I was wondering if people try to find a good spring break camp (fun and enriching) or end up sending the kids to the regular day care. I think the day cares are really boring for 7 & 9 year olds. There are a not many spring camps though. Thoughts?
How about hiring a neighborhood teen to be wth them for the week? If it's a responsible senior, he/she might even be able to drive them some places. You could plan 3 days at home, a day at a museum and a day at an arcade. Or whatever.
I suggest you repost this with your town or region in the title. You won't get noticed otherwise - you need your question to go to people who know your area! Very important to do this because not everyone sees every question.
Absolutely day care is too boring for a 7 and up. My daughter had to drink water from the water fountain on her knees when she returned during kindergarden Spring break.
We take our daughter to the YMCA with some extra hockey camps here and there throughout the summer. What do the kids enjoy? Call that organization and see if they have any camps to fit your children. There are sports camps all over that just come in for a week or two here and there. So if they enjoy baseball, call your baseball org.
Have you checked with your kids' school system? Not just their individual school(s) but the larger school system? Some school systems offer fun recreational camps during spring break week. Don't neglect to check your schools' web site for this. The camps may not be at your own kids' schools but at other schools in the area. Around here these camps fill up VERY fast, almost as soon as registration opens, so be on your toes and find out now if there are such things and when and how to register. By the way - these camps are not just another week of school! They tend to be things like computer camp (with games and programming your own games etc.) or arts camp (drama, singing, etc.), sports camp, and so on.
I always took days off and did things with kids during break. Is that a possibility? Very few places have a camp for a week in Spring.
The YMCA, the zoo, the Children's Museum and the Children's Theatre all run spring break day camp programs here. There are also numerous sports based day camps run through community centers.
I let my kids hang out during spring break - no learning, just relaxing. Last year we went to Busch Gardens and VA Beach. We spent time with friends and had a great time.
This year, unfortunately, funds are tight since my husband is out of work, so we will be staying home...or just going to the beach for a day IF it is warm enough. It's a 3 hour drive one-way, but totally worth it for my sanity level.
You can also do things with them yourself. The zoo, museums, library, etc....all places where they can learn and have fun.
See if the Children's Museum there offers a spring break camp or any of the places where your kids go for after-school activities and lessons. If you were in the city, the place that comes to mind is Kids Science Labs. It sounds like you're looking for something similar.
I've found that a lot of sports places have camps over breaks. Try looking at places that have indoor soccer, gymnastics gyms, etc.
Other than that, look at your local Parks and Rec district. They might have some special camps that week too.
Sci tech in Aurora has good camps I'll bet the children's museum in Naperville has one.
Call your local YMCA. Ours has day camp (it's really child care but they call it day camp) to see what they offer.
Our Y only costs us $5 per day because we get scholarship assistance because we're low income. For members it's something like $12 or $15 then for non-members is little bit more. But still, they do stuff and go swimming all the time.
is this supposed to be a specific region post?
if it's a general question, there are lots of spring camps. we couldn't usually afford 'em, though, as they're usually more expensive than daycare. my kids just went to daycare, but i also made more of an effort to take days off during spring break so that we could either chill out or go have adventures together.
khairete
S.
Everywhere around here has spring break camps; they even have day camps for days like today (MLK holiday) when parents need one day of care for their kids.
Check with bounce places, kid gyms, rec centers, the Y, JCC, science/museum/art places. All of these places in our city have one-day and week-long camps for kids as well as summer camps. Did you check into all of these options?
If you can't find anything you like for your kids, definitely check with a local teen (if their spring break matches up with yours). You may also want to check with some neighborhood retirees to see if they'd like to earn extra money watching your kids. At 7 and 9, kids aren't nearly the work that babies and toddlers are, and they can accompany their caregiver if he/she has to do errands. It's a fairly easy way for a senior pick up a little extra income. It might be a good fit, win-win situation if you can find the right person.
Good luck with your search.
J. F.
