Moms Talk: Summer Camps, Activities and Down Time

Although it's still February, summer is already on parents' minds. It's time to start scouting summer camps and activities and filling in June, July and August on the family calendar.

Summer—and the time off from school—present pretty endless opportunities. But where's the balance between structured fun and unstructured play time? Do you make sure you take time to slow down in the summer, or is it even busier than the school year?

This week in Moms Talk, we're talking summer plans. What camps or activities are musts in your book? We'd love to hear from you. Read what four local moms had to say about it, then chime in on the comments. 

Julie Kuenneke

Julie is a mom of two boys, ages 5 and 2. She's freelance writer, wife, short-order cook and taxi driver. Without coffee, she believes that her life would quickly unravel.

Since my oldest is just 5, I'm trying not to get too overbooked for the summer. But, I do want to ensure that he isn't sitting around the house with nothing to do. This summer, he will be attending vacation Bible school at our church. He loved it last year, and I know he's excited about it this summer, too. We're also enrolling him in a separate day camp at the church. If there isn't a schedule conflict, I'm also planning on signing him up for the day camps offered through area parks & recreation department. Later in the summer, he'll also be participating in soccer classes/camp. And, of course, he will continue on with piano lessons. 

As for the youngest, who is just 2, we'll probably stick to story times at the library, park playdates and fun at the swimming pool.

Alison White

Alison is a mom of two girls, ages 5 and 1. In her spare time she likes to run, play golf, read and socialize with friends and family.

Currently, we are not too structured over the summer break. I personally like to know that we can take day trips or head to some of the local museums, parks or the Saint Louis Zoo whenever we want. Since our oldest daughter is only 5, we have not had a lot of experience with the local summer camps. As she gets older, I know that she is going to want more to do than to hang out with me all day. Last year she went to two themed weekly camps through the City of Ballwin. The themes ranged from science activities to art, and it was structured so that the kids always had something fun to do. It was a short three-hour camp in the morning, but it did keep her attention, and I purposely made sure that some of her friends were enrolled as well. We think that in the future our girls will probably need to be enrolled in a longer camp because for them a week is not long enough to get to know the other kids, teachers or daily routine.

We are planning to try a new camp this year at our country club. It’s more of an all-day camp that allows for the typical camp activities but then also has set time for golf, tennis and swimming. Our daughter loves sports, so this will hopefully be perfect for her. It will give her a opportunity to meet more kids her age, which is very important. 

I understand the importance of keeping my daughters active and on some sort of a routine, but at the same time I like knowing that we can just hang out over the summer. Soon they are going to be too big to hang out with their mom.

Kristen Bacharier

Kristen is mom to three kids, a son, age 12, and two girls, ages 8 and 5. She loves to read, travel, cook and socialize with her friends.

Summer...great for kids, although it sometimes can be a source of stress for parents. Do we just lay back and take it easy over the summer? Do we have scheduled camps activities? I think it's different for each family. Now that my kids are a little older, I will be taking them to the pool more than when they were younger. Taking three to the pool by myself was just stressful, so I avoided it. I tried again last summer and it was a great way to kill three hours, so we will be doing that a lot more this summer!

I have sent my kids to Parkway camps for several years. The program guide hasn't come out yet (it usually arrives in our mailbox mid-March). It's flexible and inexpensive enough that if we miss a day, I'm not upset about the lost money I paid. For the first time last year, I had my two girls do vacation Bible school at my younger daughter's preschool and my older son helped out. They will be doing that again this year. It is affordable ($25 for a three-hour session) and right near our house. It was later in the summer, which was great as it seems that all the camps are in June. 

We usually take a summer vacation to the beach, so we are hoping to be able to do that this year. My kids also dance year-round. This year, my middle daughter will be attending a camp to go to a national dance competition. We also take a lot of road trips for my kids to do feiseanna (Irish dance competitons). We have road trips down: how to pack, what to take and we find fun things to do along the way.

Last year, I didn't sign my son up for enough and he was bored, so I am researching sleep-away camps. He went away for two trips this past year and did really well, so I think it would be good for him to experience things he might not otherwise get to do. We are not looking at anything out of state. I did it as a child (around 11 or 12) and I still remember many things about it...the campfires, the swimming, the mess hall eating...childhood memories and a lot of new friends.

One of my kids favorite things to do with the younger two is to go to the park with a picnic lunch. I know these years are fleeting, so I try to do it often as I know there will be a day when the park will no longer hold the allure it does. 

One of my girls' favorite things to do is go outside, build fairy houses near our tree, play in the sprinkler, eat a popsicle, etc. Sometimes, it' s enough to entice my 12-year-old to throw on a swimsuit to play in the sprinkler as well! We love the zoo and Magic House. Occasionally we'll take a movie in. $1 movies on Tuesday or Thursdays. They're older movies and it's a fun way to spend the morning—doing things you shouldn't like eating popcorn at 11 a.m.! After all, isn't that what summer is all about?

Samantha Politte

Samantha is the mom of two boys and one girl, ages 10, 7 and 5. In her free time she likes to run, read, bake and spend time with family and friends.

It is usually about this time that I start getting mail or other solicitations regarding upcoming summer camp programs. It always seems strange to me to be thinking of summer camp in February, but really, if your kids have their heart set on a particular camp then you better be on the ball. At this point, the extent of my planning is a folder marked “summer camp” containing information about three camps. Over the next couple of months I will be adding to it, talking to friends about what their kids are doing, and trying to map out a reasonable summer schedule for my three children. 

I find the hardest part is finding the right ratio of camp time to down time. Too much camp and the kids get burnt out and cranky. Too much down time and the kids get bored, start fighting, and I get cranky. This year, I will aim for about four weeks of camp for each of my kids. I try to register them for camp with their friends as it is usually more fun for them and makes it easier for the parents when carpooling. I also try to put my boys, ages 7 and 10, in the same camps for the sake of convenience. It’s a bonus if all three can go! 

I feel like I have the “boy” camps figured out since my oldest are boys. They tend to gravitate toward sports but usually enjoy anything that just keeps them active. As for all girl camps, I’m a little clueless! In the past, my daughter has attended a camp at her preschool and a week of vacation Bible school. Really, that’s all she’s been old enough to do. She will be 6 this summer, and there are many more opportunities. I know I will be asking all my friends with older girls what they did at this age. 

As summer nears, I will be penciling in camps on my calendar, confirming plans with friends, and finally getting them registered. I try not to let it stress me out but I’m certainly grateful when everything is set in place.