Summer is rapidly approaching and parents are beginning to think about that annual problem: what to do with the children come early july?

Sitting at home, watching television or playing video games isn’t something many would advocate. Summer jobs for those under 18 are becoming very rare.Summer can be a time for enrichment, personal growth and fostering new friendships and also making good memories.

Parents who were fortunate enough to possess a good summer camp experience themselves recognize that there is nothing finer than to attend a good residential camp. Camp is a safe and nurturing environment for children. A supervised positive environment helps children prepare for adulthood. Trained, caring adult role models help children feel loved, capable and included. The summertime camp experience can lay a foundation that will serve well in adulthood.

Opportunities abound for children to experience belonging and acting responsible in a genuine community… getting alongside others, accepting differences and working together. Often summer camps offer the diversity of getting together with kids from other cultures and countries.Discovery, exploration and active participation are the methods of an excellent camp. Children connect to the natural world directly rather than through filters of computers, television and movie screens. Children learn best by experiencing, filling the gaps which exist in academic instruction.

Challenging activities like rock climbing, windsurfing and kayaking enable young people to build up self-confidence, courage and learn avocations which can be enjoyed the rest of these lives. These are characteristics that are invaluable in living.

You can find over 10,000 camps in this country, so there must be one for each and every child. The cost is sometimes an issue for families, but if they look at this as an important area of the growing up process, most families will get the means. In the end, an excellent camp experience is going to be much more beneficial than that new 54 inch television, or those new $125 couple of sneakers. That is an investment in your child’s future and one which will be remembered long after those sneakers, CDs or video games have always been forgotten.

Most of all, camp is FUN! Learning is enhanced once the child is having a good time with new friends.

Finding a good camp is simple, in this internet age, with a dozen or even more on-line camp directories as close as a click away. Choose prudently and give your children an experience they will treasure.Discovery, exploration and active participation are the methods of a good camp. Children connect with the natural world directly and not through filters of computers, television and movie screens. Children learn best by experiencing, filling the gaps that exist in academic instruction.