What Makes A Summer Camp Fun?

A lot of ingredients go into this special sauce.

Article provided by Laura Walker, Charlotte Latin School day camp assistant director

When kids are asked, “Why do you like camp?” the answer is typically the same: “because it is fun!” But what makes camp fun? Is it the counselors, the activities, the water balloon toss, pie Friday or making slime? It is all of those things and more. Camp is an environment that encompasses more than just one subject.

Camp professional and author, Aaron Selkow, writes about Translating Passion for Growth into Camp Leadership Skills in the American Camp Association magazine, leadership edition. Selkow references what his abilities are to run a successful program, “… abilities that may exemplify the master-of-none mystique that camp directing emits; a job where you might need to wear a suit and tie on the same day as a pair of flip-flops and consider it to be a normal routine.” This is the same principle that we as a camp staff and educators at Charlotte Latin Summer Day Camps resonate with in regards to our camp programing.

While there are many summer day camps to chose from in the Charlotte area, it’s important to find one with the right culture and mix of programming for your child. Keep in mind that camps offer much more than child care during the summer.

Things to Look for in a Summer Camp:

1. An Enriched Environment

It is important to find a camp that promotes emotional support, social interaction and physical growth. This can be found through programs that offer an array of activities (arts, sports, science and beyond), plenty of opportunities to be outdoors and experiences that promote creative play and imaginative exploration.

2. A Well-Trained Staff

When it comes down to it, an organization is only as strong as its people. The same can be said about a summer camp. The knowledge, enthusiasm and compassion of a camp’s staff can make all the difference in your child’s experience.

At Charlotte Latin Summer Day Camps, we value our instructors and what they have to give. Therefore, our camp staff rises to the occasion of promoting knowledge by bridging the summer through experiential learning.

3. Opportunities to Learn New Skills

Day camp provides the opportunity for experiential learning and allows campers to branch out of their comfort zones. It is the perfect chance to commit to a new activity for a short time and there’s no judgment if you don’t excel. There are no final exams or grades, and no pressure.

Our goal at Charlotte Latin School is to educate the whole child. And through our day camps we extend this learning to each camper to encompass the whole year. We teach our campers to be technical learners and critical thinkers. We teach them the importance of inclusion and the value in flexing their creativity. We empower them to be leaders in the classroom, on the soccer field, in the gym and with each other. Our campers are challenged with excellence and civility in daily activities, and even in the lunchroom.

4. Opportunities to Laugh and Play

Summer camp is a place to create lifelong memories. Silly songs, games, new friendships — these are the moments that stick with us. While athletic and educational challenges are important components to a program, make sure a camp also sets plenty of time aside for laughter and playtime. When you ask you camper, “How was camp?” It may be that their camp day is summed up in one, perfect word, “fun!”

Come join us this summer, let’s go to camp!

Visit Charlottelatinsummer.com for more information on full and half-day programs. Register before March for early-bird pricing!

Charlotte Latin’s mission is to encourage individual development and civility in our students by inspiring them to learn, by encouraging them to serve others and by offering them many growth-promoting opportunities.