Are you doing this because you need childcare or to give him something to do?

My children are in all day summer camp for approximately 6 weeks during the summer. DH and I each take 2 different weeks off in August to minimize the number of week in camp. They are exhausted and I wish I could pick them up at 3 pm vs. 6 pm but both DH and I work full time. I tried a babysitter for a couple of weeks last summer and it was a disaster. They did not behave and gave the sitter a hard time. At one point, I thought half day camp plus half day babysitter would be ideal but not after that experience. They are well behaved at after school care so not sure why it didn't work out with the sitter.

What do you think working parents do, OP?
They're not all wealthy with nannies.

lol, no. Doesn't your kid go to "all day" school for one hour less each day for way more than five weeks in a row?

Totally fine!

Working parents do this all the time without an issue, and for much younger kids. It is fine.

Anonymous wrote:My 5 y.o. did day camp with similar daily hours for 9 weeks last year with no problem. She loved the camp. Whether the camp itself will be a good fit is a different question.

+1 When trying out different camps for my kids, I've generally avoided having them anywhere new for more than 2 weeks. that way if it turns out they don't like it they aren't locked in for a long time.

Cannot he just do it every other week? And on those weeks off just stay home, hang out with friends in the neighborhood, do chores at home, etc.

With the exception of the annual 2-week vacation, my kids have been in full-day camps all summer since K and 2nd grade. Not too much for them. Over the years (they are now in 5th/7th grades) I've sometimes offered to get a sitter instead of camp and they strongly prefer the camps. They think hanging out at home or the pool would be boring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you think it would be too much?

Because it would be like 5 more straight weeks of school, and I don't want him to get burnt out... I don't want him to feel like I am dumping him somewhere for the summer...it's not school topics, it's topics that are considered "fun", things he wouldn't normally learn about in school. I also don't want him to stay at home and veg out with Minecraft for hours, so I thought all day camp would be better. ..

I'd just make sure it was a fun camp - sports, swimming, arts/crafts, field trips.

Anonymous wrote:My 5 y.o. did day camp with similar daily hours for 9 weeks last year with no problem. She loved the camp. Whether the camp itself will be a good fit is a different question.

Same here.

Anonymous wrote:Why would you think it would be too much?

Because it would be like 5 more straight weeks of school, and I don't want him to get burnt out... I don't want him to feel like I am dumping him somewhere for the summer...it's not school topics, it's topics that are considered "fun", things he wouldn't normally learn about in school. I also don't want him to stay at home and veg out with Minecraft for hours, so I thought all day camp would be better. ..

My 5 y.o. did day camp with similar daily hours for 9 weeks last year with no problem. She loved the camp. Whether the camp itself will be a good fit is a different question.

Why would you think it would be too much?

It's near our house, and every week is a different topic. Goes from 9 am to 4 pm. Too much?