2014 Summer Camp Review

We are drawing near to the end of summer. Boo! I can hardly believe it. I wanted to do a quick recap of our Summer Camp choices. Here they are ranked in order of preference (by the 7 year old).

1. The Clay Lady’s Studio (Art Camp) – This camp was a clear winner that stood out from the crowd for several reasons. 1) It’s a half-day camp. We found out early on that tLG is not a fan of all-day camps. She tolerates them but she would rather not be away from home for the entire day. Again, these camps are ranked by her preference. 2) The only medium used is clay (and paint). My girl loves working with high-end materials plus, the last two days of camp they worked solely with the pottery wheel. 3) The teacher is outstanding! tLG learned so much from her. I also talked to a mom who sat in on class one day and she concurred that Danielle is not only an artist but a true teacher. Sometimes it can be hard to find both. 4) They made many projects, 3-4 per day, so it was very affordable considering that I’ve got 20 masterpieces headed my way. We are picking them up tomorrow! Yay.

*Definitely going back on the list for next year.

2. Mr. Bond Science Guy (Space Camp) – Again, this was a half-day camp. They also made things and launched rockets, a dream come true for my girl. The instructors were very interactive with the kids. tLG really liked Haz-Matt (get it?) and also won a T-shirt for answering a question one day. As you can imagine, it’s her new favorite item of clothing.

*Will try this program again next year but will pick a different theme for variety sake.

3. Traveller’s Rest Plantation (History’s Mysteries) – This one is probably tied with #2. However, in my book, it’s top of the list. For starters, it’s an all day camp (working moms LOVE these)! Despite the longer hours, tLG really enjoyed this one. It was the same price as all the other camps but they did a field trip 4 out of 5 days to various parks, museums, and historical landmarks. The staff were absolutely wonderful. Basically, they were big history geeks (in a cool way) and my girl fit in swimmingly.

*Already on the list for next year. In fact, tLG has already reviewed the list and selected her theme week, Time Travelers.

4. Nashville Zoo Camp (Operation Survival) – I thought my girl would love this camp because it’s all about animals but this one was her least favorite. For starters, my little homebody didn’t appreciate that it was an all-day camp. They did get to touch some animals but I could tell that the camp just didn’t hold her attention. I was really surprised because most parents rave about this camp. But, every kid is different I suppose.  In her defense, this camp fell the week I returned from a 13-day trip to Africa. It’s possible she just was just missing me and could have cared less about any camp. Who knows?

*This one is a little pricey even with a membership so we will probably skip it next year.

5. Engineering for Kids (Survival Cove) & (LEGO Rescue Robots) – I had tLG signed up for both half day camps but ended up canceling once I realized it fell during the week I would be in Africa and we hired a sitter instead for convenience sake and my peace of mind.

*I do want her to try this one next year because she loves building things. We’ve really enjoyed their weekly classes.

Overall, it was a great year of summer camps. Aside from the Zoo, tLG really liked all of the other camps. Each week just seemed to get better and better, which is always good for a mama’s soul to know that I picked some good ones for her.

What camps did your kiddos do this summer? Any others that I should research for next year?