Did you love the camp(s) your child(ren) attended this summer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son (rising 7th grader) is too old for the summer camp program he's been in for the past 6 years and we're planning on Congressional Schools summer camp in Falls Church. Anyone have any experience with that camp? Day camp program or the Teen Travel program?

We love Congressional. Very organized and well-done. Lots of variety. Big, beautiful campus. Go visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to know more about CASA at Sheridan...anyone?

I am surprise no one talks about CASA at Sheridan school. I can say it is one of the best Summer Camps in the area. It is structured in a way that doesn't feel structured. The day is divided in periods and every period is a workshop or class. workshops vary and children have different options per periods. My DD chose mainly artistic workshops like painting, drawing, jewelry making but there are other classes :sports, theater, dance. They end each session with a mini musical and a big musical at the end of the Summer. It is very impressive to see what children can do. We spent last Summer out of the country but DD will sure attend CASA this year. Contact Nathalie Svyedrys the director. She has done a wonderful job running this program. Counselors are chosen carefully, many are returning year after year. Some of them are college students but an effort is placed to find art majors, exhibiting artists, and professional artistic to teach fun Summer classes.

[Anonymous]

I am the previous poster. I forgot to mention that DD attended Beauvoir in the past (before discovering CASA). It was OK as some parents have said here. It is not academic but is run in the same way that a school would run with exception to the swimming. Many parents enroll their kids in this Summer Camp in order to get an inside of the school but it is a poor reflection of what the school is like during the rest of the year. My daughter wanted to be exposed to more creative activities and the art periods here where just terrible usually crafty projects that where not open-ended and did not allow children to dig into their own creative processes. Other than that, it was fine depending on what you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Another very negative experience at WIS. I thought we had terrible luck, but it seems as it is the other way around. Unbelievable....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My 2 kids did Beauvoir last summer and really liked it (much better than St. Patricks which one did the 2 years before). St. Patricks definitely had younger counselors and was more unstructured.

Interesting. We had the exact opposite experience. Both of my kids did 1 year at Beavoir (different years, too) and have done one year and 3 years at St Patrick's camp. St Patrick's Camp was both of their favorite, hands down. They also love Discovery Creek and HeadFirst camps.

Beauvoir was fine but unexpceptional. They had neither a bad tiome nor a great time. The staff was on the very young side with a smattering of teachers/prefessionals and the counselors who were highschool or college aged mostly seemed bored with the whole thing. (Johnny who taught swimming was a major exception. He was phenomenal). My kids hated being stuck in the baby pool at Beauvoir which is based on age as both of them could swim well at 4 yrs. of age. Once, when I called about an issue they never could fuind anyone for me to talk to and I kept getting put into unused phone mailboxes. Ugh.

The St Patrick's Camp lit up their days and its been that way every year. There seems to be a much better balance of teachers/professional and highschool/college kid counselors and the young counselors seemed to be really in to it and loved the kids. The swimming program is the best in NWDC hands down (and we have tried lots) as the pool is right on campus, no hiking a half mile down the road, and the swimming instructors are very experienced and much older - teachers and coaches. I don't know what else made it so fantatsic for them but they just LOVE it.

I am interested in trying the Landon Camp for my older son this summer but the posts seem so mixed as do things I have heard from friends. What gives? anyone...??

We had the exact same experience. DS attended Beauvoir for a year, didn't like it, then St Pats for several years and loved it. I can't put my finger on what he liked about it, but he wanted to go back every year. There seems to be a lot of consistency in the staff from year to year because each year when he came back the counselors remembered him and were happy to see him.

[Anonymous]

does anyone have any information about the long summer camp program at Our Lady of Lourdes church in Bethesda md?

[Anonymous]

My 4yo attended Camp Horizons at NPS last summer and absolutely loved it. He didn't know a soul but felt totally at ease there and is asking to go back this summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to know more about CASA at Sheridan...anyone?

I am surprise no one talks about CASA at Sheridan school. I can say it is one of the best Summer Camps in the area. It is structured in a way that doesn't feel structured. The day is divided in periods and every period is a workshop or class. workshops vary and children have different options per periods. My DD chose mainly artistic workshops like painting, drawing, jewelry making but there are other classes :sports, theater, dance. They end each session with a mini musical and a big musical at the end of the Summer. It is very impressive to see what children can do. We spent last Summer out of the country but DD will sure attend CASA this year. Contact Nathalie Svyedrys the director. She has done a wonderful job running this program. Counselors are chosen carefully, many are returning year after year. Some of them are college students but an effort is placed to find art majors, exhibiting artists, and professional artistic to teach fun Summer classes.

Will second this opinion of CASA. My daughter enjoys it and has been back several summers. She is somewhat anxious type, so she would not like it if it were crowded and out of control. The fact that she asks to return means it is a pretty stable environment. I do also think the director is good and responsive. I don't know how it would be for a boy -- i.e. if there's enough sporty boy stuff.

[Anonymous]

Hi, my name is Roxana and I am looking Summer camps in silver spring for my son he has 5 years old, please contact to me to [e-mail].

Thanks

[Anonymous]

CREATE Arts Center in downtown Silver Spring has summer camp for children ages 6-14. 5 year olds who will be in 1st grade in the fall are sometimes able to attend. www.createartscenter.org Small, very nuturing, two arts projects plus time outdoors every day.

[Anonymous]

Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies
Junior Camp 1 week in West Virginia
Good for a kid with even a passing interest in nature/outdoors.
Basic facilities, creative, personal, highly engaged and engaging staff. Amazing staff to camper ratio. 2:1

The Junior Camp- 1 week in August-- is already full for 2009.

I think there are still some openings for 11-15 year olds.

[Anonymous]

My daughter attended camp at the National Building Museum last summer. Camp there is for 3rd-5th graders and is a full day for two weeks. They did some really neat art and building activities and at the end of the session parents were invited to a presentation by the campers---they had made their own museum exhibit! My daughter had a blast with the variety of activities and field trips and we are looking at sending her back again this year. I was pleased with the amount of parent communication--there was a weekly newsletter and the director of camp was very available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter loved sleep away camp at Camp Potomac Woods. It is a Girl Scouts camp but girls do not need to be Girl Scouts to go to camp. She took the bus to/from camp as well and had a blast! She hopes to go again this year -- registration is by lottery.

I went to this camp many, many years ago and loved it, too!

[Anonymous]

Norwood has been great for my outgoing son. He has attended at 3 and 4 years old and will go again this year at 5.5

[Anonymous]

How about any of the Glen Echo summer camps?