Camp Ideas for Kids

Working ranches offer kids' camps.

Camps are wonderful opportunities for kids to expand a personal interest. Every area of the country offers camps that enhance current skill sets and build new ones. Whatever interests your kids, as a pastime or as a stairstep to a career, can be found in a broad range of camps presented by schools and independent organizations.

Sport Camps for Kids

Camps offering group and individual coaching for every sport are available in every region of the country, such as the Rutgers University Sport Camps in New Brunswick, New Jersey (see References). Qualified coaches and teachers guide kids to better performance in team sports like football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and field hockey. Camps for the individual sports of golf, tennis, swimming and track events build confidence and improve personal performance.

Acting and Theater Arts

Many large cities offer camps for budding actors, actresses and dancers, such as the New York Film Academy. Camps are available to teach and enhance the back stage skills of lighting, sound and set making. Some camps focus on television production skills. Other camps concentrate on the writing skills necessary to create novels, plays or television features.

Information Technology Camps

The growth in computer usage and information technology has created a boom in technology camps such as the Digital Media Academy's courses which take place at various universities (see References). Computer programming, computer repairing and software design are popular camp subjects.

Cheerleading Camps

School spirit and the desire for competition have opened a new group of camps for high school and college cheer leading, such as those listed at the Varsity.com website. National competitive events and television recognition spurs high school and college cheer leading squads to participate in cheer camps across the country.

Arts and Crafts Camps

Creative kids learn new techniques and artistic mediums at craft camps such as the Oxbow Summer Camp in Napa, California (see References). Oil and watercolor artists receive instruction and guidance in their art forms. Potters and sculptors learn to use varied materials to express artistic points of view.

Outdoor Camps

City bound kids can escape the confines of the concrete jungle to experience an outdoor life at wilderness camps and ranches. Many working ranches such as the JCC Ranch (see References) offer kids the opportunity to function as a ranch hand. Rafting camps like Adventure Camp (see References) take kids on river rides to build confidence and self esteem. For more hardy campers, survival camps teach personal survivor skills.

References

• J CC Ranch Camp: A Summer of Fun, Lifetime of Memories
• New York Film Academy: Summer Film and Acting Camps
• Rutgers University: Sport Camp Conference Schedule
• Digital Media Academy: Summer Camps for Kids and Teens
• Oxbow Summer Camp: Summer Art Camp
• Adventure Camp: Whitewater Rafting Camps & Summer Programs for Kids & Teens

Resources

• Nike Sports Camps: Bring your game to a whole new level at camp this summer!
• Teen Boot Camps: Troubled Teen Boot Camps
• Frost Valley YMCA: Group Retreats and Family Getaways