Summer is already creeping up on us, and if you're like most parents, you're probably looking for ways to keep the kids busy without breaking the bank. That's where summer camps come in.
Experts consider these four areas when shopping around for summer camps:
- Safety: Are instructors or counselors first aid or CPR certified
- Unique Activities: Look for something your child is already interested in and can keep them active
- Flexibility: Does the camp or program work for your schedule, and can pick-up/drop-off times be adjusted
- Swim lessons: Such an important one in the Great Lakes State. Does it offer swim instruction as a main feature or a bonus
With two kids ages 7 and 9, Lindsey Beltran's summer schedule is already filling up fast.
“She will go to two basketball camps and another soccer camp," she said about her daughter. "And then my son will go to an all-sports camp and a basketball camp.”
We met Beltran and Mohammad Khalil, also a father of two, at a recent Royal Oak Farmer's Market. Like many this summer, Khalil wants his kids away from their screens.
"We have to plan now," he said of camps.
That's not a bad idea. Program spots for summer go fast.
At The Michigan Science Center, there are so many cool, interactive exhibits you can check out with your kiddos this summer. It also offers Spark! Camps for grades 1 thru 7 and spots fill up quickly.
“We have a mission to Mars week, we have master builders where we’ll learn about engineering… fix bang science, that’s more geared around chemistry," Lindsey Sigler from the Michigan Science Center said.
On top of that, they'll have access to more than 220 interactive exhibits to explore. Before and after care is also available.
Kicking off in late June, camps run all summer, Monday through Friday, and Science Center members get $50 off weekly camp costs.
A membership also helps you save big at the YMCA, which has tons of day camps. They're also device-free, so tell your kids to leave their smartphones at home.
“We offer summer day camp programs for all ages. From preschool age 3 all the way up to 16," Abigail Sacco with the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit said. “Parents can drop off as early as 7 and pick up as late as 6 and that’s included in their cost.”
Pool time is also included in the cost, and kids get time to splash during each camp.
Last but not least, swim lessons that won't bust your budget.
Huron-Clinton Metroparks started working with community partners to fully fund lessons, even offering kids free swim gear.
The need is great. They did a study a couple years ago and found up to 60% of kids in Southeast Michigan can't swim, and the number goes to 70% in the City of Detroit.
“We partner with really great regional partners that already doing work who have pools closest to the areas that need them," Danielle Mauter said.
Last summer, they taught more than 1,000 kids to swim. Lessons start in June and registration will open as early as next month.
The Metroparks also offer farm camp.
“Kids get the opportunity to come out to the farm center, to feed animals, learn about farm animals, learn about life on a farm. That’s probably our summer day camp that fills up the fastest," Mauter said.
If you're looking for a single day activity that mixes the great outdoors with scholastics, look no further than Detroit Riverfront Conversancy's Reading & Rhythm on the Riverfront. It's a free program with the help of a General Motors grant, which provides kids and their families a chance to hear stories read aloud with the water as a backdrop. This year's sessions run from July 6 through August 11 at Gabriel Richard Park.
