When Camp Granada Doesn't Cut It . . .

Try a Camp That Offers Something "Special

by Jill Miller Zimon

Hello Mudder - Hello Fadder
Here I am at - Camp Granada
And it's very - entertaining
And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.

-- Original lyrics by Allen Sherman

Every summer, my mother sang that verse as she packed me off to a traditional overnight camp, complete with a fresh water lake, uniforms and arts and crafts. Now, when I tell her that I hated my first three years there, she assures me that I always said I wanted to return.

If traditional camps haven’t turned your child into a happy camper yet, maybe it’s time to try something different: specialty camps. With day and residential options that range from sports and theater to juggling and woodworking, it just might be the alternative you’ve been looking for.

Defining Specialty Camp Programs

Virginia Armstrong-Whyte is a representative for Peterson’s (www.Petersons.com), which publishes the Summer Opportunities for Kids and Teenagers directory. She defines traditional camps as those with water and land sports and arts and crafts. In contrast to the traditional model, specialty camps fall into any one of at least nine categories: academic, adventure, arts, Bible, community service, cultural, special needs, sports and wilderness.

Camps can also be differentiated by how much choice they offer a child. Eve Eifler, Co-director of Tips on Trips and Camps, (www.tipsontripsandcamps.com), describes these camps as replacing a set schedule with one determined by the child. They tend to offer what she calls “not the mainstream activities…instead, kids can try cooking, ham radio, rock music, skateboarding, magic, animal rehabilitation, and science camps where they can do robotics.”

When To Consider and How To Evaluate Specialty Camps

Bill Cole, a marketing consultant to camps, private schools and non-profits, suggests that parents think first about age when choosing a particular type of camp. “The younger the child, the greater the preference for an all-around program. Then, as they get older, they can specialize.”

When it comes to camps that let kids choose their activities, Eve Eifler advises parents to think about how strong an opinion their children have and whether they, as parents, are comfortable with their kids making the decisions. Eifler believes that kids avoid activities they don’t like or do well. Parents who think that camp is supposed to stretch kids need to ask themselves whether they want to relinquish choice or need to find a camp that gives more guidance.

Once you’ve decided to investigate specialty camps, Enid Grabiner, Midwest contact for the Student Camp and Trip Advisors (SCATA), says that parents should evaluate them as if it were a traditional camp. Investigate the program’s structure, the facilities and whether it emphasizes or de-emphasizes competition. Get specifics on the camp’s population in terms of size and demographics, its medical care and its communication policies.

When specialty camps are involved, Grabiner likes parents to focus on what goals they want to satisfy. Do they want their child to get a performance or technique-based experience? Which arts do they want their child exposed to? Do they want their child to participate in competitive or skill-oriented programs?

Bill Cole emphasizes that parents should explore issues of time and material. Will the kids create something from start to finish, or will they just add final touches to a preformed object? Regarding time, how much of your child’s class or lesson will be spent on the actual activity, such as horseback riding, versus other related or possibly unrelated tasks, such as grooming or waiting their turn?

How To Find Specialty Camps

Libraries, camp fairs, the Internet, the yellow pages, local parenting magazines and newspaper inserts can spur ideas. Recreation departments offer camps that focus on chess, karate, kayaking and rock climbing. Although residents can register early and pay less, nonresidents can apply to most towns’ programs. Specialty programs tend to be more costly, but aren’t necessarily unreasonable or out of reach in price.

The American Camping Association (ACA), a nonprofit accrediting organization, has an Ohio Section, which you can email (info@acaohio.org) or phone (614-766-4519). The main website lets you search for and read about camps, trends and advice. The Ohio Section webpage lists ACA events and camp fairs in Ohio.

If your priority is to match the camp with your child’s interests, Peterson’s website (www.Petersons.com) offers a Summer Opportunities-Arts section that links camps via 120 different arts including glassblowing, radio broadcasting, several kinds of dance and music, and blacksmithing. Likewise, a Special Interests section directs you to camps that satisfy curiosities about bicycle mechanics, flight instruction, organic farming and many more. The Peterson’s print guide includes a Specialized Directory that divides camps by several categories.

For-profit referral services, which cost you nothing, provide trunks full of information. Tips on Trips and Camps, SCATA, Camp Specialists, Camp Advisors and Summer Scope are just a few of the ones you can find on the Internet. Camps that want to serve your child pay fees to these businesses, but that shouldn’t deter you from using their resources. Be aware, however, that referral services sometimes have no options in Ohio and the camps they serve can cost as much as $700 per week.

In the Name of Fun

No matter where your kids go this summer, just talking with them about their interests and investigating programs that might meet those interests puts you ahead of the game. With a little luck, at the end of the summer, your kids will shower you with sentiments like those in the closing verse to Hello Mudder:

Wait a minute - it’s stopped hailing

Guys are swimming - guys are sailing

Playing cricket - gee that’s better

Mudder, Fadder kindly disregard this letter.

Jill Miller Zimon, whose parents generously provided her with every type of summer experience possible, is a freelance writer who lives in Pepper Pike with her husband and children, ages 3, 7 and 10.