Summer school holidays and camps
May 4th 2013, 12:57 am
#16
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
It's that time of year when I have to think about filling 10 weeks of school holidays with fun activities, while working full time.
I'm really lucky, as I work from home (although it is full time; be sat at my desk for 8.30 and leave at 5.00 at the earliest) it does mean I don't have to send my daughter off to camp every day.
For the last couple of years she has done a 5 night residential camp with the YMCA and absolutely loved it. She is doing it again this year, but worse still she is going on a 7 night specialized camp in the Sierras. On top of this she'll do 2 maybe 3 weeks of day camps with the YMCA where they go swimming and to theme parks...
Camp seems such a huge part of childhood here, I know I would have loved some of the activities when I was a kid, instead we had to occupy ourselves for hours on end with a bucket of water, a tennis ball and a skipping rope.
I was just wondering what everyone else did with their kids during the long summer break?
I'm really lucky, as I work from home (although it is full time; be sat at my desk for 8.30 and leave at 5.00 at the earliest) it does mean I don't have to send my daughter off to camp every day.
For the last couple of years she has done a 5 night residential camp with the YMCA and absolutely loved it. She is doing it again this year, but worse still she is going on a 7 night specialized camp in the Sierras. On top of this she'll do 2 maybe 3 weeks of day camps with the YMCA where they go swimming and to theme parks...
Camp seems such a huge part of childhood here, I know I would have loved some of the activities when I was a kid, instead we had to occupy ourselves for hours on end with a bucket of water, a tennis ball and a skipping rope.
I was just wondering what everyone else did with their kids during the long summer break?
This summer we are spending 5 weeks in the UK, so that will take up a huge chunk of it. Last year, we had a season pass to a water park and spent time there with friends. That actually was a lot of fun, but not something I would want to repeat. My daughter does Girl Scouts (she's actually away this weekend on a camping trip with them) and up till now, we haven't done the day camps or the away camps. But next year we are probably going to look into them.
May 4th 2013, 6:10 pm
#17
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Manhattan
Posts: 2,913
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
I went to sleep away camp for a month several summers when I was a kid and I then worked as a camp counselor for four years. I'm still in touch with counselors that I worked with from over 25 years ago. I loved going away to camp as a kid! Although I was lucky that my parents could afford it because camp is pretty pricey. I wanted to go for the whole summer but we always did a family holiday in August.
May 5th 2013, 4:38 pm
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Kauai, Hawaii
Posts: 767
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
Sound like this place but WOW!
May 5th 2013, 5:06 pm
#19
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2008
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 10,678
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
Day summer camps (not overnight summer camps) may qualify for the 20%-35% "child care tax credit" for children under 13 with both parents working. Therefore keep your receipts for day camps for filing your tax return.
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Summer-Day-Ca...r-a-Tax-Credit
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Summer-Day-Ca...r-a-Tax-Credit
May 6th 2013, 8:15 pm
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2011
Location: California
Posts: 471
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
I think my daughters will do the science camp at my eldest's middle school. If it's the same price as last year it will be $150 for 4 days. I am tempted to sign them up for the YMCA camps but they vary in price, for the younger 2 it's $150 for 5 days and the elder one it's $45, different locations too! I did look into the camp at the Science Museum but at $380 for the week I think not! The girls really want to go to Space Camp at the Kennedy Space Center, which I would love to send them on but that is still $300 each. If I win the lottery in the mean time I will let them
I don't work (H4 visa blah blah) so they technically don't have to go to any, but the holidays are 11 weeks here and I want them doing some activities without me We will of course go to the beach etc and we go away for a couple of weeks to NY, NJ and Washington DC.
I don't work (H4 visa blah blah) so they technically don't have to go to any, but the holidays are 11 weeks here and I want them doing some activities without me
We will of course go to the beach etc and we go away for a couple of weeks to NY, NJ and Washington DC.
May 6th 2013, 9:27 pm
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College Pa.
Posts: 1,585
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
Camp fees 10K for 6 weeks IIRC. Ouch.
May 7th 2013, 12:47 am
#22
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Manhattan
Posts: 2,913
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
It's amazing how much the camps charge considering how little the counselors get paid! My first summer as a camp counselor in 1985 I was paid $500 for the summer and had one day off a week. I got back in touch with some old camp friends on Facebook. I think camp is an amazing experience as both a camper and a counselor. Some camps do offer scholarships as well.
Last edited by penguinbar; May 7th 2013 at 12:47 am. Reason: typo
May 7th 2013, 8:43 am
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: State College Pa.
Posts: 1,585
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
It's amazing how much the camps charge considering how little the counselors get paid! My first summer as a camp counselor in 1985 I was paid $500 for the summer and had one day off a week. I got back in touch with some old camp friends on Facebook. I think camp is an amazing experience as both a camper and a counselor. Some camps do offer scholarships as well.
The camp I worked at was amazing though, it was a creative arts camp, run originally by two Jewish Austrian emigres, who'd first fled to London, and been charged with establishing an evacuation camp for English kids in America - one of the first ships of evacuees was sunk with the loss of a lot of life, and they were left in Connecticut with a camp to fill....
Steve
May 7th 2013, 9:12 pm
#24
Account Closed
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 1,570
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
Same here ! I went in 1984, as a student, and in 1987 and 1988 as a "consultant" ;-) I worked on after camp ended in 1984, and made more money in the following week than I had all summer....but what a summer it was. If there are student members of BE reading this GET yourselves on BUNAC's CampAmerica program.
Steve
Steve
Last edited by Uncle_Bob; May 7th 2013 at 9:28 pm.
May 8th 2013, 2:41 am
#26
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Manhattan
Posts: 2,913
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
the camp i worked at charged campers $4000 for 4 weeks or $7000 for an 8 week stay
I did BUNAC. I highly recommend it. Although you dont get a chance to choose your camp so its a bit of a lottery. I ended up in the armpit of America - a town called Hawley near Scranton, PA. I was instructor for computer science, motorbikes and worked as a lifeguard at the lake. But i got out and about to New York, Boston, Washington and Philidephia. I used as a way to see America through the eyes of someone other than a tourist.
I did BUNAC. I highly recommend it. Although you dont get a chance to choose your camp so its a bit of a lottery. I ended up in the armpit of America - a town called Hawley near Scranton, PA. I was instructor for computer science, motorbikes and worked as a lifeguard at the lake. But i got out and about to New York, Boston, Washington and Philidephia. I used as a way to see America through the eyes of someone other than a tourist.
I was a drama counselor, regular counselor and also a group leader which was the most work. I was in charge of eight counselors and twenty eight 13 and 14 year old girls! I think about camp every summer! It is truly ana amazing experience as both a camper and a counselor.
May 8th 2013, 1:14 pm
#27
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
Ten grand? Jesus, they saw you coming 
May 8th 2013, 1:57 pm
#29
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: Summer school holidays and camps
My son's 15 this year anyway, he'll be too busy chasing tail in the summer break to have to worry about getting us in more debt
