SPECIALTY OVERNIGHT CAMPS
General Description
While traditional camps flourish with a broad range of activity offerings and a general emphasis on character building, the strength of specialty camps is their narrow, concentrated set of activity offerings. Specialty camps include sports, trips, arts, and academic camps.
Sports Camps. The competitive nature of our society and the specialized interest of many kids has sustained a new kind of overnight camp: the sports camp. These camps focus on a single sport, such as soccer, basketball, sailing, or tennis. Some of these camps are associated with famous
athletes. They have names like, “Walter Phillip Football Camp” and “Evelyn Swanson Tennis Camp.” Others are sponsored by regional, national, or corporate sports associations, such as Nike® Tennis Camp. If your child is crazy about a particular sport, a specialty sports camp may be just the thing. Developing mastery in a particular sport can give your child a gratifying sense of competence and a better chance at making school teams.
The daily schedule at sports camps tends to include large blocks of time, in both the morning and afternoon, dedicated to improving skills in the specialty sport. Evening specialty sessions are also common, but good specialty sports camps add variety to the daily schedule so that campers don’t get bored. Some time is almost always devoted to “non-specialty” activities, such as other sports, games, or free time. Non-specialty program periods may also include activities related to the specialty sport, such as watching game films or meeting a sports celebrity.
Specialty sports camps are set up in a variety of locations. Some are in woodsy, rural, outdoor settings just like most traditional overnight camps. There, you might expect the same range of living and dining facilities. Other specialty sports camps are situated on college campuses in order to take advantage of specialized equipment and facilities, such as gymnasiums and stadiums. At these camps, kids usually live in a dormitory and eat meals in a cafeteria.
A college campus may offer excellent facilities, but the leadership and supervision that staff can provide may be compromised by two factors. First, a college campus is not as enclosed as a rural camp. Therefore, close supervision of each child is more difficult. Young campers may wander into town without realizing they have left the campus or gone out of bounds. Second, a college campus usually has non-camp people coming and going, even during the summer. Some of them may not provide the kind of good examples that well-trained cabin leaders do. Obviously, the wholesomeness of the setting is an important factor to consider when choosing any overnight camp.
Travel and Trip Camp. True travel and trip camps specialize in exploring geographic and topographic places of interest. Often, groups of children travel by car, bus, or plane to a “base camp” or “main lodge” where they learn about wilderness camping and the modes of transportation they will be using. This can range from hiking and backpacking to canoeing and sea kayaking; from snow-shoeing to horseback riding. There are even caravan camps that travel many miles in covered wagons.
At a trip camp, groups of children and trip leaders may be off for weeks at a time in uncharted wilderness, or they may frequent campsites in national and state parks. They may even follow famous routes, such as the Appalachian Trail, which stretches along the eastern United States from Georgia to Maine. In general, travel and trip camps are the most “outdoorsy” and rugged of any type of camp, specialty or otherwise. Their power to challenge and inspire kids is unique. Older adolescents and young adults who like these aspects of travel and trip camps may eventually wish to try adventure and leadership schools, such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Fine Arts / Performing Arts Camp. Fine arts camps specialize in the instruction of artistic pursuits such as writing, painting, sculpture, photography, film and video, printing, and various crafts. Performing arts camps specialize in all aspects of theater, dance, and music. Many also offer a selection of other activities. At a typical arts specialty camp, your child might spend the better part of each day practicing an instrument, learning a specific art or craft, or working on the production of a play. Activities include lessons, practices, workshops, performances, exhibits, productions, training exercises, and improvisation. The combination of specialized work in an art form and community living with other young artists and performers can be energizing.
The facilities at an arts specialty camp are specific to the discipline in question. At music camps, there are usually practice rooms and concert halls with good acoustics. At fine arts camps, there may be specialized pieces of equipment, such as kilns, woodworking tools, and easels. At theater camps, there are probably stages, lighting equipment, and costumes. Although many traditional camps offer musical, artistic, and theatrical activities, the facilities and instruction at a fine arts specialty camp are generally superior. The more serious your child is about his art form, the more important it will be to verify that the camp you choose has the kind of equipment, facilities, and instructors that will meet his needs.
Most artistic camps give performances or exhibits at the end of the session. If you are interested in an arts specialty camp, be sure to find out how the performances or exhibits are produced. Does every child get a chance to participate? Are performances or exhibits open to parents and friends? If not, are they videotaped? Is the philosophy of the camp inclusive or competitive? Are there opportunities for kids at all skill levels, or only expert?
Like specialty sports camps, arts specialty camps are set up in a variety of locations. Different locations offer different living and dining facilities. Some young performers and artists feel inspired in natural, outdoor settings; others feel distracted. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the setting, as well as the instructors’ expertise, when choosing an arts specialty camp.
Academic or Technical Camps. Like other kinds of specialty camps, these camps offer specialized programs, often on college campuses. Campers spend a considerable amount of time honing their skills in one or more academic or technical subjects. The classic academic camp is a foreign language camp. These camps include a week or more of linguistic and cultural immersion, coupled with a traditional program of outdoor activities. Lately, computer camps, space camps, and broadcasting camps have grown in popularity because of technological advances in those areas.
No matter what academic or technical subject you and your child seek, from philosophy to engineering to SAT preparation, you can probably find a specialty overnight camp to match. Academic or technical specialty camps are great ways for kids to expand their intellectual horizons without the normal pressures of school, such as grades and dress codes. Academic and technical specialty camps may also provide better equipment, better instruction, and fewer distractions than your child’s school.
Some academic or technical specialty camps are intended for kids who need extra help in a particular area. These are called “remedial” camps or sometimes “camp schools.” (Don’t confuse this with “summer school” which is simply going to school in the summer.) Other academic or technical specialty camps are designed for advanced, accelerated, or gifted students. At any academic or technical specialty camp, there is always the possibility that kids won’t develop their social and athletic skills much. However, these skills are important too, and the directors of high quality academic and technical specialty camps know that. No matter how sophisticated the instruction, these specialty camps should also include plenty of time during each day for kids to do activities outside the academic or technical realm.
Like the other kinds of specialty camps we’ve discussed, specialty academic or technical camps are set up in a variety of locations. However, the more electronic and computerized the specialty, the less likely the camp is to be located in a beautiful, natural, outdoor setting. Because good old fashioned fresh air is so beneficial, we again recommend that you carefully consider the setting, not just the sophistication of the equipment, when choosing an academic or technical specialty camp. Some kids like to get the best of both worlds. Their parents arrange a week at an urban academic or technical specialty camp followed by a couple of weeks at a traditional, rural, outdoor overnight camp. Parents we know who have arranged this combination point out that when kids spend time on an academic campus, they get a chance to see what college is like, and maybe even get excited about going. Clearly, every location has its perks.
A note about fancy electronic equipment: Remember that it can all break down. Parents and kids should ask: Will there be anything at all to do at this camp if the power goes out? Are there enough machines for everyone? How many times does each kid actually get to ride in the space shuttle simulator? Beware of an academic or technical specialty camp that seems to use one impressive piece of equipment as its sole selling point. Any high quality camp, whether traditional or specialty, should offer a variety of activities. Any high quality camp should also have back-up plans and rainy-day activities for times when equipment is down or unusable.
Pros and Cons of Specialty Overnight Camps
Pros of specialty overnight camps include:
• immersion in a favorite sport, art form, language, or academic subject
• improving skills in a preferred specialty
• opportunities to earn nationally-recognized certification in a particular specialty, such as SCUBA, sailing, or computer programming
• the chance to hang out with kids who share much in common
• working with instructors who are experts, perhaps even celebrities, in their specialty
Cons of specialty overnight camps include:
• doing mostly one activity for a week or more may get tiresome
• instruction in activities besides the specialty may not be excellent
• some specialty camp locations, such as college campuses, may not offer the outdoor experience, close supervision, and quality leadership that traditional camps do
• celebrities at celebrity sports camps may not actually work at the camp each day
• expert instructors are not necessarily trained in leadership skills
General Description
While traditional camps flourish with a broad range of activity offerings and a general emphasis on character building, the strength of specialty camps is their narrow, concentrated set of activity offerings. Specialty camps include sports, trips, arts, and academic camps.
Sports Camps. The competitive nature of our society and the specialized interest of many kids has sustained a new kind of overnight camp: the sports camp. These camps focus on a single sport, such as soccer, basketball, sailing, or tennis. Some of these camps are associated with famous
The daily schedule at sports camps tends to include large blocks of time, in both the morning and afternoon, dedicated to improving skills in the specialty sport. Evening specialty sessions are also common, but good specialty sports camps add variety to the daily schedule so that campers don’t get bored. Some time is almost always devoted to “non-specialty” activities, such as other sports, games, or free time. Non-specialty program periods may also include activities related to the specialty sport, such as watching game films or meeting a sports celebrity.
Specialty sports camps are set up in a variety of locations. Some are in woodsy, rural, outdoor settings just like most traditional overnight camps. There, you might expect the same range of living and dining facilities. Other specialty sports camps are situated on college campuses in order to take advantage of specialized equipment and facilities, such as gymnasiums and stadiums. At these camps, kids usually live in a dormitory and eat meals in a cafeteria.
A college campus may offer excellent facilities, but the leadership and supervision that staff can provide may be compromised by two factors. First, a college campus is not as enclosed as a rural camp. Therefore, close supervision of each child is more difficult. Young campers may wander into town without realizing they have left the campus or gone out of bounds. Second, a college campus usually has non-camp people coming and going, even during the summer. Some of them may not provide the kind of good examples that well-trained cabin leaders do. Obviously, the wholesomeness of the setting is an important factor to consider when choosing any overnight camp.
Travel and Trip Camp. True travel and trip camps specialize in exploring geographic and topographic places of interest. Often, groups of children travel by car, bus, or plane to a “base camp” or “main lodge” where they learn about wilderness camping and the modes of transportation they will be using. This can range from hiking and backpacking to canoeing and sea kayaking; from snow-shoeing to horseback riding. There are even caravan camps that travel many miles in covered wagons.
At a trip camp, groups of children and trip leaders may be off for weeks at a time in uncharted wilderness, or they may frequent campsites in national and state parks. They may even follow famous routes, such as the Appalachian Trail, which stretches along the eastern United States from Georgia to Maine. In general, travel and trip camps are the most “outdoorsy” and rugged of any type of camp, specialty or otherwise. Their power to challenge and inspire kids is unique. Older adolescents and young adults who like these aspects of travel and trip camps may eventually wish to try adventure and leadership schools, such as Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Fine Arts / Performing Arts Camp. Fine arts camps specialize in the instruction of artistic pursuits such as writing, painting, sculpture, photography, film and video, printing, and various crafts. Performing arts camps specialize in all aspects of theater, dance, and music. Many also offer a selection of other activities. At a typical arts specialty camp, your child might spend the better part of each day practicing an instrument, learning a specific art or craft, or working on the production of a play. Activities include lessons, practices, workshops, performances, exhibits, productions, training exercises, and improvisation. The combination of specialized work in an art form and community living with other young artists and performers can be energizing.
The facilities at an arts specialty camp are specific to the discipline in question. At music camps, there are usually practice rooms and concert halls with good acoustics. At fine arts camps, there may be specialized pieces of equipment, such as kilns, woodworking tools, and easels. At theater camps, there are probably stages, lighting equipment, and costumes. Although many traditional camps offer musical, artistic, and theatrical activities, the facilities and instruction at a fine arts specialty camp are generally superior. The more serious your child is about his art form, the more important it will be to verify that the camp you choose has the kind of equipment, facilities, and instructors that will meet his needs.
Most artistic camps give performances or exhibits at the end of the session. If you are interested in an arts specialty camp, be sure to find out how the performances or exhibits are produced. Does every child get a chance to participate? Are performances or exhibits open to parents and friends? If not, are they videotaped? Is the philosophy of the camp inclusive or competitive? Are there opportunities for kids at all skill levels, or only expert?
Like specialty sports camps, arts specialty camps are set up in a variety of locations. Different locations offer different living and dining facilities. Some young performers and artists feel inspired in natural, outdoor settings; others feel distracted. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the setting, as well as the instructors’ expertise, when choosing an arts specialty camp.
Academic or Technical Camps. Like other kinds of specialty camps, these camps offer specialized programs, often on college campuses. Campers spend a considerable amount of time honing their skills in one or more academic or technical subjects. The classic academic camp is a foreign language camp. These camps include a week or more of linguistic and cultural immersion, coupled with a traditional program of outdoor activities. Lately, computer camps, space camps, and broadcasting camps have grown in popularity because of technological advances in those areas.
No matter what academic or technical subject you and your child seek, from philosophy to engineering to SAT preparation, you can probably find a specialty overnight camp to match. Academic or technical specialty camps are great ways for kids to expand their intellectual horizons without the normal pressures of school, such as grades and dress codes. Academic and technical specialty camps may also provide better equipment, better instruction, and fewer distractions than your child’s school.
Some academic or technical specialty camps are intended for kids who need extra help in a particular area. These are called “remedial” camps or sometimes “camp schools.” (Don’t confuse this with “summer school” which is simply going to school in the summer.) Other academic or technical specialty camps are designed for advanced, accelerated, or gifted students. At any academic or technical specialty camp, there is always the possibility that kids won’t develop their social and athletic skills much. However, these skills are important too, and the directors of high quality academic and technical specialty camps know that. No matter how sophisticated the instruction, these specialty camps should also include plenty of time during each day for kids to do activities outside the academic or technical realm.
Like the other kinds of specialty camps we’ve discussed, specialty academic or technical camps are set up in a variety of locations. However, the more electronic and computerized the specialty, the less likely the camp is to be located in a beautiful, natural, outdoor setting. Because good old fashioned fresh air is so beneficial, we again recommend that you carefully consider the setting, not just the sophistication of the equipment, when choosing an academic or technical specialty camp. Some kids like to get the best of both worlds. Their parents arrange a week at an urban academic or technical specialty camp followed by a couple of weeks at a traditional, rural, outdoor overnight camp. Parents we know who have arranged this combination point out that when kids spend time on an academic campus, they get a chance to see what college is like, and maybe even get excited about going. Clearly, every location has its perks.
A note about fancy electronic equipment: Remember that it can all break down. Parents and kids should ask: Will there be anything at all to do at this camp if the power goes out? Are there enough machines for everyone? How many times does each kid actually get to ride in the space shuttle simulator? Beware of an academic or technical specialty camp that seems to use one impressive piece of equipment as its sole selling point. Any high quality camp, whether traditional or specialty, should offer a variety of activities. Any high quality camp should also have back-up plans and rainy-day activities for times when equipment is down or unusable.
Pros and Cons of Specialty Overnight Camps
Pros of specialty overnight camps include:
• immersion in a favorite sport, art form, language, or academic subject
• improving skills in a preferred specialty
• opportunities to earn nationally-recognized certification in a particular specialty, such as SCUBA, sailing, or computer programming
• the chance to hang out with kids who share much in common
• working with instructors who are experts, perhaps even celebrities, in their specialty
Cons of specialty overnight camps include:
• doing mostly one activity for a week or more may get tiresome
• instruction in activities besides the specialty may not be excellent
• some specialty camp locations, such as college campuses, may not offer the outdoor experience, close supervision, and quality leadership that traditional camps do
• celebrities at celebrity sports camps may not actually work at the camp each day
• expert instructors are not necessarily trained in leadership skills
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