Soon summer will be in full swing, the days are getting hotter and the kids that are most excited for those first few days off will soon become bored with an unstructured summer time routine. But it’s not too late to put a plan in place to keep your kids active and engaged this summer while limiting screen time and boredom. The answer you ask? Sign them up for summer camp!
Camps are a great way for kids to make new friends, learn new skills and stay active during the summer months. And Lanark County and the Ottawa-Valley area has lots of great options for kids of all ages, with lots of different themes and activities to keep them entertained all summer long.
The Carleton Place Canoe Club holds weekly summer day camps for kids ages 6-14. The club has multiple camp options to fits the needs of both beginner and experienced paddlers. At the Canoe and Kayak Kids camp, campers will learn the fundamentals of boat safety and improve their boating skills while getting the chance to paddle canoe’s, dragon boats, sprint boats and kayaks. The Regatta ready camp is for more experienced paddlers and will help them improve their skills and prepare for competition. At the end of the camp the kids will have an opportunity to participate in a local regatta event to try out their new skills. More information and registration forms are available on the Carleton Place Canoe Club website. www.cpcanoeclub.com
Cambrian Equestrian Centre’s summer camp makes every little girl and boy’s dreams come true by giving them their very own pony for the week. Campers will learn about horsemanship, work on their riding skills, play games, make crafts and building friendships. The riders are grouped in lessons based on skill, so no riding experience is required. At the end of the camp the kids will get to show off their new riding skills to their families at a fun riding showcase. More information and forms can be found on the Cambrian Equestrian website. http://www.cambrianequestriancentre.com/services/#1495144475672-bd273a9d-35f9
The Diefenbunker Museum offers very special spy training camp for kids ages 7-12 who are interested in the art of espionage. Kids will learn to break codes, create disguises, and the many other secret agent skills. They offer a series of week-long camps which focus on fun and educational activities allowing the kids to try out skills and gadgets used by real secrete agents. Each week has a different theme and activities so kids can participate in more than one camp during the summer. After the completion of the day camp each kid will graduate as a level one spy! More information and registration forms on the Deifenbunker museum’s website. https://diefenbunker.ca/spy-camp/
Camp Otterdale is an overnight summer camp for kids ages 7-16 located on a beautiful waterfront campsite. Campers get the opportunity to stay in cabins with other kids their own age and take part in many fun outdoor activities of their choice. Kids will get to experience hiking, canoeing, cooking over an open fire and sleeping in a tent. All kids will take part in daily swimming lessons which varies by their swimming strength and many other activities like archery and climbing. There is even a pathfinder’s camp option in which kids will embark on a 4-day canoe trip. Camp Otterdale also offers day camps geared toward 6-10 years old’s. For more information visit the Camp Otterdale website. http://campotterdale.com/registration/
Do you have a young artist in your family? JB Arts is an Almonte art studio which runs summer camps for kids ages 6-14 to develop their skills while experimenting with different tools, mediums and materials. The camp is designed to be fun, educational and to foster creativity in young people of all skill levels. Kids will have the opportunity to make unique art projects and get messy! To find out more check out the JB Arts website: https://jbarts.ca/2013/04/18/summer-camps/
Beckwith day camp offers fun activities and summer programing for kids 4-13. The day camp for kids aged 4-8 involves noncompetitive sports, arts, crafts, games and weekly trips. The sports camp offered for kids 9-13 involves learning a variety of competitive sports, weekly trips and special guests. Beckwith day camp offers 5:1 camper to counsellor ratio to ensure that all kids have fun and maintain a positive attitude. For more information or to register contact Beckwith Township office at (613)- 257-1539.
With all of the summer camp options available or kids today – it almost makes me want to be a kid again! Good luck finding the camp that’s right for you and your family this summer!