Summer camps are great places to get fresh ideas, make new friends, and recharge on energy for the upcoming school year. We explore this concept from an international point of view and the long-term benefits.
Photographs: iStock
Text: Lyndsay Jensen
Summer camps are an excellent opportunity for both parents and children to have some fun during the summer holiday. They allow parents to take a well-deserved break and give children an opportunity to embark on new adventures away from daily life at home. The benefits of these camps are endless. From nurturing social skills to encouraging personal growth, summer camps truly help children keep their minds sharp and avoid the summer brain drain.
"We are proud to offer such a variety of camps, and have everthing to suit the different age groups and interest levels." - Aleksandra Achiam, summer camp co-ordinator
Encouraging personal growth
Being in a new environment creates character-building challenges. They have the opportunity to make new friends and challenge themselves by trying new activities. The skills they gain from having this experience transfer easily to other challenges they may face in life. One such school focusing on an international angle is Copenhagen International school, who will be running their camps for two weeks during the summer period.
Aleksandra Achiam, CIS Summer camp co-ordinator explained their concept, "We offer a unique international experience, and are open to all students in Denmark. With close access to the metro, a choice of fun activity specific camps and Vegan ice-cream every Friday - what's not to love and look forward to."
Nurturing social skills
Camps are a great place for children to meet new friends, and form a wide range of connections, in particular children from varied cultural backgrounds. Engaging activities and team building nurture children's social skills, encouraging them to make connections with their peers in a new setting. Many children return from summer camps with life-long friends, and it is incredible to see how much bonding can happen in just two weeks!
Camps for all ages
Summer camps come in all shapes and sizes, and it's crucial that they have an educational component to help keep young minds active during the summer months. Research shows that students can easily lose critical math, reading, comprehension and spelling skills from an absence of consistent academic enrichment over summer. What is unique about CIS summer camp is that they have tailor-made camps to suit all ages and interests. The different camps combine fun and useful knowledge to keep the boredom at bay.
Qualified educators at CIS are passionate about ensuring children will have an enjoyable and enriching experience with plenty of opportunities to make new friends, learn new skills, have loads of fun and stay healthy during the first two weeks of the summer holidays.
I spoke to Nick, who heads up the Digital Camp and asked him what he will be covering in his course? "The Scratch course is a game development course. Older students think Scratch is for much younger children, but in reality, Scratch can do some impressive things if you know how to use it. At the summer camp, we have time to look at the processes behind game development, so that we can go from an idea to actual implementation of the game. From something that simply works to something that’s fun to play.”
Activity Camp (Age 4-7)
Daily activities are on offer such as crafts, music, movement and educational games that are organised in a child-centred, interest-based setting. With a mix of arts, sports, science experiments, and many more exciting activities on offer, there is plenty to keep you busy.
Art Camp (Age 8-12)
Under the guidance of professional teachers, young artists can explore a variety of mediums in the visual arts while developing long-lasting friendships and having fun. Students are encouraged to play and experiment as much as possible creating their own style including drawing, painting, pottery, simple printmaking and recycled waste sculptures.
Digital Camp (Age 8-12)
This camp offers students the opportunity to learn how to use Scratch to develop computer games. They explore how you can develop an idea into a workable game and how to design games to be fun and engaging. If you have a keen interest in computer programming, this camp is for you. They explore Ozobot where children can solve puzzles and automate tasks to master the concepts taught during the course.
English Camp (Age 8-12) and (Age 13-17)
What better way to enjoy the English language than through games, songs, conversation, art, reading and writing! Two camps tailored to two different age groups makes this a camp not to be missed. Both camps are designed for those who are not native English speakers, or are new to the English language.
We asked the head of the English camp Julie, what to expect on this course: "Children come and hang out with each other and get to speak English together. It’s a really relaxed, fun environment, where they can experiment with using their English in a social setting, but also a bit academic without the pressure of grades. Last year, we did some fun games with identifying adjectives, articles and verbs, and we did a creative writing task where they had to put a book together."
To find out more about Copenhagen International Summer Camps, visit their website: https://www.copenhageninternational.school/summer-school-2020/