[twitter]I don’t ever remember being over scheduled for summer camps growing up. I’d go to sleepover camp for a week, that was about it. For summer camps in Calgary 2013, however, a stack of pamphlets and booklets crowds our kitchen table as we plot out activities for the boys this summer.
There’s hockey camp, baseball camp, cheerleading camp, overnight camp – those are the ones you’d expect to see. There was even this one time, I thought about sending my kids to band camp .. wait, never mind.
Point is, summer camp in 2013 means unique, specialized experiences to highlight your child’s interests. Check out some of the unique summer day camps in Calgary this year:
Lego Camp
LEGO isn’t just a toy, it’s a tool to grow imagination, and learning. Think of all the engineering skills kids can pick up just by trying to piece together bridges, buildings, and all sorts of figures. Bricks 4 Kidz summer camps cover everything from animal biology to amusement park physics with a dose of robotics.
Camera Camp
Calgary Camera Camp will teach the kids the basics of photography composition and technique. They may be handy with an iPod, iPad, or iPhone, but what about a point and shoot? Calgary Camera Camp includes one for them to keep and they’ll actually learn how to take proper photos. These skills will be vital as they grow in a world of selfies and Instagram.
Olympics Camp
Ski Jumping, Luge, and Bobsleigh may be winter Olympic sports, but at Winsport Canada, kids can slap rollers on the bottom of the gear and get a taste of the Olympic Spirit.
Pioneer Camp
Laura Ingalls Wilder isn’t just a character in a book, she really lived in a house on the prairie. Home On The Range Camp takes that experience and makes it real life. High schoolers spend a week living at Heritage Park and experience life as settlers and ranchers at the turn of the (previous) century. They live and sleep in a restored barn and work the land just like they did 100+ years go.
Dinosaur Camp
If you’ve got a kid that can pronounce all those dinosaur names in their favorite bedtime books, let them dig for real bones. At Dinosaur Camp, kids live in at The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller and spend their days prospecting for dinosaur bones and learning the science of palaeontology.
Princess Camp
Your 5-8 year-old princess will explore the full range of what it takes to be a real princess – elegant manners, leadership by example, and all the skills involved to prepare for a Fancy Dress Ball. Yes, Princess Camp. Color me glad to have had 2 boys.
Here’s a longer list of unique summer camps you might find inspiring.