Summer 2010
Choose the best summer scheme for your kids
By the time you read this, schools will be breaking up for the summer holidays. With budgets tight these days and many families opting to forego a break to the sun, you might be left looking for ways to keep the kids occupied until September rolls round again.
Our special feature will give you plenty of information to help you decide if a summer scheme is the right choice for your children this year and will give you an insight into the wide variety of schemes that are available right across Northern Ireland.
Every parent wants their child to have an enjoyable summer, so clearly it’s important that you choose an appropriate scheme which is suited to their needs and interests. A positive summer scheme experience can allow your child to develop in many ways: it will allow your child the opportunity to try new activities, learn new skills, make friends and gain that all-important sense of independence.
The list of summer schemes across Northern Ireland is growing all the time and the advertising on the following pages gives you a good idea of what your child could get involved in. One of the biggest things to consider is what the scheme has to offer with its programmes and activities.
Some may emphasise one particular area such as speciality programmes, while others will have an extensive of range of things to see and do. Speciality schemes are geared towards providing an intensive course of learning for your enthusiast, whether their passion is sports, like football or rugby, or educational that has fun day trips or interesting workshops.
Rest assured that most camps are run by seasoned professionals that know how to provide an enjoyable and enriching experience for children.
It’s important to ask yourself what do you and your child want from the summer scheme experience? Regardless of his or her age, the ideal programme for you will accommodate the needs, interests, goals and expectations of both the parent and the child.
1. What do you want your child to gain from the experience – new skills, develop more self-confidence, become more independent?
2. What are the special interests that your child wants to explore?
3. Are there any physical, intellectual or social limitations that have to be considered? Allergies or behavioural needs to consider?
4. What sort of learning does your child benefit from? Do they prefer to work at their own pace or is an educational structure needed?
5. Any other concerns?
In choosing a location for your summer scheme you may want to think about the time it would take to visit if there was to be some sort of emergency at home or if a longer distance will make your child more anxious. Keep in mind that there are plenty of great programmes to choose from and if your son or daughter is having the time of their life, distance is not going to make a great deal of difference.
Bear in mind that most schemes run for a set period in the summer and you don’t want to be ferrying your off spring over long distances each day. Do pick somewhere within easy reach of home.
You are the best person to judge to know if your child is ready for a summer scheme experience. Age, personality and experience will be big factors in making your decision. You’ll also want to find out more information about the schemes themselves. Here are some questions to ask to find out more.
Questions to ask
Are the instructors qualified?
What is the ratio of staff to children?
Are there trained first aiders on site?
Is there supervision at all times?
What does a typical daily schedule look like?
If it’s an outdoor scheme, what are the plans if there is bad weather?
Are children supervised until they are collected?
When it comes to choosing a summer camp for your kids, you’ll realise that there’s already a huge variety of themes and activities from which to select. We took a closer look at some of the most popular schemes across Northern Ireland.
- Multi-activity schemes: These usually provide a combination of activities rather than focusing on a specialist theme or subject. Typically, multi-activity programmes can involve up to four or six activity sessions per day, with each activity session lasting between an hour and an hour-and-a-half.
This type of scheme usually focuses on simple ‘taster’ or introductory sessions in a range of activities such as sports, adventure, creative and performing arts - activities which allow children the opportunity to develop their social, physical and creative skills while having fun at the same time.
- Sports summer schemes: Usually these schemes deal with a single sports activity such as football or soccer, but recently, multi-sports schemes have begun to emerge which deal with a variety of sports, allowing children to sample different activities throughout the day.
These schemes can be held in leisure centres, club houses or pitches but are led by qualified instructors, coaches and professional associations.
- Outdoor adventure summer schemes: These schemes are mostly run by specialist centres and usually include a range of outdoor sports such as kayaking, orienteering, rock climbing and so on. Outdoor adventure camps have experienced and qualified staff who aim to deliver programmes that deal with safety, skill development and regard for the outdoor environment.
- Performance and creative arts summer schemes: The main focus of these summer schemes is either on performance arts - which includes drama, singing, dancing, and music - or on creative arts such as at, crafts and even cookery. Some summer schemes can include a combination of all of these and appeal to children who may not necessarily enjoy some of the more physical activities put on by other camps.
- Academic: The main focus of these types of schemes is to learn and gain new experiences within the specific activity or chosen subject and the camps can be in languages, science, computers, technology and specific games like chess. These schemes can include other activities, for example games, experiments, arts and crafts and so on but are distinctively aimed towards the specific subject.
Situated on the North Circular Road, Belfast, Cavehill tennis Club has been established since 1914. The club remains the only tennis club in the north of the city and provides nine outdoor hardcourts with additional floodlighting for evening play.
Running classes for adults and children aged four upwards and suitable for all abilities, new members are made welcome at Cavehill.
They are currently enrolling for four-day summer camps throughout July and August for children and places are still available.
Six-week classes are also enrolling for week commencing September 13 and classes are suitable for adults and children, from beginners to advanced players. Everyone is welcome.
Go along to their fun day tennis afternoon on Sunday, June 27 from 2pm, it is open to non members. Tennis tips are available from the resident coach and light refreshments will be provided.
Children’s brains do need a break over the long summer holidays, but it is also the ideal time to iron out any problems that they may have been having with Maths or English, especially if important exams are looming in the coming academic year.
Children who have been struggling to understand a topic or who have missed some school time through absence and have lost confidence, because they have fallen behind, will benefit from some extra help too. They should return to school in September with a more positive attitude and with their self- esteem restored.
The Kip McGrath Summer School programme would give your child that extra boost they need. Just like term time lessons our qualified teachers can help with subjects including transfer test preparation, GCSE Maths and English, dyslexia; primary and secondary English, Maths, reading and spelling. Dates and times can be tailored to suit your busy summer schedule, with most children attending one or two 80 minute lessons per week.
Millennium Court Arts Centre is celebrating the summer with ‘Flapdoodle: Summer Whimsy at MCAC’, two weeks of arts programming for children and young adults. Week one, Monday 2– Friday, August 6, features Messy Mitts (four-eight years) a mixed media art class, Kids in Clay (eight-12 years), a ceramics class using fired clay and the potter’s wheel, and Graffiti Art (teenagers), teaching participants the skill of large-scale freehand and stencil graffiti. Week two, Monday 9–Friday, August 13, features a second instalment of Messy Mitts, Outside the Box (seven-11 years), an experimental mixed media art class, and Illustration, for teenagers interested in developing their drawing from thought to page to print. Activities will be rounded up on Saturday, August 14 with a free open art day from 12noon- 3pm. Classes are £30 per participant per week, contact MCAC on 028 38 394 415 for more information.
Get outside and enjoy some quality time together this summer with Action Outdoors. Take part in adrenaline rushes or relax in the tranquil countryside and with a host of activities including rock climbing, bouldering, archery and canoeing, there’s something for everyone and getting involved is easier, and less expensive than you think.
Events in July and August include: activity summer schemes at Delamont Country Park with five action packed days, suitable for six-13 year olds, Friday activity sessions in the Mournes and Saturday and Sunday activity sessions in Delamont Country Park, Killyleagh.
Action Outdoors arranges tailor made sessions, from one to one tuition to group activity days in locations across County Down and Belfast. Many activities can also be brought to you.
If you've ever wanted to get involved in making music, recording bands, DJing or presenting radio shows then Sound Camp is the place for you.
In a series of exciting courses and workshops at Sonic Academy's state of the art training centre in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, young people (aged 11-18) will hands-on experience of recording in a professional studio, learn how to work the most exciting DJ equipment, start creating their own podcasts and use HD video cameras to film music videos.
Courses available include how to DJ, how to make dance music, how to record a band, scratch DJing, and how to make a music video and prices start from as little as £25 for a weekend session.
The Paul Acheson Summer Sports Weeks are extremely popular and well established - this summer being their 18th year in business.
The sports weeks run at different locations – six weeks at Campbell College, Belfast and two weeks at Friends School in Lisburn and two weeks in Victoria College in Belfast.
The core programme for seven to 14-year-olds includes all sports, one of the most popular schemes, where up to 14 different sports can be experienced. For those who want to try other activities, arts and crafts and drama can be combined with a sports programme.
Schemes run for four, five and six-year-olds with separate groups for each age. Activities include an introduction into ball skills, outdoor sports, football, rounders, skipping, tennis and parachute games. Children can also learn to swim at the Campbell College and Victoria College sites.
Indoors, kids can enjoy arts and crafts, games, storytelling and nature walks with all activities aimed at a pace and at a level which suits each group.
All schemes are in the care of a qualified teacher with assistants and the privacy of all three sites means that parents are confident in the knowledge that their children are safe and being well looked after.
Also at the Campbell College site, there is the option to try a climbing wall, laserquest or the popular ‘Living in the Wild’ scheme, which teaches basic survival skills, how to set up a camp, camouflage and SOS.
The summer rock school scheme at Victoria and Campbell Colleges, requires some experience in the keyboard, guitar or drums, but is the perfect chance to develop further skills and take part in the end of week concert organised by the Ossia School of Music.