my parents, listening to the animated ghost stories of my grandmother and stealing mangoes from my neighbour’s tree with my friends. In times where finding a mango tree in our concrete jungles or friends for that matter is next to impossible, parents have to do most of the monkeying around. Getting to know picnic spots is a good way of getting your couch potato, PSP kid out in the open. A fun way of reliving your childhood is to do those things you did as a child with your child. Find a good tree to climb and teach your kid the pro way. Teach him to “deal” his kite or make the biggest splash in a shallow stream. This could be the fastest way of going from “Zero” to “Hero” in your child’s eyes.
What about the things you can actually do at home? Play a board game as a family or a game of shuttle. This helps in making your child a team player. Skip the boring, standard menus at least once a week and cook along with your child. Children love to be the handy man/woman at home. Invite his or her friends for a sleepover and try making your own tents out of bed sheets, curtains and a lot of creativity. Have a puppet show or arrange for a magic show at home and watch your child become the most popular kid on the block. Create an art and craft corner for your child at home and give Van Gogh a run for his money! A reading corner filled with fairytales, detective stories, illustrated classics and a mini food cupboard ensures quiet time is exactly that.
These are just a few fun ways to fill the summer days. Finding what works best for your child lies in how well you know your child and in the efforts taken to sincerely plan a good fun, filled holiday season for them. Gifting your child an abundance of good memories is the best reward of parenthood. Going the whole hog should not be difficult when the price is a bear hug and a kiss that says, “You are the best”.