Summer Daycamps 2009

There are so many summer camps for kids in Orange County that you don't have to leave your kids in their regular after school program during the summer time. This is their opportunity to branch out, try something new, meet new friends. Many summer camps offer a week at a time, so your child can sample several different camps over the course of the summer. For kids who need a little more consistency, choose a summer camp that lasts all summer long.

Field Trip Summer Camps

These are the camps where kids meet at the same place every day, usually a school or a city recreation center. Then they have excursions between once a week and every day. Trips range from a walk to the pizza parlor to a day at Disneyland. The cost of these camps includes the price of admission for these activities, and you often have the option of sending your child with money to purchase lunch and other things while they're out. In big places like Knott's, leaders usually split the kids into groups so they can take different groups around to different rides and activities. In smaller places like Nickel Nickel, they let the kids wander and they watch the exit. Older kids might be allowed to wander a bigger park in groups without an adult. If you're concerned about this, ask the summer camp leaders what their policy on this is for your child's age group. This kind of camp involves frequent bus rides. The larger camps will rent a school bus, while the smaller ones often have vans.

Specialty Summer Camps

Is your child involved in an activity during the school year that they love? Science, sports, or dance? Summer camps are a great way to participate in workshops that they'll enjoy and that will give them a head start when the regular season starts. There are many summer programs out there for the most popular activities, including basketball, theater, golf and cheerleading. If your child participates in something a little off the beaten path, check with the organization that offers it during the school year. There's a good chance they offer a summer program too.

Is it difficult to drive your child to swim lessons during the work day? Pick a camp that offers swimming as part of its program.

What about scouting or church? Most of the big churches offer vacation bible school, and they're almost always open to anyone, whether you attend that church or not. Scouts offer summer daycamps and sleep away camps during the summer. These kinds of programs are usually offered only a week or two out of the summer, so schedule those first and then pick other camps to fill in the gaps.

Specialty Summer Camps are also a great way to try out a new activity. Did your child want to play lacrosse, singing, or horseback riding but you had too many other activities going during the school year? What about something like surfing that's usually only available during the summer? Now's your chance. They can try it out for one week while you're at work and they need something to do anyway. If they love it, sign them up for another week.

Part Time Summer Camps

Many of the specialty camps, especially for the less popular activities fall into this category. They're for kids who want to participate in an activity, but it's not an all day program. If they have enough kids with working parents, many of them offer extended care before and after the regular program.

Full Day Summer Camps

Field trip summer camps usually fall into this category, as do many of the larger specialty camps. City recreation departments and after school programs almost always offer childcare for the full day while you're away at work.

Teen Summer Camps

Teenagers are a special case. They would be quite happy to stay at home all day or wander around the mall with their friends. While they're old enough to avoid the dangers younger kids face, this is the age when too much time on their hands can lead to trouble. Fortunately there are summer camps that cater to teens and allow them more freedom than they younger kids get while still providing something to keep them busy.

It's easy to pick the right summer camp or combination of camps for your child with the kind of variety offered in Orange County.

Go to Daycamps that are offered at other times of the year