Having toddlers kind of put the kibosh on my favorite summertime activity—reading at the beach. Still, when they would eventually exhaust themselves with swimming, shell collecting, and digging to China, we could stay on the beach a little longer if I pulled out some read-aloud material.
It was the magic moment when everyone got what they wanted, with a bit of learning tucked in to boot. Sure, it wasn’t Dostoyevsky (not my beach preference anyway), but quite enjoyable all the same.
The same technique was pretty good, I soon found, for having something to do while waiting for waiters, or standing on line at the market. As they got older, though, I wanted the kids to have a little something more stimulating over the summer.
We’ve tried a lot of summer camps around here over the years. Here are some that worked pretty well:
Art in the Garden, Vinal Ave., Somerville – The best for ages 5-9
Arlington Boys and Girls Club – themed weeks have a little educational content
Arlington Center for the Arts – Drama camp was good
Major League Soccer Camps – just mornings (1 week), lots of fun
Somerville Youth Camp (at an elementary school) – only so-so (sorry)
Somerville Rec Dept, Lacrosse Camp – pretty fun for my 13 year old last summer
Museum of Science camp – always looks good, but pricey and good things fill up
So, how about you? How have you managed to keep the little synapses firing over the lazy days of summer (those of your children, that is)? I haven’t mentioned many of the full-day options, since I’m an “at-home” mom in the summer. Now, friends of ours are promoting a Spanish language program in Mexico (that’s fancy!), and it seems like a good option for a teen who barely wants to do anything (if we can get him to go). Anybody have any less radical suggestions for teens?
Posted in Schools and Youth
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
If everyone posts their favorite summer activities with kids, we can put together a very useful Parents’ Guide to Summer in Somerville.
Is there someone who would volunteer to design a website for this information? We can gather the information on the blog but that won’t be the best format for people using it.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I neglected the fabulous Somerville String/Band Camp at the Kennedy School and the Days in the Arts Camp at Tanglewood (which your 5th - 7th grade student’s music teacher would have to recommend them for if they play a musical instrument in school) –also terrific. Someone did put together a database which needs some updating, but I’d love to read the subjective comments of parents as well.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Camp Kaleidoscope is coming to Somerville this year. It is a science-oriented camp for kids aged 6-12 that will be located at the Kennedy School. The people who run the camp also put on science programs for kids at MIT once a month. I think it will be a good camp, and I am excited about it coming to Somerville (I have signed up my kiddo), but I don’t have any personal experience with the camp yet. The City hasn’t announced the camp’s move to Somerville (although it is discussed on the Camp’s website), but perhaps some things are still being worked out, and we will hear all the details in the future.
http://www.campkaleidoscope.org/
April 15th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
From a post today to the young-somerville@yahoogroups.com list, ResiStat Director Ethan Field made the following announcement:
Just wanted you to know that the Spring/Summer Recreation and Youth Programs Brochure is now available at:
http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/Summer2008RecYouth.pdf
This issue contains information about:
* Somertime Day Program
* 87th Annual Track Meet
* Kids Sports Camps/Clinics and Leagues
* Arts and Crafts Events
* Boathouse Activities
* All About Kites
* Special Olympics
* Evening Playgrounds
* Summer Basketball leagues
* Pickup Rollerblade Hockey
* Adult Activities & Leagues: Knitting, Mosaics, Yoga, Softball, Community Walk
For info on all Recreation and Youth Programs, visit the City web site:
http://www.somervillema.gov/Department.cfm?dept=RecYouth
and/or the Somervile R&Y Foundation:
http://www.somervilleyouthrecf.org/
Thanks,
Ethan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ethan Field
ResiStat Analyst, SomerStat Office
City of Somerville
(617) 625-6600 x2112
http://www.somervillema.gov/Division.cfm?orgunit=SOMSTAT
April 17th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
I could probably put together a website for this. Pictures would sure help! Who has good pictures of a camp, or just of local kids having fun in the summer?
Kathy
kathyemoore@gmail.com
April 17th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
My children enjoyed Tufts Creative Arts Camp when they were younger.
April 19th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
From Ann Downer-Hazell:
Can I put in a huge thumbs up for Camp Kaleidoscope? This summer it is in session at the Kennedy School, details at campkaleidoscope.org (note org, not com…com is a different camp).
It’s a hands-on science camp run by recent MIT grads, where the kids really decide what they want to do, day to day. Rocketry, animation, science, experiments, trips to the beach. Sometimes they pass out screwdrivers and let the kinds take small appliances apart. They regularly have an inventor come in to work with the kids on inventions. My eight year old attended 9 weeks last summer and over the February break. He adores it.
To quote my son, “best camp ever.” Especially for non-sporty kids.
I know their deal with Somerville for the use of the Kennedy School space is to offer some subsidized slots.
April 27th, 2008 at 11:17 am
The OPENAIR Circus is a great summer program that was founded in Somerville 23 years ago. A non-profit organization, the OPENAIR Circus works to promote leadership and self-esteem for children and teens (and parents!). With a wide variety of circus and performing arts classes available to all ages 3+, there’s something for the whole family. Learn more at http://www.openaircircus.org.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Hey Team! The SPS is just unveiling its guide to summer activities, which includes a directory of programs offered by our non-profit partners (including the Open Air Circus). This guide includes information on where children can get free lunch this summer- regardless of ability to pay-and details on the various camps offered by the District and the Recreation Commission.
A print version of the SPS Guide to Summer Activities document will be going home by the end of the week. (We were waiting for translations to be completed, which took nearly two weeks longer than budgeted.)
In the meantime, all of the materials are up on our website. Visit the home page at http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us and click on “Summer Activities at a Glance” in the left hand menu bar.
Want to explore ALL of your options? There already is a database of community-based summer camps. Thanks to Paula Wooley for sharing this URL with us in the Public Schools: https://otters.dabbledb.com/page/otters/IofckJlK
Warmly,
-gk-
Gretchen Kinder
Coordinator of R&D, Public Information and Grants
Somerville Public Schools
617-625-6600 x6013
gkinder@k12.somerville.ma.us
April 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I’ve volunteered to create a website for this thread.
Thinking about how to organize the information, I’d guess that the first level of categorization should be:
Is this a program that will keep my kids safe and happy while I’m at work and unavailable for 9 or 10 hours (or most of that)- or not?
Do suggest other categories: age, sporty/arty, affordabilty, whatever — but if information could include some indication of all these distinctions, it would be very helpful.
And again: does anyone have photos to contribute? Camps, kids, summer…
May 1st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
My son really enjoyed Art in a Garden, at the Community Growing Center on Vinal St, when he was in his early elementary years. I’m sending my daughter there this summer. This camp isn’t appropriate for people who work full-time; it only runs from 9 am to 1 pm, Monday to Thursday, and it’s outdoors, so when it rains, there’s no camp. But for those of us with flexible work hours, it’s terrific. The cost is minimal (I think a $20/week donation to the Somerville Arts Council), there’s free breakfast and lunch, and your kid can go as often or as little as he or she wants. BUT after 20 kids have arrived for the day, anyone else who shows up needs to have a parent stay or has to go home. (As I said, it’s not for everyone!)
The camp focuses on art and nature, and usually makes something to march with in the ArtBeat parade. There’s also time to run around in the field next to the garden, and in hot weather a sprinkler is set up. When my son was there, it was a very peaceful environment.
We also tried Outback at the Agassiz Neighborhood Council on Sacramento St, Cambridge, which was nice and cheaper than many such camps, and the Arlington Center for the Arts, which was a big hit (mixture of art and drama), but more expensive (both have extended day available, I think). My son took a great summer art class (no longer offered) at the MFA when he was in preschool; they now have summer camps for elementary through high school kids, as well as some classes for 12 to 14 (a very hard age to find anything for!) and 15 to 18 year olds.
Other ideas that I haven’t tried (yet) are the Arlington Boys & Girls Club on Spy Pond, which has summer classes (such as boating) as well as camps; Community Boating on the Charles River, which isn’t a camp, but has boating for $1.00; Magic Circle (drama) and other camps at Tufts.
Kathy, please add non-full-day camps and classes to your list, if you’re able to, as some of us just want to keep our kids busy for part of the day or part of the summer. Also, as I mentioned, the 12-14 age group is very hard to find activities for, if they don’t want to be a camp counselor in training.
Thanks!
May 1st, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Paula,
Those sound like good categories–but as I look at what we have so far, we just don’t have consistent information about all the programs listed. We have something more like an email thread than like a well-organized assemblage of information that we can direct people through.
It can all be put on a website, but it would be easier to use if someone were prepared to go through all the programs mentioned and fill in at least this information about each one:
–full day/part day
–cost, at least the way you sometimes see restaurants rated, with one to five dollar signs
–web address if available
I’m not prepared to do this. Is anyone?
Kathy
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Paula, can you explain what this Otters database is? Who owns it? Can we add to it and change it–for example, add a field where people can make comments? It has a lot of what we need so maybe we can do this by building on it.