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Tips to Create a Fun, Educational, and Safe Summer Camp for Kids in 2023

Besides creating lasting memories, sending your child to a summer camp allows them to make new friends. Summer camps provide an ideal environment for kids to develop their self-esteem and learn new skills.

An excellent international summer camp teaches kids how to be resilient and teamwork while offering activities allowing children to connect with nature. The right summer camp environment should prioritize children’s safety by ensuring camp staff are well-trained, caring, and experienced enough to allow children to grow.

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Preparing for a Successful Summer Camp

Lots of organization and planning goes into creating a successful summer camp. So, where do the camp proprietors start? Here are some tips.

Define Camp Objectives

As a camp proprietor, it’s important to understand the purpose and goals of your facility. What do you want campers to experience and learn during their time at the summer camp? Establish what you want them to accomplish once their time at the camp is over. Think about the activities your camp offers. Do they encourage children to be creative? What about promoting learning or nurturing kids to develop various skills? Planning the ideal summer camp experience can be taxing, but proprietors can collaborate with professionals to customize their camp’s curriculum and activities to align with their camp’s objectives.

Plan a Well-rounded Curriculum

A well-rounded summer camp curriculum ensures campers have an engaging yet diverse learning experience. An extensive curriculum should incorporate the following.

Educational Activities

Include academic subjects that are age-appropriate and align with the camper’s interests. These include history, language arts, science, and math. Adopt interactive teaching practices such as educational games, experiments, debates, and projects to make learning enjoyable.

Educational Activities

Incorporate activities encouraging campers to develop and nurture their creativity and artistic skills like dance, drama, music, and visual arts. Ensure the curriculum allows campers to learn new techniques and exhibit their talents.

Physical Fitness and Sports

Provide various physical and sports activities. Plan individual and team sports, outdoor adventures like swimming or hiking, and relay races. Incorporate teamwork and sportsmanship lessons, and ensure they understand the importance of physical well-being.

Teach Life Skills

Incorporate practical skills that can benefit campers in their daily lives. Provide leadership, communication, problem-solving, money management, first aid, and cooking workshops. Besides empowering the campers, these skills boost their self-confidence.

Camp proprietors should strive to balance structured activities with unstructured time to help campers engage in things they are passionate about, bond, and relax. A well-rounded curriculum should meet your camp’s objectives while catering to different age groups.

Evaluate and modify the curriculum depending on feedback from clients and your observations. Doing so helps you develop an engaging, dynamic, and rewarding curriculum for campers.

Engage Qualified and Enthusiastic Staff

Engaging the right staff helps you provide a successful summer experience. Finding and retaining talented and passionate individuals can be challenging. Here are tips to ease the process.

Advertise Open Positions

Today, you can advertise vacant positions on social media, job boards, professional networks, educational institutions, and local community groups. Communicate your expectations and staff requirements, and define the application process clearly to attract suitable candidates.

Outline the responsibilities and roles for each open position in your summer camp. Highlight the experience, qualifications, and certifications needed for critical roles such as lifeguards, activity instructors, counselors, and healthcare providers.

Conduct a Rigorous Interview Process

Use a structured interview process when screening applicants. Ask pertinent questions to gauge their skills, qualifications, passion, and experience working with children. Establish their ability to navigate challenging situations, assist with the camp’s objectives, and work in a team.

Run Background Checks and Contact References

Background checks are critical to choosing the right staff and guaranteeing the safety of campers. Call their references to establish their suitability, reliability, and work ethic for the role. Contact potential candidates’ previous supervisors or employers to establish their performance.

Creating a Safe Environment

A safe environment is crucial when creating a summer camp. Here are tips to help you guarantee the safety and well-being of campers.

Ensure Appropriate Facilities

Conduct an in-depth risk assessment of the summer campsite, planned activities, and facilities. Determine any potential hazards like water bodies, uneven terrain, poorly placed equipment, or weather-related dangers and work out strategies to alleviate them and guarantee campers a safer environment.

Acquire medical data and emergency contact details for every camper. Communicate with their guardians or parents to determine any special needs, medical conditions, or allergies campers may have. Secure a well-stocked first-aid kit and ensure all the staff undergo thorough CPR and first-aid training.

Ensure the campsite is spacious enough to accommodate all the planned activities adequately. Remember to thoroughly inspect the camp to ensure it meets local safety standards. Make sure the fire extinguishers and fire alarms are functional. Evaluate the emergency exits and provide adequate lighting. Perform regular maintenance of the summer camp to identify potential issues promptly.

Establish Clear Rules and Guidelines

Set up comprehensive but clear safety procedures and policies for your camp, including behavior management, transportation, emergency response, and supervision guidelines. Ensure all staff members and campers understand and adhere to the policies. Tailoring your guidelines and rules to your camper’s age groups is also important. Remember, young campers will need concrete yet simple rules, while older counterparts will understand complex guidelines. Establish rules based on the developmental stage and abilities of your campers.

Enforce rules across the entire summer camp consistently to ensure every party is conversant with and follows the rules. Consistency establishes a sense of fairness and guarantees an orderly environment.

Communicate the consequences of breaching the rules. Ensure the staff and campers understand the disciplinary actions they’ll face for violating the guidelines. However, ensure the consequences are appropriate, consistent, and fair for the violation.

Remember, you can reinforce rules and guidelines by adhering to the rules yourself. Ensure staff members follow the rules consistently. Practicing positive role modeling promotes a culture of responsibility and respect. Review your rules regularly to determine their effectiveness.

Ask your staff members, campers, guardians, or parents for feedback. Doing so will help you identify areas that require improvement. Make the necessary adjustments to ensure the rules maintain their suitability.

Implement Effective Supervision

Enforcing adequate supervision helps guarantee the well-being and safety of campers at your facility. But how can you uphold a solid supervision system? Here are tips.

Maintain Appropriate Camper-to-staff Ratios

Establish a suitable staff-to-camper ratio depending on the camper’s needs, age, developmental stage, and activities they’ll be engaging in. Study the legal requirements and industry standards governing camper-to-staff ratios within your location. Remember, these may vary based on factors like the type of activities your camp offers, duration of stay, and unique circumstances of the summer camp.

Remember, some activities require more supervision than others, meaning more staff will be required. These include outdoor adventures, water sports, and field trips. Are the campers attending overnight or day camp? The camper-to-staff ratios, in this case, will vary accordingly. Campers attending overnight camp will require more supervision than their counterparts at a day camp.

Assign Qualified Staff to Oversee Different Activities

Oversee Different Activities

Choose your staff carefully to ensure the safety and adequate supervision of campers at the facility. To enhance the effectiveness of day camp activities, consider matching staff expertise and interests.

Evaluate their qualifications, certifications, and experience and establish their areas of competence and suitability for specific activities. For example, staff with a background in arts will be suitable to handle arts and crafts lessons. At the same time, individuals passionate about sports can oversee athletics, tennis, mini golf, or athletic activities.

Provide your staff with the necessary orientation and training to execute their duties effectively. Doing so ensures consistency while enabling them to give campers a positive experience. Be flexible and ready to adjust based on the international summer camp’s changing dynamics and needs. Leverage camp feedback to make the necessary changes to provide the best experience for campers.

Adopt collaborative planning by making your staff members part of the planning process. Encourage them to share their ideas to improve activity programming. Collaboration promotes a sense of investment and ownership among your staff members, helping them deliver more meaningful and engaging activities.

Open communication with staff supervising different activities facilitates effective execution. Ensure they understand their responsibilities and roles clearly. Discuss any changes or updates regarding the activities regularly to ensure everybody is on the same page. Encourage your staff to share suggestions, concerns, or feedback to enhance the camp experience.

Monitor Campers’ Well-Being, Ensuring They Are Safe and Accounted For at All Times

Monitoring camper’s well-being at the summer camp significantly guarantees their accountability and safety within the facility. You can do so by:

  • Creating staff awareness:Teach staff members the art of always remaining vigilant and observing campers. Prioritize the importance of monitoring campers’ well-being, interactions, and behavior keenly. Your staff should beware of the camp surroundings and be alert to potential concerns and risks.
  • Supervise the camper check-in and check-out process:Adopt an effective system for checking campers during scheduled events or meal times. Doing so ensures that all campers are accounted for and are in the right location at the appointed time.
  • Maintain attendance and roster records for every event and activity: Doing so allows you to monitor the participation and presence of every camper. Analyze the attendance records regularly to identify any arising issues and ensure all campers are accounted for.
  • Supervision during transitions:Be overly attentive to campers as they transition between activities and during breaks. Transition periods can be disorganized, especially during the first week of camp. Exercising caution ensures all campers stay together and are accounted for.
  • Adopt the buddy system:This involves pairing campers and encouraging them to look out for one another. It encourages a sense of responsibility while increasing the likelihood of discerning when someone is missing without delay.

Infusing Fun and Educational Elements

Incorporating fun and educational features in your summer camp program creates an enriching and engaging experience for campers. Provide a wide range of activities to allow campers to choose the best that align with their interests. You can accomplish this by:

Offer Diverse Activities

Adopting theme-based activities: Classify campers according to their age groups or skill level, choose a theme for each group, and design activities around it. These can include attending a wilderness adventure, biking, attending field trips, or engaging in swimming competitions. Having a theme makes educational-based activities more fun.

Hands-on learning: Create opportunities for campers to practice hands-on learning. Incorporate science projects, interactive experiments, cooking workshops, arts and crafts, or nature exploration. Doing so allows campers to participate in various experiential activities and learn through them actively.

Outdoor adventures: Plan outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, field trips to farms, gardens, parks, and nature walks. Include environmental education, wildlife observation, and nature-based activities to help campers connect with and appreciate nature.

Creative arts:

Incorporate activities that encourage campers to be creative and self-expressive.

Provide drama, visual arts, dance, music, and creative writing sessions.

Encourage the campers to probe their artistic talents, develop new skills, and display their creations.

Team building and sports:

  • Incorporate team building and sports activities in your program.
  • Plan team sports, relay races, cooperative games, and obstacle courses.
  • Reiterate the value of sportsmanship, teamwork, and healthy competition.

Stem exploration:

  • Include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities to provoke campers’ problem-solving and curiosity skills.
  • Provide coding workshops, science experiments, robotic challenges, and engineering projects.
  • Make STEM activities accessible and engaging with age-appropriate challenges and hands-on projects.

Workshops and guest speakers: Invite experts, guest speakers, or professionals to run workshops and provide talks on topics related to the camp’s areas of interest. They can share their experiences, provide insights, and inspire the campers through their prowess.

Physical and sports activities: Include sports like volleyball, swimming, basketball, soccer, or tennis in your program. You can also provide non-traditional sports such as archery, yoga, or martial arts. Provide options for different interests and skill levels to accommodate a wide range of campers.

Performing arts: Provide activities in music, dance, improvisation, or theatre. Allow campers to learn new dance styles, perform skits, play musical instruments, and participate in a talent show.

Foster Experiential Learning

Experiential learning

Experiential learning keeps campers engaged in hands-on and active experiences, enhancing their knowledge comprehension and retention. To foster experiential learning, you need to:

Engage campers’ senses: Develop activities involving multiple senses to boost the learning experience. Integrate sensory elements such as sound, sight, taste, smell, and touch to create more immersive and memorable activities.

Adopt real-world connections: Linking your lessons to real-world applications helps learners understand the relevance of their lessons. Bridge academic ideas to everyday experiences and practical programs to illustrate the application of knowledge in the real world.

Outdoor exploration and field trips: Accompany campers to nature reserves, historical sites, local businesses, museums, and field trips. These experiences provide the ideal opportunities for hands-on learning while allowing campers to explore the world away from camp.

Project-oriented learning: Allocate campers to projects that compel them to apply things they’ve learned in a practical context. These may involve problem-solving, research, collaboration, and creativity. Encourage campers to be liable for their projects and provide the necessary guidance.

Discussion and reflection: Reserve time for campers to ponder their experiences and participate in meaningful discussions. Encourage campers to share their connections, insights, and thoughts when participating in the summer camp activities.

Use simulations and role-playing: Doing so allows campers to recreate real-life scenarios. Campers can assume different roles, make informed decisions, and encounter the outcome of their actions within an educational and controlled environment.

Making mistakes is part of learning: The summer camp environment should be a safe space where campers can make and learn through mistakes comfortably. Encourage campers to evaluate their mistakes and reflect on the lessons. Doing so helps them develop problem-solving skills and resilience.

Integrate Team-Building and Social Interactions

Incorporating team-building activities and promoting social interactions helps create an inclusive and positive environment in summer camps in Switzerland 2023. To achieve this, you must include the following in your summer camp program:

Icebreaker activities: Whether campers attend camp for the first time or not, icebreaker activities help them interact with and get to know each other. These activities include team-building exercises, name games, and get-to-know-you activities.

Team challenges: Plan team challenges that campers can collaborate in to counter challenges and solve problems. These challenges can either be mental, physical, or both. Reiterate the importance of strategic thinking, effective communication, and teamwork to achieve success.

Group projects: Allocate group projects encouraging campers to work together towards a common goal. This may involve developing a structure, creating a performance, or planning a themed event. Group-based projects encourage creativity, collaboration, and collaborative decision-making.

Team-building initiatives and games: Include games and team-building initiatives focusing on communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and trust-building. These activities encourage campers to work together, develop robust relationships, and learn from one another.

Conflict resolution and communication workshops: Provide sessions or workshops on effective conflict resolution and communication. Ensure campers understand how to settle conflicts constructively, listen actively, and express themselves assertively. These skills help campers develop healthy relationships and maintain positive social interactions.

Communication and Inclusion

Proper communication and inclusion are crucial to creating a positive summer camp environment. Here are tips to help camp proprietors actualize this.

Maintain respectful and open communication:

  • Provide an environment where campers will share their ideas and thoughts while expressing themselves comfortably.
  • Encourage respectful communication and active listening among staff, campers, and volunteers.
  • Exemplify positive communication practices and guide campers to ensure they understand the practical communication approach.

Encourage participation:

  • Create opportunities for campers to participate and contribute actively.
  • Make sure that discussions and activities facilitate equal engagement and participation from campers of different personalities, backgrounds, and abilities.
  • Don’t allow exclusionary or favoritism practices.

Use respectful language:

  • Train campers on using considerate, respectful, and inclusive language among themselves.
  • Discourage stereotypes or assumptions about abilities, race, or gender.
  • Promote an inclusivity culture by reiterating the value of diversity and celebrating individual differences.

Establish clear communication channels: Campers, their parents or guardians, and staff should be able to communicate via dedicated communication apps, online platforms, phones, or email.

Encourage feedback:

  • Encourage parents, guardians, staff, and campers to provide feedback regarding the camp program, activities, and overall experience.
  • Consider availing anonymous feedback options for individuals who prefer sharing their feedback anonymously.
  • Leverage feedback to make the necessary improvements and address arising matters.

Communicate with guardians and parents regularly:

  • Keep parents updated about camp schedules, activities, changes, or any updates.
  • Communicate regularly through parent meetings, emails, and newsletters.
  • Provide a platform for parents to share their concerns and ask questions.

Provide staff training: Train staff members to ensure they understand effective communication strategies, conflict resolution approaches, and active listening skills. Ensure staff members communicate accurately and timely, address concerns, and manage communication challenges.

Create an Inclusive Environment

An inclusive environment helps campers feel respected, welcomed, and valued in the summer camp. You can promote inclusivity by:

Embracing diversity: Acknowledge and celebrate the diversity among campers, such as differences in ethnicity, race, gender, socioeconomic background, ability, and religious or cultural beliefs.

Educate staff and campers: Train staff members and campers about inclusion, equity, and diversity. Organize workshops or create activities that promote appreciation, empathy, and understanding for varying experiences and backgrounds.

Create equal opportunities: Ensure all campers have equal opportunities to engage in decision-making processes, leadership roles, and activities. Allow campers to showcase their unique talents without favoritism.

Promote understanding and empathy: Encourage campers to listen and learn from each other’s experiences. Cultivate a culture of empathy, kindness, and acceptance.

Peer mentoring and support: Have campers support one another and provide mentorship programs, allowing more experienced or older campers to guide and help newer or younger campers.

Continuous assessment and improvement: Evaluate the inclusivity of the summer camp environment by running surveys, collecting feedback, or holding discussions with parents, staff, and campers. Leverage the feedback to make adjustments and improvements to ensure the camp meets the needs of all campers.

Conclusion

You need excellent planning skills and attention to detail to create a fun, educational, safe summer camp in 2023. A well-organized summer camp creates a structured, nurturing environment supporting children’s holistic well-being and development. It provides opportunities for social connections, learning, creating memorable experiences, and promoting personal growth.

The ideal summer camp facility nurtures children to discover their talents and acquire skills they can leverage to shape their future lives. Implementing the tips in this article will help create a memorable and enriching summer camp experience for children.

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How Kids Can Learn English in Verbier During Summer Camp

Children don’t have to attend private lessons to learn the English language. Instead, they can do so within the confines of a summer camp in Verbier. Unlike a school setting where learners cope with strict deadlines, the camp offers a flexible and fun learning environment, as we’ll learn in this article. Further, campers can learn and engage in activities as a group, making the process exciting. If you want your children to learn english in Verbier, consider sending them to a summer camp.

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Why Children Should Learn English in Verbier During Summer Camp

When children are fluent in English, they can communicate better with people from different countries. Did you know that approximately 370 million people speak English worldwide? It’s also the formal language of 50 countries. The ability to speak the language is not just about communicating with native speakers. Worth mentioning is that learning English helps campers socialize better in summer camp.

Learning English can have a positive impact on your kid’s academic development. Spending more time in an English-speaking setting helps children learn the language quickly and naturally. This boosts their language skills while eliminating the language barrier in other subjects like geography and history.

Why Choose Verbier for a Summer Camp?

Besides the luxury that defines Verbier ski resort, the location has lots to offer during summer. Whether you want your children to experience the culture, engage in adventurous activities, or enroll in a snowboard school, there is something for everyone. Here is why you should pick Verbier for your child’s summer camp trip.

· An Opportunity to go Hiking

Verbier has more than 500 km of marked trails for visitors to explore. If your child is a hiking enthusiast, this makes the location suitable for their needs. Whether children want to practice athletic challenges, go for long treks, educational tours, or even themed paths, Verbier is an ideal location.

· The Thrills

High school students will have a field day in Verbier during the summer. What with the incredible views of Combins massifs, Mont-Blanc, and the Alps? If your children are passionate about paragliding, they can’t go wrong with Verbier. Older children who are not afraid of adventurous activities can try the 4000m helicopter jump in breathtaking surroundings. Younger children can enjoy thrills from Medran’s Aerial Walkway. This is a treetop adrenaline-filled adventure that tests their skill, balance, and agility on different courses of varied difficulty.

· Mountain Biking

There are marked biking trails in Verbier, as well as a bike park with different trails of varying abilities. If your children love adrenaline ski, they will love mountain biking in the summer camp. Verbier hosts various bike events in the summer, which children will be elated to attend.

· Benefits of Learning English in a Real-world Context

What does it mean when children learn English in a real-world environment? They’re able to apply their skills and knowledge, which allows them to use and transfer what they learn into the real world. They’ll be likely to determine the relevance of what they have learned to their role.

Some studies suggest that learning programs can alter behavior and generate positive results when learners are engaged in their lessons. Learning in a real-world setting enables learners to value the application of the skills and knowledge the learning activity promotes. This increases engagement and motivation.

· Accommodation Options Available at the Camp

There are different types of accommodation to choose from in Verbier, as seen below.

Host Families

When your child stays with a host family, they can adapt to the new customs and schedule in a comfortable environment. Besides immersing themselves and learning a different culture, they’ll practise speaking English.

Dormitories

Staying in a dormitory is only ideal for older children. Usually, children will have individual bedrooms and bathrooms, allowing them to organize their daily schedule. This instills in them a sense of independence. Supervisors are in charge of each child’s well-being and ensure that the children follow set rules to the letter.

Chalets

Chalets

Chalets are structures built of wood and stone. Each has spacious recreation areas, a reception room, a living room, a terrace, a private dining area, a barbecue area, a library, a music room, a fireplace room, and a kitchen. Children can also conduct research in the available internet cafe.

· Support Offered to Kids during their Stay

Staff members are available to help your child learn in a manner that fits their needs. The summer camp has trained and experienced teachers who encourage your child in their quest to learn English Verbier course. Staff live onsite, which gives your child a sense of security.

A camp manager oversees the other staff members to ensure everything runs smoothly. Children also get pastoral care at summer camp. In this case, pastoral care involves peer support, mentoring, and counseling. Pastoral care is a foundational aspect that supports learning.

Language Learning Activities

Learning activities take place in a relaxed and fun-filled environment. Such a setting allows children to express themselves and practice using new words. Besides developing their communication and language skills effectively, it helps them become more confident and build lasting relationships. These activities include:

· Scavenger Hunts

Campers look forward to engaging in scavenger hunts. Camp tutors should ensure kids are doing language practice during the activity. So fun and exciting is this activity that the kids will learn without realizing it. Here are some fun scavenger-hunting versions children can engage in.

· Description Hunts

Instead of listing items for the children to find, tutors can write simple descriptions and clues in riddle form. This will help children practice and improve their reading comprehension.

· Vocabulary Hunts

learning from dictionary

A vocabulary scavenger hunt can be simple. For example, tutors can create a simple list of items the children have learned before.

· Adjective Hunts

Tutors focus on specific parts of speech, such as adjectives can provide learners with a simple descriptive items list instead of nouns. The campers will then need to find what each adjective could be describing. Always include adjectives the students don’t already know about to expand their vocabulary.

· Hiking

Camp supervisors can organize a hiking trip complete with written directions for the children to follow. Of course, they will accompany them on the trip, but the children will be the ring leaders. To make this exercise more fun, hide a token for the campers to find. Don’t give them longitude and latitude coordinates. Instead, give them written directions to help them find the prize. The kids will enjoy the searching process and practice reading while at it.

· Caption That

What if camp tutors capture fun photos of their campers, print them out, and ask the children to caption them? Campers will love captioning the images and reading what their peers write.

· Puppet Plays

Children passionate about arts and crafts will have fun about this activity. Start by creating a puppet and organize the students into different groups. Let the learners devise a puppet show for their peers in the other group. Ask them to write a script or come up with an activity that requires them to entertain the audience and still put in some vocabulary practice.

· Nature Impressions

Summer camp offers children an opportunity to explore the outdoors. Learners can create impressions of things they find, such as rocks, fern leaves, or branches in salt dough, reusable clay, or a ball of dough. Once the impressions dry, the campers can guess the materials their peers used to make the impressions. Tutors can use this time to teach children adverbs of frequency or modal verbs.

· Campfire Songs

Campfire

Summer camp evenings are never the same without a campfire. Tutors can use this opportunity to help children with their language practice. For example, how about singing grammar or other songs that teach a particular vocabulary? Rewrite the lyrics of popular songs according to what you want the children to learn. Let them sing in turns until each grasps the entire song. You can teach them the meaning of the song as the language lesson of the day.

Qualified Language Instructors

Are you planning to send your children to summer camp in Verbier? Do you want them to learn English while at it? Language instructors in Verbier are not only trained, qualified, and experienced; they’re conversant in teaching the English language to children. They understand how kids’ brains work and possess the right skills to accelerate learning. They have adopted a raft of teaching methods designed to create a suitable environment for campers, as seen below.

· A Cooperative, Supportive, and Active Environment

An active learning environment includes and facilitates various learning tasks to help learners move around in group lessons. This keeps them focused while ensuring they remain attentive and motivated in their tasks. Language classes should be comfortable enough for every learner. They should have the freedom to ask questions, make mistakes, and make progress in the pursuit of learning the new language. The tutors in Verbier encourage learners to communicate with one another in English as much as possible. Doing so develops their core language skills and fluency.

· Addressing Student Needs

Tutors in Verbier prepare their classrooms to ensure the environment meets their student’s needs. For example, they ensure the learning area is orderly, calm, and secure. Learners get more motivated when their psychological and physical needs are met. Sometimes the teachers involve the learners in planning, helping them create their preferred learning environment. Creating a conducive learning environment encourages students to do their best.

· Visual Materials

Educators use visual materials to help learners actualize what they are learning. Tutors in Verbier begin with items that learners encounter frequently at the summer camp. They also use pictures and labels to outline lessons.

How Kids Can Learn English in Verbier

Learners attending camp at Verbier can attend language lessons as a group of a maximum of eight students. Tutors can arrange private classes and a conducive place within the camp. The services you will get include reading and writing, conversation classes, homework support, immersion courses, and exam preparation.

Classes start between 9 am and end at 4 pm. There are breaks in between to allow campers to engage in other activities. Learners are grouped based on their age groups to make learning smoother.

The program focuses on the immersive English language environment concept. This means that learners speak, listen to, and learn the language in original everyday settings and interact with it in their surroundings. That helps them learn the language naturally like they would their mother tongue, with minimal vocabulary stress or even pressure.

Benefits of Learning English in Verbier

Learning a new language through the immersion concept comes with various benefits, which include:

  • It helps children become bilingual while acquiring proficiency in the language.
  • Learners who learn through immersion perform better in English-based tests than their counterparts who don’t.
  • Children who have gone through the immersive language learning process are better prepared for the job industry, where being bilingual can be an asset.
  • Immersion learners develop higher cognitive flexibility and demonstrate better memory, problem-solving, and attention control skills. They also display an improved understanding of their core language.

Learning English opens up the following opportunities for children.

· Ability to Travel More

Traveling to a new country where you don’t speak the primary language exposes you to a communication breakdown. Learning the language from an early age helps you communicate better in your future travels.

· Connecting with People

Language can hinder you from communicating with people you meet in a different country. However, being conversant with the language they speak helps you create lasting connections.

· Opens Career Opportunities

Speaking English can be all you need to land your dream career. Today, the job industry is global, meaning numerous companies look for bilingual staff who can communicate with clients and partners globally. English can play a crucial role in advancing your career.

Conclusion

Learning English in Verbier during summer camp eliminates any language barrier children may have in other lessons. Apart from communicating better with their peers, being conversant in the language improves a learner’s performance in school Verbier.

A summer camp is an excellent place for children to acquire fresh ideas, have fun, and make new friends as they learn English in an immersive environment. If you want your child to learn the language and have no idea where to start, consider enrolling them in a summer camp in Verbier. The enrollment process is simple. Navigate to our user-friendly website and book your slot for the upcoming summer camp.

Understanding the Importance of a Summer’s Best Two Weeks Camping Experience

Summer camps offer you the perfect opportunity to familiarize your child with different games, fun sports, and new friends. However, a short camping trip limits the number of activities and amount of fun your child can have. This is where a summer’s best two weeks camping tour comes in. On this post we shall discuss: 

  • Les Elfes summer camps
  • Summer camp activities your child can engage in at Les Elfes
  • Benefits your kid will gain from a summer’s best two weeks camps 
Summer Camping Experience

About Les Elfes Summer Camp 

Les Elfes is an elegant international camp situated in Verbier, the French-speaking region of Switzerland. If you don’t speak French however, you shouldn’t worry because English is the official language spoken at the camp.

All international campers staying at the camp communicate in English both in class and during their free time. One good thing about Les Elfes is campers can enroll in foreign language studies. By adopting a communicative learning approach, foreign campers register speedy progress in their designated groups.

Verbier is characterized by an exclusive atmosphere, scenic landscapes, and glamour. Les Elfes, on the other hand, is the only camp in Switzerland that runs all year long. However, there have been inconveniences lately as the world struggles to contain the Coronavirus pandemic.

The management at Les Elfes is monitoring the situation and plans to open the summer camp on 20th July 2020. Non-English speaking campers can enroll for English lessons as part of their educational program.  

Language Courses at Les Elfes 

There are two types of language courses. The classical program is a spoken French, Spanish, English, and German course that runs for 8 hours per week. Lessons in this program are conducted at the summer camp in Verbier.

The intensive program offers English lessons for 15 hours every week. Lessons are conducted in the morning and follow a five-day model. Campers are free to engage in leisure time in the afternoon.

To make the lessons fun and exciting, the intensive program is structured to ensure students learn in small groups (not exceeding 7 learners.) The Les Elfes summer’s best two weeks camping experience includes fun sporting, creative, and entertaining activities as we shall see later. 

Food and Accommodation

Campers participating at Les Elfes summers best two weeks camping experience live in comfortable, classical alpine chalets. These are built of wood and stone and each comes with a reception area, living room, and roomy recreational areas.

They also have a barbecue area, terrace, music room, fireplace area, kitchen, internet cafe, a private dining area, and a library. Campers looking for a more adventurous experience can opt to camp outside in tents.

Planning a long term camping trip can be a difficult task. What with everything you have to organize? The exercise can be more challenging if your kids are going for their first camping experience. This is because you’ll need to buy camping gear.

By camping at Les Elfes you don’t have to struggle with buying camping gear. You can hire every gear you need at the camp at friendly prices. Campers can choose to cook their food or make arrangements for onsite catering services. 

Activities at the Les Elfes Summer Camp

Summer provides campers with the perfect weather to engage in exciting outdoor-related activities. No parent will want to send their children on a summer’s best two weeks trip only for them to spend endless time indoors. At Les Elfes, there are plenty of exciting activities that your kids will enjoy. These include:

· Bike Riding

Kids and teens alike love bike riding and the camp organizers at Les Elfes understand this well. This is why there are bike riding activities for every age group. Apart from having fun, there are many benefits that your child will get from bike riding at the camp. Campers can hire bikes and riding gear at the camp. 

· Wall Climbing at the Onsite Gym

Wall Climbing At The Onsite Gym

Wall climbing is fast becoming a popular sport for both kids and adults. There’s an onsite gym at Les Elfes that has a climbing wall. Your kids will love engaging in this activity while bonding with their newfound friends.

Further, they’ll enhance their eye, feet, and hand coordination. There’s an onsite trained and experienced coach who will train and monitor the kids. All the gear kids need to engage in wall climbing is available for hire at the camp. However, you should ensure your kid has a proper pair of socks.

· Making Friendship bracelets

Creating friendship bracelets is an easy and fun activity that children of all ages can participate in. Parents should ensure their kids have enough yarn, tape, and colored floss. They’ll also need some lettered beads that they can use to sew in their friend’s name on the finished bracelets.

Remember, your kids will make new friends during their summer best two weeks camping experience. Exchanging bracelets at the end of the trip is a fun way of carrying unforgettable memories from the trip. 

· Afternoon and Evening Activities

Afternoon and evening programs at Les Elfes are designed to meet the needs of each camper. They are divided into groups with each group engaging in a different activity between 2000hrs and 2145hours just in time for bedtime.

These activities include making ice cream from scratch, team challenges, ice skating, disco night, quizzes, telling stories, and campfires. Other activities include: dining in a Swiss restaurant, participating in games competitions, going for a torchlight walk, and mountain barbeque. 

· General Activities

There are various general activities at Les Elfes for campers to choose from. These include arts and crafts where campers join different art clubs that are designed to help broaden their artistic skills.

Other general activities include treasure hunts, hiking, social activities such as playing musical instruments, shopping in Verbier, and going picnicking. Campers will also engage in different ball sports such as football, beach volleyball, minigolf, volleyball, table tennis, basketball, and badminton.

· Certificates and Prize Giving Activity

At the end of the summer’s best two weeks camping trip there’s always a final celebration and prize-giving party. All campers take part in the prize-giving night and the organizers reward campers who achieved specific goals.

During this night, organizers have various entertainment options for campers and parents who may have attended the camping trip. This event offers campers an ideal opportunity to bid their newly acquired friends goodbye.

Apart from the prizes, campers who may have attended language courses are handed language certificates. Every camper receives an activity attendance and progression certificate. 

How Will Your Child benefit from a Long Term Camping experience?

Les Elfes summer camps offer the ideal environment for children to learn and enjoy an intercultural community. At the end of the trip, they’ll have gained numerous benefits such as seen below.

· Develops Lifelong Skills

During a summer’s best two weeks camping trip children get a chance to participate in a wide range of group activities. For instance, when a child takes part in a sport such as bowling or volleyball they learn teamwork. They also learn communication and problem-solving skills.

If the child is appointed to be the hiking group leader they’ll be tasked with guiding the team. This will help them develop leadership skills. When a child is tasked with distributing chores among the team members they’ll develop strong communication skills.

Children develop decision-making skills when faced with challenges or conquer obstacles when engaging in adventurous activities such as zip lining. These skills can be developed in a summer camp.

While children learn and develop social skills in school, camp brings together children from diverse cultures and communities. Such an environment encourages a sense of recognition for individual differences. This is different from the school environment which encourages academic achievement.

· Boosts Independence

While on a summer’s best two weeks camping trip a child will have some time away from their parents. This gives them a chance to grow a sense of personal individuality. Children learn how to be self-reliant as they evaluate their interests and identify their weaknesses and strengths.

With time they learn how to listen to and trust their inner voice rather than relying on their elder siblings, teachers, and parents. Independence plays a huge role in the journey to becoming a self-reliant individual.

Is your child afraid of going out or sleeping alone? If they are, summer camp will give them a different perception of the world and help them convert to independence. Independence plays a huge role in enhancing your child’s self-esteem. An independent child will not only be responsible, but they’ll also be good decision-makers.  

· Creates the Right Environment and Time to Play

Right Environment And Time To Play

During the school year, children are accustomed to going to school, completing their homework, and preparing for examinations. This leaves them with no time to play. While some may engage in extracurricular activities, these are often executed within a regulated environment.

Summer camp, on the other hand, offers a relaxed environment, and enough freedom and time to engage in play. Unlimited play helps children to enhance imagination and creative thinking skills. It provides children with the right environment to express their emotions and thoughts. In the end, your child will come back happier and more refreshed.  

Other summer camp benefits include:

boating

  • Encourages teamwork and resilience
  • Helps children to connect with nature
  • Encourages children to get out of their comfort zone and try new things
  • Boosts confidence, and 
  • Promotes growth within a secure environment

Finally

Long term summer camping trips provide your child with an opportunity to explore nature, relax, and benefit from the experience. 

Book your child’s summer camp trip today and get a 10% discount. 

Summer Camp Activities

There are many summer camp activities that people from different age groups can try. Did you know you can enjoy summer camp activities at home? Read on to find out.

Summer Camp Activities

Summer is an ideal time for children to go
camping since school break falls around this time. If you have children you may
have difficulties choosing the best activities to keep them occupied. One of
the best ways to keep kids active and away from their mobile gadgets is through
summer camp activities.

Summer camps allow children to meet and make new
friends, participate in new challenges, and learn skills. Further, children are
introduced to interactive, fun, and educational activities away from the school
setup.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing more and more
of the parents contacting our camp thinking and saying the same thing.

Oh no, not another summer like last year, where your child
sat inside all day complaining that there was nothing to do, while you fought
as hard as you could just to get them off of their iPad.

Nope, not this year. We are going to give you a list of
summer camp activities so engaging that your child will be bounding out of bed
every morning, eagerly awaiting to hear what is on for the day. Well, that’s
the hope at least…

Here are some of the best summer camp
activities that your child should try this summer.

·        
Outdoor Word Game for Children

fun-game-hands-leisure

This is a perfect educational and fun activity for kids. To set it up you need some type of scrabble game with big, easy to move letters. These will help kids get better at spelling specific words. This game is perfect for teenagers since it gives them a chance to learn new words.

·        
Outdoor Twister game

This is a perfect game for both
children and the youth. All you need is to cut the bottom part of a cardboard
box into a circle. With this as your base, use different colored spray paint to
draw circles outside.

One person will be tasked with
controlling the game. They’ll shout colors and the participants will be tasked
with identifying and stepping on the same color. This is an exciting and fun
summer camp activity that develops hand-eye coordination. 

·        
Spray Painting

Spray Color Painting

Spray painting activities are great for helping children exercise their creativity. An easy and cheap way of doing it would be through painting T-shirts. The children only need white plain t-shirts and different cans of colored spray paint. At the end of this activity, you’ll be surprised at what your children are capable of doing. This will not only keep them busy but it gives them a chance to practice and boost their reasoning skills.

·        
The Minute to Win It Game

There are different “the minute to
win-it-games” for you to choose from. These games are designed to help children
learn time management skills. Here, children are tasked with completing a task
within one minute. The child who manages to complete their activities within
that time becomes the winner.

Some of these tasks include: stacking
25 or more plastic cups and unstacking them, stacking coins, or the ping pong toss
(where players have a minute to throw ping pong balls inside a container on a
table.) The person who manages to secure the most balls in their container
becomes the winner.

·        
The Hallway Maze Game

Here, a maze is created from various
materials such as strings of pepper. The participant is then tasked with
finding their way through the maze within a specific time. During this time
they shouldn’t touch the paper. Up to 5 individuals can participate in
competition before a winner is announced. This is one of the best summer camp
activities for children and adults.

·         Art and Craft

Art and craft summer camp activities

Art and craft summer camp activities are a good way to keep children occupied. They can exercise their creativity by painting, making cards, designing pencil holders, or practicing tie and dye. Apart from enhancing creativity, art, and craft activities can be a great brain memory booster for kids. These activities will help bring out hidden skills in your children.

·        
Mini Olympics for Kids

Planning a mini Olympics for the
children on a summer camp is a great way of keeping them active and occupied.
These games may include cycling, running, or relay races. These are some of the
summer camp activities you can use to keep children healthy. What’s more, they
could help them discover some of their hidden talents.

·        
Hats made From Paper Plates

Both young and older children can
exercise their creativity by creating hats from paper plates while on camp.
They can even paint them with their favorite colors.

·        
Chalk Twister

Chalk Twister

Apart from the chalk twister game, there are various other chalk games. These include chalk maze, sidewalk twister, and alphabet hop. Chalk twister is among the best summer camp activities that your children will enjoy.

This game is similar to the outdoor
twister game we discussed before. Both boys and girls will have lots of fun
playing this game. You’ll need to create a surface or board on the ground using
chalk dust. The rest of the game involves hopping, skipping, and jumping.

·        
Parachute Games for Kids

There’s a wide range of parachute
games for kids. This particular one is fun and interesting, and ideal for young
children and teenagers. A massive parachute is held up by a group of around 5
or 6 children. The children then balance balls on the parachute. This is one of
the best summer camp activities that encourages and develops the ability to
work in a team.

·        
Pool Noodle Javelin

This is one of the safest and popular
summer camp activities. Children love engaging in this activity too. Here a
participant throws a long material that’s similar to a balloon through a ring
made of the same material. This is a cheap easy to play this game that kids can
play during summer camp or at home on the weekends.

·        
Field Day

Nearly all summer camps will have a
field day for the campers. Here, children can participate in various activities
such as field trips, hiking, or going for nature hunts.
If your child loves adventure this will be their best summer camp activity.

·        
Tug Of War for Children

Tug Of War For Children

This game is different from its intense counterpart that’s usually played by adults, especially men. Unlike in the adult tug of war where a thick rope is used, the kid’s tug of war involves the use of a thin rope made of child-friendly and safe material.

Children enjoy playing this game
while others use it as a fun physical activity. Supervisors should ensure that
children maintain a safe distance between each other for safety reasons.
Children engaging in this game will be tested for their strategy and
strength. 

·        
Leaf Crown

This fun and interesting summer camp
activity involve creating crowns from leaves. This is a great idea that helps
children become innovative.

·        
Nature Hike Project

This summer camp activity is similar
to a scavenger field program. The children look for materials they can use to
make various items such as interactive bracelets. The materials should be
naturally occurring items such as tree barks, leaves, and shells.

·        
Making a Compass

Making A Compass

This is one of the easy summer camp activities that children can engage in. children can make them using readily available materials which the camp organizers often provide. Children can also bring them from home. These include a sewing needle or pin, a bowl of water, a magnet, and a small piece of paper, cork, or craft foam. Children enjoy making compasses and the activity is innovative and brain-boosting.

·        
Bike
Riding (with the family):

Bike Riding

I know this one sounds obvious, and maybe you’ve tried it before but how about trying to tie something more relaxing into the activity to give it more appeal. For example, instead of saying let’s go for a family bike ride, how about burying the biking aspect in with

How about we go on a family
picnic where I make your favorite lunch dish, and we go for a swim in the cool
lake?
” When asked how you’ll get there, then you slide in the, Well, by
bikes of course.

It’s been known that children and
teens of this day don’t get nearly enough exercise during the summer. Because
not every child has the option for summer sports activities during the summer months, you’ll
have to get creative ways to get children off of the couch at home, and out
into the glorious summer sunshine. What better way to do this than by good old
fashioned bike power.

·        
Rock
climbing wall at the local gym

Rock Climbing Wall

Many gyms these days have a climbing wall right inside the gym. How about taking your child to the local gym? You’ll first need to call them to find out if they have a climbing wall, but I bet you’ll be surprised that they do.

Then the outing could be down to
the local gym, where they often give you a free pass to check out and try the
climbing wall. This is a great activity, and you may surprise yourself by
finding your child has a knack for climbing that they never knew about. This
happened to my son’s friend last summer, and now he’s hooked.

Many of the rock walls have a free
session for children where the children can train with a trained coach or
expert, and they’ll lend you the shoes, harness and the ropes are already
there. Just make sure to bring your socks!

·        
Friendship
bracelets

Friendship Bracelets

Friendship bracelets are really easy and fun to make. All you will need is some yarn, or colored floss to weave together, some tape, and some fun doodads to hang off the bracelets.

I’ve seen children use beads, and
other trinkets to make them more fun or personal. Some use beads with letters,
so they could put their friend’s name on the bracelet.

·        
Homemade
Ice Cream

Homemade Ice Cream

Now, what other thing reminds us more of summer than ice cream? And making your ice cream, or even better, having your child or teen make ice cream is an age-old summer activity that will be sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.

You would be surprised at how easy
it is to make, and even with only a few common household ingredients that you
likely already have on hand.

·        
Ingredients

  • 2 -3 cups (16oz/450ml ) heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 14 ounces (1 Can/ 400ml) sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular), cold
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)

For additional flavors, you can go
as crazy as you want. Think mango puree, strawberries, salted caramel, kiwi,
the list goes on and on, and who can forget about the chocolate sauce.

Instructions

  • Place
    sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to keep cold.
  • Using
    a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold cream on
    medium/high speed until soft peaks form.
  • Pour
    the cold condensed milk into the whipped cream.
  • Whisk
    until the mixture is thick and stiff peaks form. Then mix in your vanilla or
    other flavors that you like. How about some fresh blueberries that you might
    have picked from a nature hike that morning?

In case you didn’t know, this is
what stiff peaks look like. I was always confused by this term myself until I
tried making ice cream and later a tiramisu. You’ll need to whip your ice cream
mix until it reaches the consistency of the below.  

Then, just stick in the freezer,
wait a few hours and enjoy!

·        
Ring
Toss

A few years ago, we went on a
family vacation to Jamaica with a few other families. There was a simple game
that was a ring, tied to an old piece of fishing line that you had to stand a
few meters away from and swing it onto a spike stuck in a tree.

Believe it or not, this simple game
provided hours of entertainment for children and adults alike. The adults
turned the activity into more of a frat party drinking game but it was still
fun.

Be creative and tie in some tricks
or prizes into the mix, and you’ll have an instant and nearly free activity
that can entertain children for a few hours the rest of the summer.

·        
Giant
Bubbles

Giant Bubbles

OK, this might be for the younger ones, but I’ve even seen the street performers standing at the stoplights trying to earn a few dollars with this one. It’s pretty fun to watch. The recipe is you’ll need is 6 cups water, 1 cup corn syrup, and 2 cups regular strength dish soap. The corn syrup as you might have guessed is the key to allowing the bubbles to get big.

Stir mixture into a shallow tub.
Dip blower into solution, lift out, and blow. Or even run with the soapy
mixture into the breeze and let a huge bubble fly. You can get some sticks and
some string to make the area for the mixture to cling to. Then just add the
breeze by running, and let those giant bubbles fly.

·        
A
Makeshift Puppet Show

This activity is as easy as it
sounds. Grab some old socks, paint some faces on them, and let your creativity
run wild. You can even cut out some yarn and glue on a wig, or get as crazy as
you want for the puppets themselves.

Just do like you see in the movies and have your child hide behind a box or table that is turned on its side and reenact Shakespeare or be their silly selves. It may sound corny, but this one has brought our family and friend to tears as the children make up funny stories and enjoy bringing out the hidden thespian.

·        
A
Family Visit to A nearby Historical Site or Museum

Oh, the horror, a museum, and
learning in the summer? But wait, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There are
plenty of museums or historical sites that are a lot of fun to visit in the
summer. Many museums these days have fun science experiments or educational
how-tos to illustrate fun activities and lessons to children and teens.

·        
Your
Own Ropes Labyrinth Adventure Park

Own Ropes Labyrinth Adventure Park

You or your child/teen can make a labyrinth park. What’s a labyrinth park you ask?

Well, it’s like a maze but
labyrinths are designed so that you can’t take a wrong turn to get out. You
walk through the labyrinth, and of course, making it is the most fun part. The
even better part is that this is likely a multi-day project and one that you
can turn into a garden centerpiece if you want.

The first step is to draw out your
design. To give you an idea, here is what a labyrinth could look like. Once you
have a design you like, you’ll need to buy some rope and steel to construct the
labyrinth.

I told you this was a multi-day
project, but it doesn’t mean you need to construct in consecutive days, it
could be done throughout the summer if you wanted. Once you have the rope and
stakes, measure it out according to your diagram and hammer the stakes into the
ground to attach the ropes. A more detailed explanation with all of the steps
can be found on this excellent labyrinth making post.

·        
Neighbourhood
Football/Soccer Match or Capture the Flag

When we were growing up, we used to
put together football/soccer matches all the time at the local school ground,
or park that could accommodate the size needed. I’ve been doing this nearly my
whole life.

Even during beach vacations. We
would just grab anything that could make a goal post (a shoe, a coconut, a
stick stuck into the ground) whatever we could find. And voila, you have an
instant impromptu football pitch.

Now, start inviting the neighbors or your friends to come and play. You can make it more organized and create flyers, even game shirts for teams, and with Moms bringing over a different snack for the children to have during the match.

The other really fun thing to do for all ages is captured the flag. With capture the flag you don’t even need a field its better without a field. You can designate a loose area in the local forest or wooded section near your house. Organize into two teams, separate by age differences, boys, girls, and create the boundary and general rules.

In case you don’t know the rules,
they are quite simple. There is a flag that usually a person or persons stand
near to guard. This is usually away from the front neutral area towards the
front of the game area.

Then there will be some offensive aspect of the team that will try and sneaks into the other team’s area to try and capture the flag without being tagged. To get out or caught, you just need to be tagged by a member of the opposite team, while you are in “enemy territory”.

If a member of the opposite team
tags you while trying to get the flag, you are put into “prison”. Usually, a
team of the defense then needs to guard the prisoners, because if a member of
the offensive team tags a prisoner, all prisoners are released.

We have found both football/soccer
matches and capture the flag to be equally as fun with adults
and children of all ages playing together.

·        
A
nature treasure hunt

A lot of children and teens likely
have done treasure hunts, but a natural treasure hunt is done with a natural
twist. Examples of hints or clues are below, but you can make it more natural
by having the hunt is articles of nature. Examples could be pine cones, moss
from trees, types of rocks, or different types of leaves.

Likely, your teen will be rolling
their eyes at this one, but you can make it more fun by having a prize that you
know they will enjoy.

A
family hike

family activity

Being from the Swiss Alps, this is a hugely important family activity. It helps when you have some of the most stunning alpine and mountainous scenery in the world, but hikes are a great way to get outside and enjoy any type of environment.

No matter where you live. There are many apps in the Apple app store or Google play store that will give you great information on where the best hiking areas are in your area. The app will tell you based on your physical fitness ability what is most appropriate, the length of the hike, what features you may want to visit (fishing, swimming in a lake, reaching a mountain peak).

Plus, tell you where to park to
find the trailhead. You don’t need to live in Switzerland to enjoy a family
hike, so go out and do some hiking or walking today.

·        
Talent
show

Talent shows are great fun for the
family. They can be as elaborate as you want them to be, by inviting your
friends to take part, and even other families to put on competitions. Children
and teens love the opportunity to show off their hidden talents, be they in
singing, telling stories, playing instruments, or acting out a play that they
wrote.

Maybe you have a comedian in your
family, and this will give them a chance to shine. Jim Carrey used to put on
stand-up every day after school; you’ll never know what you may find out about
your child’s talents until you let them show them off.

·        
Make
tapas

Make Tapas

Tapas, in case you’re not familiar with them, are small, sometimes even bite-sized snacks with origins from Spain. In the Basque country, the area around the border of Spain and France, tapas are a way of life, and nearly all local restaurants serve them from lunch through to dinner. The idea of having several small dishes with a wide variety of choices has become so popular, tapas restaurants are opening up around the globe. Chances are you have even had them yourself while never having visited Spain.

At our camp, we make tapas and the
campers love the idea of having many options to choose to eat.

Here is a list of some of our
favorites. And the good news is that most of them are quite easy to make.

·        
Spanish
Omelet

This is an egg dish with potatoes, olive
oil, and other spices. If you want the exact recipe to make this one, you can
check out this comprehensive tapas recipe.

·        
Calamari

Any way you cut it, people love calamari or fried squid. It may be a bit difficult to get if you’re located in a landlocked area but the idea is some type of chewy white meat, cooked in light tempura or batter, then complemented with some lemon zest. Be careful to make enough of this one, because it’s very popular.

·        
A
mix of local cheeses and hams

No matter where you live, you
likely have access to cheese, try and go to the local butcher or gourmet shop
to get some good ones. Traditionally, the cheeses that are used for this are
Manchego or Mahon but you can make it with some different types that you like.

Stiltons, goat cheese, strong cheddar cheese complement with some good bread, and some ham’s (Iberian cured ham is great if you can find it). Add some walnuts and some grapes, and you’ll have a real tapas dish.

·        
Olives

That’s right, just plain olives and I usually find the ones that still have the pits inside them have the best flavor. If you take the pit out, for some reason some of the strong salty flavors is lost. Usually, it’s best to have a mix of olives, black and green, and with different sizes.

·        
Patatas
Bravas

These are just potatoes baked with a bit of paprika and spice sprinkled on before you place them in the oven. To make it traditionally the Basque way, use some aioli sauce, which is made from mostly garlic and olive oil. Who doesn’t love those?

Well, these are just a few ideas
that we think might be enough to motivate your child or teen up off of the
couch, off of their iPad, and out into the bright beautiful summer sun. We hope
that you’ll find some inspiration from these ideas.

In case you are wondering where these
ideas came from, many of them are what we recommend for our campers. We are an
international summer camp located in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

It attracts children and
communities from around the world. We have been entertaining children for more than
30 years. So we know a thing or two about how to keep children busy. Our camp
runs from December through August too.

If you’d like to learn more about
what we do, or more about the ideas we wrote about, just hit the button below
to get more information. We’d love to chat with you about these ideas, or even
to hear some of your own.Register today and be the first to
know about summer camp offers.

The Ultimate Summer Camp List for your Child’s Summer Camp Trip

While going for summer camps triggers a wave of excitement in children, preparing the summer camp list and knowing what to pack can be a daunting task for their parents. Read on to find out how you can make the task easier. We have also included some of the cool stuff for a sleepaway camp that your child may need for a successful camping experience. 

Remember;

Do not begin the packing process at the last minute. Devise a game plan early in advance before you start perusing through your child’s belongings. First, you may want to get in touch with the camping facility and establish their policies. Chances are high that they could have a list of essentials they give to each camper which means your child will not need those.

Still, the camp can supply you with the ultimate summer camp packing list complete with prohibited things and what the campers will need depending on the scheduled summer camp activities. Consider how long the summer camp will last to figure out the number of toiletries and clothing your child will require. If the camp is scheduled to last for more than a week, you may want to establish from the camp organizers whether or not they provide laundry services.

To make the packing process easy, involve your child as well. Allow them to air their ideas and views and let them choose their preferred items. Remember, there are numerous summer camp activities to engage in such as hiking, cycling, or even swimming. To participate in these activities effectively, your child will need the ideal gear. Ensure they have proper clothing to fit the activities. 

Tips to Ease the Sleepaway Summer Camp Packing Process

The following tips will not only ease the packing process, adopting them is the best way of ensuring you don’t forget any essential item that your child may need while on camp.

Choose the Ideal Bag

Before you begin the packing process, choose the ideal bag depending on where the child is going, how many days they’ll be away, and the summer sleepaway camp packing list you have. Contact the camp organizers and ask them to recommend the best bag. While some organizers recommend duffle bags, others prefer trunk bags. Your child will, of course, need a backpack especially if they’ll be engaging in other activities away from the camping site. 

Save on Space 

While many people prefer folding clothes, sometimes it’s not a great method of packing. What’s more, it may not be ideal if your child is to remain organized throughout the camping period. Opt for Ziploc bags or packing cubes to keep everything well contained. This will also help you save more space in the traveling bag. Have different cubes for every clothing category. Pack more Ziploc bags which your child can use to store damp or dirty clothes.

Label all Your Child’s Belongings

Ensure every item you pack is well labeled. Involve your child in the labeling process and make sure they know where the labels are. This will make identification easy should they lose their belongings. 

Avoid Filling up the Bag to the Brim 

You don’t expect your child to come back with a well-arranged suitcase. Chances are, they will just stuff their belongings away in the bag in a disorganized manner. You, therefore, want to leave enough room in the bag to ensure they can still close the zipper with minimal struggle.  

Pack Enough Snacks

Your child will get hungry more when they are away from home. Remember, their eating schedules will not be the same as is the case at home. You’ll not want your child to suffer hunger pangs while on the camp which is why you should at least include non-perishable snacks in the summer camp list. Include extra snacks so that they can share with their friends. 

 Note Down Everything Your Child Needs 

Remembering everything your child needs can be an arduous task. It is therefore important to write everything they need in your notebook. For instance, if your child suffers from allergies you want to pack all the medication they need to get relieve.

If some foods cause them reactions, you want to communicate this with their supervisor early in advance. Sort out all your child’s essentials according to priority. For instance, store the items they will need more often close to the top to ease access. Keep smaller items such as trinkets and writing materials in the inner compartments of their bags.

Make sure your child knows where everything is. Often, items will get lost at the time you need them most and you don’t want this to happen to your child. This is why you should involve them in the packing process as much as possible.

Essentials You Should Pack for a Sleepaway Camp 

Here are must-pack essentials for sleepaway camp.

Alarm Clock 

Sending your child to summer camp comes with various benefits such as learning how to be independent. How many times does your child wake up by themselves at home? Chances are, they hardly wake up unless you wake them up. When they go for summer camp however, they will need to wake up on time and this is why they will need an alarm clock.

A Portable Fan

While various camping accommodations come with air conditioning, campers hardly have any control over them. Include a small portable and where possible a battery-operated fan in their bags to ensure they are comfortable during their stay. 

Pajamas or Robes

During the packing process, parents will pay more attention to packing clothes to wear during the day and forget to include pajamas or comfortable clothing for the children to sleep in at night. This is where the summer sleepaway camp packing list comes in. You want to include every item your child will need for the camp and cross-check everything as you pack them in the bag to ensure your child has everything they require. 

Pack Extra Undergarments and Various Pairs of Socks

 Undergarments are some of the most essential items that your child cannot live without. You not only want to pack enough pieces to last them the entire camping session, but you should also include extra pieces just to be on the safe side. Teach your child how to separate clean underwear from dirty ones. Remember the extra Ziploc bags included in this post? Your child will use them to keep their dirty pieces together.

 Special activity Equipment and Clothes

Find out from the camp organizers what equipment your child will need during the camp. For instance, they will need swimming costumes for their swimming sessions. Depending on your child’s swimming expertise, you may want to include floaters or lifesavers in their bags. If they will participate in horse riding, they could need specially designed gear for horse riding.

If the camping facility offers sporting activities, music or dancing lessons, find out whether your child will need to bring anything along. To make your work easier, ask the organizers for the program of activities. That way, you will know what to and what not to buy. 

 An Extra Pair of Cozy Shoes 

Pack an extra pair of comfortable shoes. Your child will need to change their shoes in case they become wet or dirty. If hiking is among the summer camp activities, the extra pair will come in handy if the camper develops blisters along the way. You may want to include flip flops, especially if the child will get into contact with pool water. 

Extra Sheets or a Sleeping Bag

Remember, temperatures are likely to drop tremendously during the night even in summer. You don’t want your child to be freezing while on camp. Of course, the camping facility could provide these items. However, you want to pack them to keep your child as comfortable as possible. 

 Washing Kit

The washing kit is essential as it will ensure your child is clean and smelling fresh. The kit should include: a toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, washing soap or shower gel, hair bands, clips, and a hairbrush, bathing towels and beach towels if your child will be swimming during the summer camp.

Perhaps you are always reminding your child to take a shower or brush their teeth. Since you will not be with them at summer camp, you want to pack and keep their hygiene essentials closer to the top. This way, they will notice them when they open their bags and this will help them take care of their cleanliness.  

Finally 

These tips should ease the packing process for you and your child. It’s important to know that many camping facilities do not allow some personal items such as electronic gadgets. Avoid these and let your child go out there and explore the world with minimal distractions. Next time your child is going on summer camp, you want to prepare your summer sleepaway camp packing list early in advance to avoid the hassles that come with packing late. Involve your child in the packing process and ensure they know where everything is. This will help them enjoy their camping experience to the maximum.

How to Maximize Your Child’s Summer Camp Experience in Switzerland

Nearly every child looks forward to going on summer vacation. Not only do they get the opportunity to relax away from their books, but many of them get the opportunity to go for exciting summer camps in various parts of the world.

For years, Switzerland has been one of the preferred summer camp places and the country has hosted many young children and teenagers from different parts of the world. As a parent, you should prepare your child adequately to maximize their camping experience. The following tips can come in handy to ease the process.

View the Camp as a Learning Experience

Going for summer camps in Switzerland allows your child the opportunity to explore the world at large outside the locality they are used to. Further, the experience will teach your child how to be independent. They will learn how to nurture new social skills, how to make new friends, and understand the importance of teamwork. Your child will also develop his or her creative skills. On your part as a parent, you can leverage on this opportunity to focus your energy on taking care of yourself, relaxing, exercising, or reading that book you’ve always wanted to read before your child finally comes back.

Involve Your Child in the Camp Planning

Collaborate with your child to make decisions regarding the camp. For instance, you can choose the ideal summer camp location together, choose what to pack, and discuss the perfect activities your child is comfortable engaging in. Give your child a chance to participate in the decision making and you’ll maximize their chances of enjoying it

Discuss any Concerns you may have

As the camping day approaches, your child is likely to become more anxious and perhaps afraid of leaving. This is where you need to encourage them to speak their fears or concerns out. This way, you can understand what’s bothering them. Assure them that everything will work out well and express your confidence in their potential to cope with being far from home.

Set Practical Expectations

Just like any other part of life, a summer camp will have its highs and lows. Some moments will be exciting while others will be low key. It’s important to let your child know this and have a practical and reasonable view of the camp. Talk about some of the highs and lows your child is likely to experience while on camp.

Encourage them to be themselves and avoid feeling pressed for success while on camp. After all, camps should be an opportunity to have fun, relax, and achieve their best depending on their potential without feeling the urge to compete with their peers.

Exciting Child-Friendly Summer Camp Activities in Switzerland

Depending on your career, you may not get summer off in time to either take your children on holiday or take care of them during their summer school break. Still, parents who have their off during summer can get overwhelmed by having active children at home throughout the day.

Luckily, you can send your children to summer camps in Switzerland and still be contented that they will not only be safe, but they will also enjoy their time at camp. Switzerland is a beautiful country which offers numerous child-friendly activities to engage in ranging from educational and fun. Here are some exciting things for your child to do while on Switzerland summer camp.

Sports

If your child is a sports enthusiast, attending football camps can be one of the most exciting activities. Many of the football camp service providers in Switzerland accommodate football activities for both girls and boys of different ages. Your child can participate in the camp from the age of three years.

The camps are spread across various regions in the country such as Geneva, Zurich, Zug, Versoix, Aubonne, Vevey, Lausanne, Basel, and Montreux. All the coaches are fluent in English which is an advantage to many of the foreign students attending the camps during the summer holiday. If you are looking for girls-only camps, you will find them in Versoix and Basel.

Water-Related Activities

Children love swimming and playing with water. What’s more, various locations in Zurich and Geneva offer sailing lessons which your child will be delighted to participate in. Your children will have fun and entertainment engaging in various water-related activities during summer camps Switzerland such as kayaking, and waterskiing.

If your child is going for their summer camp in Zurich, they will enjoy a wide range of outdoor swimming areas which include: rivers, lakes, and pools. The Strandbad Mythenquai, for instance, is ideal for children of different ages. The facility features shallow swimming places ideal for younger children and beautiful sandy beaches. There is also a park and a playing ground with lots of grass where children will enjoy running and playing their favorite games. There is also a grilling area where children can learn how to grill.

Hiking

Hiking is a tedious activity that many children may be reluctant to engage in. However, summer camp organizers can make them exciting for the sake of the children. One way of doing so is by creating a nature trail. Involve a section of the children right from scratch to make the activity more exciting, and to ensure that the remaining section can participate in the activity as the nature hunters.

To create a nature trail, the children with the help of camp organizers will need to plan their route. They will need a notepad, a pen, a camera or a phone to take photos, and search for exciting things to incorporate in the trail such as unique trees with special characteristics, large stones or logs, an animal home, exotic flowers, or shrubs.

After the children have identified these items, they should proceed to design the nature trail by sketching down a map of the trail and writing down instructions for the nature hunters to follow. The organizing group will need to come up with a treasure hunt or a nature trail quiz for the hunters.

This can include things to do during the hunt such as naming the trees they encounter along the way. The final step for the organizing group involves making copies of their map, spotter sheets, and instructions and handing them to the hunters. This activity can be exciting and fun for both groups. What’s more, it can also be used as a learning experience.

Arts and Crafts Related Activities

Children can engage in creative activities while at Switzerland summer camps depending on their ages. The younger children can practice doodle art where they will need drawing materials such as crayons, markers, and pencils, and paper. The children will then use their drawing materials to fill the blank paper with colors and drawings of different shapes. The older children can create bead jewelry.

Seeing that many children are fascinated by beads, this activity will be ideal for both girls and boys. All they will need is a container filled with beads and pipe cleaners or yarn. This activity is simple and children get an opportunity to demonstrate how creative they can get. Make sure to include the beads in varying colors and shapes and you’ll be surprised at the beautiful pieces the children will create.

Visiting Adventure Parks

Children, especially teenagers are energetic and many of them will be excited to try any adventurous activity they can come across. The Adventure Park Davos Färich, for instance, lies beside the Flüela mountain pass foot. It’s a high wire cycle park where your children will enjoy exciting times. It features a mountain bike course and five rope courses with varying difficulties, all of which are suitable for both children and adults.

There are assistants at the wire courses ready to offer the necessary assistance and guarantee safety. Parents, therefore, don’t have to worry. If your child loves biking, then this summer camp Switzerland activity is a must-do for them. The bike trails at this camp come with a pump track, tables, north shore structures, and jumps.

The younger children can also enjoy their child-related activities at the available playgrounds. There’s a restaurant on site too where children can enjoy their favorite snacks after an event filled afternoon.

Horse Riding and Mountain Biking Activities

The idea of going for summer camps in Switzerland is to get children out of their comfort zones and allow them to participate in activities they hardly engage in back home  such as mountain biking and horse riding. One ideal place that offers these activities in Switzerland is the Graubünden campsite.

Nestled beside a lake and surrounded by picturesque pine trees, the campsite comes complete with modern facilities, pitches, a restaurant, and a recreational room beside the lake. Your children will not only enjoy the beautiful views and cool breeze in their Switzerland summer camp, but they will also go horse riding and make new friends while biking around the mountain. Sports lovers will also enjoy playing various sports such as tennis, mini-golf, and golf

Summer Camp Activities

What would you do if you could come up with a list of summer camp activities, that would make any camp director swoon?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hearing more and more of the parents contacting our camp thinking and saying the same thing.

Oh no, not another summer like last year, where your child sat inside all day complaining that there was nothing to do, while you fought as hard as you could just to get them off of their iPad.

Nope, not this year. We are going to give you a list of summer camp activities so engaging that your child will be bounding out of bed every morning, eagerly awaiting to hear what is on for the day.

Well, that’s the hope at least…

Bike Riding (with the family):

I know this one sounds obvious, and maybe you’ve tried it before but how about trying to tie something more relaxing into the activity to give it more appeal. For example, instead of saying let’s go for a family bike ride, how about burying the biking aspect in with “How about we go on a family picnic where I make your favourite lunch dish, and we go for a swim in the cool lake?”. When asked how you’ll get there, then you slide in the, Well, by bikes of course.

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It’s been known that children, and teens of this day don’t get nearly enough exercise during the summer. Because not every child has the option for summer sports activities during the summer months, you’ll have to get creative ways to get children off of the couch at home, and out into the glorious summer sunshine. What better way to do this than by good old fashioned bike power.

Rock climbing wall at the local gym

Many gyms these days have a climbing wall right inside the gym. How about taking your child to the local gym? You’ll first need call them to find out if they have a climbing wall, but I bet you’ll be surprised that they do. Then the outing could be down to the local gym, where they often give you a free pass to check out and try the climbing wall. This is a great activity, and you may surprise yourself by finding your child has a knack for climbing that they never knew about. This happened to my sons friend last summer, and now he’s hooked.

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Many of the rock walls have a free session for children where the children can train with a trained coach or expert, and they’ll lend you the shoes, harness and the ropes are already there. Just make sure to bring your own socks!

Friendship bracelets

Friendship bracelets are really easy and fun to make. All you will need is some yarn, or coloured floss to weave together, some tape, and some fun doo dads to hang off the bracelets. I’ve seen children use beads, and other trinkets to make them more fun or personal. Even beads with letters, so they could put their friends name on the bracelet.

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If you want to see a more detailed description of how to make these check out this site.

Homemade Ice Cream

Now what other thing reminds us more of summer than ice cream? And making your own ice cream, or even better, having your child or teen make ice cream is an age old summer activity that will be sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. You would be surprised at how easy it is to make, and even with only a few common household ingredients that you likely already have on hand.

Ingredients

2 -3 cups (16oz/450ml ) heavy whipping cream, cold

14 ounces (1 Can/ 400ml) sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular), cold

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)

For additional flavours, you can go as crazy as you want. Think mango puree, strawberries, salted caramel, kiwi, the list goes on and on, and who can forget about chocolate sauce.

Instructions

  1. Place sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to keep cold.
  2. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold cream on medium/high speed until soft peaks form.
  3. Pour the cold condensed milk into the whipped cream.
  4. Whisk until the mixture is thick and stiff peaks form. Then mix in your vanilla or other flavours that you like. How about some fresh blueberries that you might have picked from a nature hike that morning?

In case you didn’t know, this is what stiff peaks looks like. I was always confused by this term myself until I tried making ice cream and later a tiramisu. You’ll need to whip your ice cream mix until it reaches the consistency of the below.  

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Then, just stick in the freezer, wait a few hours and enjoy!

Ring Toss

A few years ago, we went on a family vacation to Jamaica with a few other families. There was a simple game that was a ring, tied to an old piece of fishing line that you had to stand a few meters away from and swing it onto a spike stuck in a tree. Believe it or not, this simple game provided hours of entertainment for children and adults alike. Nevermind that the adults turned the activity into more of a frat party drinking game, it was still fun. Be creative and tie in some tricks or prizes into the mix, and you’ll have an instant and nearly free activity that can entertain children for a few hours the rest of the summer.

Giant Bubbles

OK, this might be for the younger ones, but I’ve even seen the street performers standing at the stop lights trying to earn a few dollars with this one. It’s pretty fun to watch. The recipe is you’ll need is: 6 cups water, 1 cup corn syrup, and 2 cups regular strength dish soap. The corn syrup as you might have guessed is the key to allowing the bubbles to get really big.

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Stir mixture into a shallow tub. Dip blower into solution, lift out, and blow. Or even run with the soapy mixture into the breeze and let a huge bubble fly.  As you can see from this image, you can get some sticks and some string to make the area for the mixture to cling to. Then just add the breeze by running, and let those giant bubbles fly.

A makeshift puppet show

This activity is as easy as it sounds. Grab some old socks, paint some faces on them, and let your creativity run wild. You can even cut out some yarn and glue on a wig, or get as crazy as you want for the puppets themselves. Just do like you see in the movies and have your child hide behind a box or table that is turned on its side and reenact Shakespeare or be their silly selves. It may sound corny, but this one has brought our family and friend to tears as the children make up funny stories and enjoying bringing out the hidden thespian.

A family visit to a nearby historical site or museum

Oh, the horror, a museum and learning in the summer? But wait, it’s not as bad as it sounds. There are plenty of museums or historical sites that are a lot of fun to visit in the summer. Many museums these days have fun science experiments or educational how-tos to illustrate fun activities and lessons to children and teens.

Your own ropes labyrinth adventure park

You or your child / teen can make a labyrinth park.

What’s a labyrinth park you ask?

Well, it’s like a maze but labyrinths are designed so that you can’t take a wrong turn to get out. You walk through the labyrinth, and of course making it is the most fun part. The even better part is that this is likely a multi day project, and one that you can actually turn into a garden centerpiece if you want.

The first step is to draw out your design. To give you an idea, here is what a labyrinth could look like. Once you have a design you like, you’ll need to buy some rope and steel to construct the labyrinth. I told you this was a multi day project, but it doesn’t mean you need to construct in consecutive days, it could be done throughout the summer if you wanted. Once you have the rope and stakes, measure it out according to your diagram and hammer the stakes into the ground to attach the ropes. A more detailed explanation with all of the steps can be found on this excellent labyrinth making post.

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Here’s what it could look like at the end of the creation.

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Neighbourhood Football/Soccer match OR capture the flag

When we were growing up, we used to put together football/soccer matches all the time at the local school ground, or park that could accommodate the size needed. In fact, I’ve been doing this nearly my whole life. Even during beach vacations. We would just grab anything that could make a goal post (a shoe, a coconut, a stick stuck into the ground) whatever we could find. And voila, you have an instant impromptu football pitch. Now, start inviting the neighbours or your friends to come and play. You can make it more organised and create flyers, even game shirts for teams and with Moms bringing over a different snack for the children to have during the match.

The other really fun thing to do for all ages is capture the flag. With capture the flag you don’t even need a field, in fact, it’s better without a field. You can designate a loose area in the local forest or wooded section near your house. Organise into two teams, separate by age differences, boys, girls and create the boundary and general rules.

In case you don’t know the rules, they are quite simple. There is a flag that usually a person or persons stand near to guard. This is usually away from the front neutral area towards the front of the game area. Then there will be some offensive aspect of the team that will try and sneak into the other team’s area to try and capture the flag without being tagged. To get out or caught, you just need to be tagged by a member of the opposite team, while you are in “enemy territory”.

If a member of the opposite team tags you while trying to get the flag, you are put into “prison”. Usually a team of the defence then needs to guard the prisoners, because if a member of the offensive team tags a prisoner, all prisoners are released.

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We have found both football/soccer matches and capture the flag to be equally as fun with adults and children of all ages playing together.

A nature treasure hunt

A lot of children and teens likely have done treasure hunts, but a natural treasure hunt is done with a natural twist. Examples of hints, or clues are below, but you can make it more natural by having the hunt be articles of nature. Examples could be pine cones, moss from trees, types of rocks, or different types of leaves.

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Likely, your teen will be rolling their eyes at this one, but you can make it more fun by having a prize that you know they will enjoy.

A family hike

Being from the Swiss Alps, this is a hugely important family activity. It helps when you have some of the most stunning alpine and mountainous scenery in the world, but hikes are a great way to get outside and enjoy any type of environment. No matter where you live. There are many apps in the Apple app store or Google play store that will give you great information on where the best hiking areas are in your area. The app will tell you based on your physical fitness ability what is most appropriate, the length of the hike, what features you may want to visit (fishing, swim in a lake, reach a mountain peak).

Here’s picture of my sons and dog on a local hike near where we live. Not bad, eh?

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Plus, tell you where to park to find the trailhead. You don’t need to live in Switzerland to enjoy a family hike, so go out and do some hiking or walking today.

Talent show

Talent shows are great fun for the family. They can be as elaborate as you want them to be, by inviting your friends to take part, and even other families to put on competitions. Children and teens love the opportunity to show off their hidden talents, be they in singing, telling stories, playing instruments or acting out a play that they wrote. Maybe you have a comedian in your family, and this will give them a chance to shine. Jim Carrey used to put on stand-up every day after school, you’ll never know what you may find out about your child’s talents until you let them show them off.

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Make tapas

Tapas, in case you’re not familiar with them, are small, sometimes even bite sized snacks with origins from Spain. In the Basque country, the area around the border of Spain and France, tapas are a way of life, and nearly all local restaurants serve them from lunch through to dinner. The idea of having a number of small dishes with a wide variety of choices has become so popular, tapas restaurants are opening up around the globe. Chances are you have even had them yourself while never having visited Spain.

At our camp, we make tapas and the campers love the idea having many options to choose to eat.

Here are a list of some of our favourites. And the good news, is that most of them are quite easy to make.

Spanish omelette – This is an egg dish with potatoes, olive oil, and other spices. If you want the exact recipe to make this one, you can check out this comprehensive tapas recipes.

Calamari – Any way you cut it, people love calamari, or fried squid. It may be a bit difficult to get if you’re located in a land locked area but the idea is some type of chewy white meat, cooked in a light tempura or batter, then complement with some lemon zest. Careful to make enough of this one, because it’s very popular.

A mix of local cheeses and hams – No matter where you live, you likely have access to cheese, try and go to the local butcher or gourmet shop to get some good ones. Traditionally, the cheeses that are used for this are Manchego or Mahon but you can make it with some different types that you like. Stiltons, goat cheese, strong cheddar cheese. Then compliment with some good bread, and some ham’s (Iberian cured ham is great if you can find it). Add some walnuts and some grapes, and you’ll have a real tapas dish.

Olives – That’s right, just plain olives and I usually find the ones that still have the pits inside them have the best flavour. If you take the pit out, for some reason some of the strong salty flavour is lost. Usually, it’s best to have a mix of olives, black and green and with different sizes.

Patatas Bravas – This just potatoes baked with a bit of paprika and spice sprinkled on before you place in the oven. To make it traditionally the Basque way, use some aioli sauce, which is made from mostly garlic and olive oil. Who doesn’t love those?

To get your creative juices flowing, here’s a shot of a plate that might get you inspired.

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Well, this is just a few ideas that we think might be enough to motivate your child or teen up off of the couch, off of their iPad and out into the bright beautiful summer sun. We hope that you’ll find some inspiration from these ideas.

In case you are wondering where these ideas came from, many of these ideas are ones that we encourage or use with our own campers. We are an international summer camp located in the heart of the Swiss Alps. With children and communities from around the world, we have been entertaining children for more than 30 years. So we know a thing or two about how to keep children busy. Our camp actually runs from December through August too. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, or more about the ideas we wrote about, just hit the button below to get more information. We’d love to chat with you about these ideas, or even to hear some of your own.

Now go out and enjoy some summer sun!