The field good factor
EVERYONE associates summer camps with high-energy sports — from running to climbing, and swimming to kayaking.
But what if your child doesn’t like sport?
What if he or she prefers working on computers, painting landscapes or acting?
Well, that’s no problem, because no two people are the same and while, yesterday, we covered venues that cater for sporty kids, today we are considering the alternatives for those children who prefer to roll at a more sedate pace.
Technology is where it’s at and many children are savvier than their parents when navigating a computer screen.
So, if your youngster has a ‘tecchie’ brain and is interested in a career in IT, or even if he or she simply likes playing computer games, then Whizzkids Summer Camps is the place to go.
With programmes all over the country, including at UCC, UL, IT Tralee and St Conaire’s Shannon, there is bound to be a camp close by for your screen-loving child to take part.
Covering web-design, movie-making, video-game programming, animation and a host of high-tech challenges in their ‘spy academy’, this summer camp is educational, entertaining and unique.
Designed for children of all abilities, there are half-day, full-day and residential camps for aged eight to 17 years.
What to bring: Children should bring headphones and a packed lunch with drinks.
All other equipment will be provided.
Half-day camps run from 9.30am until 13.00 and cost €80. Full-day camps run from 9.30am to 15.30 and cost €149. Six-night residential camps cost €425, including full board with private room.
* For more information, visit www.whizzkids.ie, or call 061-339178.
For youngsters, the latest technology is part of life. Many have an equal passion for football as they do for surfing the net. So, Let’s Go has a unique summer camp, which combines sporting activities with learning to use an iPad.
With the emphasis on technology, the children spend 70% of their time working on iPads and 30% exercising and participating in traditional sports and fun activities, such as orienteering, table football and Kmx karting.
During the iPad session, children will have the opportunity to create multi-media slide shows and put together an orienteering photo book.
They will create their own songs using music apps, which will allow them to recreate a studio for recording their podcasts, songs and storytelling for the week.
They will also make and edit their own documentaries, short-film and animated programmes, and learn how to use the app tools, which have become such an integral part of life today.
Suitable for children between eight and 13 years of age, the iPad camp costs €120 per week and takes place in venues all over the country, starting from the beginning of July and finishing at the end of August.
Each daily camp starts at 9.30am and runs until 15.30.
* For more information, visit www.letsgo.ie or call 021-4877111 to find out about the camp nearest to you.
With the huge popularity of The Voice, X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, many children are dreaming about seeing their name in lights.
Where better to find out if your child really yearns to be on the stage than at one of the many theatre camps taking place all over the country.
Starcamp summer camps are located in venues across Ireland and run for a week in each location — starting from 9.30am and finishing at 14.30 daily.
Incorporating singing, hip-hop dance, acting, fun, games, and self-esteem and confidence building in a non-competitive, fun-filled and safe environment, the camps are suitable for both boys and girls aged between four and 13.
No experience is required, and often it is the shy child who finds her inner diva while hitting the stage for the first time.
What to bring: Children should bring a packed lunch and drinks. They should wear comfortable clothing, such as leggings or tracksuits, and soft shoes or runners. Starcamp T-shirts are provided.
The cost is €90 for one child, €150 for two siblings or €220 for three siblings.
* For more information and a chance to win a free place, visit www.starcamp.ie or call 021-4377900.
If your child is hell-bent on a career on the stage or in the movies, then there is nothing for it but to embrace their passion and help them to make the most of their talent.
The Gaiety School of Acting offers summer camps in Cork this July and August, for anyone aged seven and above.
This camp offers acting advice from experts and also teaches children how to make a movie — including writing, acting and getting the light and sound right. There is also a course in advanced acting for film and TV, for those who are ‘seriously serious about acting’.
What to bring: Budding actors should bring a packed lunch, a drink, a ‘smile and an open mind’.
The different camps vary in times and location, but most are a week long and cost from €100.
* For more information, visit www.gaietyschool.com or call 1890 258358.
Your little tots may not be brave enough to head out into the wide world of the big-kids summer camps, but Gymboree has a programme tailored to suit their delicate needs.
With venues all over the country, these camps offer three- to four-hour sessions for three to five days a week — just enough to ensure your pre-schooler will be fulfilled without becoming too exhausted.
All the camps are interactive and instructor-led, using a combination of music, drama, play, sports and arts.
Suitable for children aged between three and six years, the price and duration varies by location and costs from €35 to €100.
What to bring: Your mini camper should have a bag with a packed lunch, sun screen and hat — everything else is provided.
* For more information or to find out where your nearest venue is, visit www.playandmusic.ie and click on ‘summer camps.’
Stagecoach, part of the world’s largest children’s theatre network, have confirmed details of their holiday workshop season in Clare and Galway this July, for Craig Hawes’s hilarious children’s show, Pirates of The Curry Bean. Working with a team of four professional directors, 40 children and teenagers, aged between seven and 17, will perform this musical in five thrilling days.
With colourful characters, sparkling songs and a witty script as sharp as a cutlass, this show is dripping with piratical style.
What to bring: Children should bring a packed lunch and drinks.
Stagecoach Galway’s workshop will run at St Mary’s College from Jul 16 to 20 and the Clare centre will run at Cois na hAbhna, Ennis, from Jul 23 to 27.
This five-day camp costs €150 per child and €95 for extra siblings.
* For more information, call 091-556274 or visit www.stagecoach.ie/galway or www.stagecoach.ie/clare. The school is also offering a shorter summer camp, Little Red Hoodie, in Galway from Jul 16 to 20 for four- to eight-year-olds and costs €99 per child for the week.
Being able to cook has become a standard requirement for teenagers today, with young people like Donal Skehan making it both cool and feasible to rustle up a sumptuous meal.
And most children enjoy helping out in the kitchen — whether it’s slicing, chopping or stirring, they all love making a mess and eating the spoils.
Over the summer holidays, Ballymaloe Cookery School is running half-day courses for youngsters over the age of eight.
The first session is on Monday, Jul 30, and places are limited, so if your budding chefs would like to make soup from scratch, prepare a main course, or, more importantly, a delicious dessert, check out availability now.
Starting at 9.30am and running until 14.00pm, the course costs €95 per child.
What to bring: Would-be chefs should bring an apron and a couple of knives to the summer course, and a Ballymaloe cookery hat will be presented to them on completion.
* For more information, visit www.cookingisfun.ie or call 021-4646785.
Science is where it’s at for many youngsters and there are many summer activities for those children who are hot-wired to think outside the box.
With venues all over the country, Anyone For Science offers children the chance to get their teeth into gritty experiments.
There are two, separate programmes for different age groups. The under-12s will be introduced to the fun of science by investigating bubbles, mixtures, volcanoes and energy.
The older children will check out liquids, surface tension, emulsions, solar energy, pneumatics and hydraulics.
The teenagers will also be introduced to physiology, chemical synthesis, crystal-growing and problem-solving.
Starting during the secondary school holidays, the first camp begins on Jun 11 and the last takes place on Aug 7.
Each camp starts at 10.00am and runs either until 14.00 or 15.00, depending on the age of the children involved. The intensive camp costs from €120 to €160.
What to bring: Budding scientists should take a packed lunch and drinks.
* For more information, visit www.anyone4science.com, or call 0404 40563.
For those children who are interested in science, but also want a run-around, there is an alternative programme offering both types of activities.
Adventure and science camps in and around Cork city and county offer everything from mind-storming experiments to circuits and CSI science for the professors of the future.
To make sure they also get a breath of fresh air, the tecchie activities will be combined with a few outdoor adventures.
Suitable for children from eight to 15 years of age, this camp costs between €80 and €110, and begins while the secondary school children are on holiday, with the first session starting on Jun 18 with regular sessions until Aug 17.
What to bring: Campers should bring a packed lunch, drinks and outdoor clothes and shoes.
* For more information, visit www.sciencecamps.ie, or call 087-2575734.
There are some children who were just born to be around horses and if your youngster has a love of all things equestrian, then a pony camp could be the way forward this summer.
Eclipse Adventure and Pony Camps in Killarney offer both day and residential camps for enthusiastic horse lovers. Activities are all based around the stables and the summer sessions begin on Jun 17. The camp costs €48 per day, or a set rate can be arranged for weekly and residential courses.
What to bring: Pony trekkers should bring old clothes, boots, a packed lunch and drinks.
* For more information, call 064-6682965.
For thousands of teenagers, an Irish summer wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Gaeltacht. Whether your child is attending an Irish-speaking school, wants to brush up on his language skills for Irish class, or just wants to enjoy a traditional rite of passage, there are plenty of places to choose from.
Most camps offer daily classes, followed by an afternoon of activities including swimming, orienteering, ball games and outdoor adventures. Then, after some food and time to relax, the highlight of each day is the nightly céilí, in which friendships are made and a few steps might even be learned.
What to bring: As most camps are residential, children will be required to bring enough clothes to last the duration of their trip, swimming and sports gear, a musical instrument, if applicable, and any medication that he/she is taking.
The price of these camps will vary, but for a three-week residential stay, most start at around €800, including transport and all meals.
* For more information, visit www.concos.ie.
For those children who are, perhaps, too young to spend time away from home, some counties are offering the traditional activity-based summer camps through Irish.
Scleip an tSamraidh in Ennis offers a two-week camp in July where children can take part in sports, swimming, drama, music, dancing and debating — all through Irish.
Suitable for students from third to sixth class, the camp runs from Jul 2 to 13 and cost €130 per child — family discounts are available.
* For more information, visit www.clarasgaeilge@eircom.net, or call 065-6864474.
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