Mags GarganMags Gargan looks at summer camp options to keep children entertained in the coming months
The long summer school holidays are nearly upon us and it is time to start thinking of activities to keep children occupied. There are a number of organisations offering summer camps, either daytime or residential, catering for children aged from 4 right up to 18 in some cases. While offering children the chance to explore new hobbies and sports, to improve academic skills and to make new friends, they also offer parents respite from having to come up with activities to entertain the kids while knowing they are in a fun and safe environment.
Choosing the right summer camp depends on the child’s personality and interests, but always check that the instructors are qualified and Garda vetted, and that the children will be supervised at all times.
Here’s a selection of what’s on offer this summer:
Michaela Foundation
The Michaela Foundation was inspired by the life of Michaela McAreavey and offers young people throughout Ireland different programmes tailored to establish a happy, confident, faith filled life.
The summer camps are designed for girls aged 11-13 with fun activities based on five core elements: faith, fashion, fun, Irish and wellbeing.
John McAreavey from the Michaela Foundation said he was delighted to be able to spread the camp to 14 venues this summer, and “We have a great team of almost 400 trained camp volunteers who we know will inspire the Campettes”.
To see camp locations and to register see www.themichaelafoundation.com
Junior Chef
The Junior Chef kids cookery school offers cooking classes, cooking birthday parties, school holiday camps and family cookery lessons for children of all ages, teenagers and transition year students. The idea is to teach children the basic cooking skills required for them to make meals, encourage healthy eating and have lots of fun.
One-week summer camps run from Monday, June 16 right through the summer to Friday, August 22 in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. The classes run from 09.30am-2pm and are €175 per child. See www.juniorchef.ie
Whizzkids
WhizzKids provides a range of IT courses and camps for children aged 8-18 and it runs summer camps in locations across the country.
Designed for children of all abilities, the camps cover a range of multimedia subjects starting with the basics and going through to web design, video game programming, film production, video editing and desktop publishing.
Classes are broken up by age, with day camps for boys and girls aged 8-15, while residential camps are for 13-17 year olds and are more advanced. See www.whizzkids.ie
Gaeltacht courses
Gael Linn’s summer colleges for teenagers are organised in three major Gaeltacht areas in Donegal, West Cork and North Mayo. Courses in these centres are run during June, July and August each year, and one of these is a dedicated sports’ course. Gael Linn’s courses are based on current best practice in language teaching and are delivered by qualified teachers. They are open to students aged between 11 and 18 years and are designed to improve the students’ ability and confidence to communicate with greater fluency in Irish. See www.gael-linn.ie for more information
Space Camp
Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork offers a summer space camp from July 7-21 for 8-12 year olds interested in astronomy and space.
Now in its seventh year the camp offers budding astronauts the opportunity to explore the universe, build and fire rockets, explore engineering and remotely use a telescope in California. Campers also get the chance to design and build their own landing craft to launch ‘Eggstronauts’ off the roof of the Round Tower.
There are three sessions to choose from running from Mon-Fri, 10-1pm and it costs €95 per child. See www.bco.ie
FAI Soccer Schools
The official Summer Soccer Schools of the Football Association of Ireland – priced at €65 or €50 for Goalkeepers Camps – are offered by FAI qualified coaches and include a full kit, ball and back pack.
With 330 camps across 26 counties nationwide, this is the FAI’s largest grassroots programme. The focus on each camp is for fun and development rather than competition, and they are open to boys and girls of all abilities from the ages of 6 to 14, from June 28-August 24, Monday-Friday, 10.30-3pm. See www.summersoccerschools.ie
Horizon Ireland
Horizon offers French and Spanish language courses that combine intensive language lessons each morning with afternoons of mingling with native speakers and taking part in fun activities like surfing, abseiling, quad biking and climbing.
This interaction between Irish and foreign students is a unique element of Horizon International Language College, and organisers say students “develop a hunger to acquire new words and phrases” to communicate with their new French or Spanish friends.
Available in colleges in Dublin, Westport and Roscrea the camps are suitable for 13-17 year-olds. See www.horizonireland.com
Alliance Francaise
The Dublin branch of the Alliance Française is the third biggest in Europe and the first established in a non-French-speaking country. The aim of Alliance Française is to promote French culture, as well as to provide a space for intercultural exchanges between Ireland and the cultures of the French-speaking world.
The centre offers French language classes in day-time programmes over one or two weeks from June to August for children aged 4-11 and teenagers aged 12-17. The children learn and play in French with arts and crafts, songs and outdoor games with lunch à la française, while the classes for teenagers are designed to complement school classes and to lay the groundwork for the school year ahead. See www.alliance-francaise.ie
Anyone 4 Science
A mix of biology, chemistry, physics and engineering Anyone 4 Science offers Summer Camps for children aged 4-15 divided into four age groups based in venues across the country.
Running from 10-2pm each day the camps consists of a variety of activities including science experiments, designing and making science toys, science games and worksheets. Where possible regular household materials are used for the experiments and most days the children make things to take home with them.
Music & drama
Wicklow School of Music and Drama offers two age appropriate summer camps throughout the month of July.
Kinder Music Camps for 4-6 year-olds aims to nurture a love of music in young children as they learn about music literacy and concepts through dance, art and singing. This year’s theme is Mermaids & Pirates and it runs from 11-2pm from Friday to Tuesday.
The Summer School of Rock for ages 10 and up offers students the opportunity to learn the rudiments of drumming, rock guitar, lead vocals and sound engineering in a portable recording studio. Running from Monday, July 4 to Friday, July 15 from 10-4pm the students will form a band and play a gig at the end of the course.
Places are limited – see www.wicklowmusicdrama.com
Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps
Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps provide boys and girls aged 6-13 with a fun-filled week of activity during the summer holidays with a strong emphasis placed on skill acquisition.
The programme involves coaching specific skills of the game and the opportunity for children to put into practice what they have learned through small sided games.
Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps are run throughout the summer from Monday-Friday, 10am-2.30pm, in all 32 counties and overseas. See www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie for details.