Yes, it’s only February and I’m already thinking about vacation planning and summer camp. It’s cold and my family is craving warm weather and fun activities.

What about you? Are you thinking about your summer plans yet? What’s your annual mix? Ours is part family travel, part camp for the kids.

Although it seems like we just took down the Christmas tree, the school year is halfway completed and now’s the perfect time to start planning. Prices are low and we’re recuperating from the consumerism of the holidays.

The first thing that I ask myself is: how do I keep the kids engaged and learning over the summer break?

The Annual Summer Camp Challenge

Every year, I deal with the same issue: what type of camp am I going to enroll my 11-year old? I want to keep things fun and exciting for him. I know how he learns and what he enjoys learning but it’s not always easy to find a camp environment that will keep him engaged, learning, and growing.

Other parents face this same challenge. And unfortunately, not everyone can afford (both in time and resources) to travel all summer long with their kids while managing summer learning.

This is why summer camps like Galileo learning camps are so valuable. They have deep and lasting educational impact that parents appreciate.

Galileo Camp Offerings

Galileo summer camps offer several themes/curriculum options which include:

• Music and Art
• Destination San Francisco
• DIY Art and Real-world Inventions
• Mount Everest Expedition
• Arts Academy (painting, filmmaking, photography, fashion design)
• Technology (mod, website and video game design, 3D modeling / printing, music production)
• Culinary Arts (International cooking, dessert making)
• Building/Inventing

In-Home Camp

My boys are like many other kids – they excel in hands-on, interactive learning experiences. When my oldest was first learning about fractions and measurements in school, he had trouble grasping the concept. So, I did what any mom would do who needs to explain measurements to her child: I made him bake!

Ok, well maybe not all moms do that but I thought it would be a fun, educational, hands-on experience for him. In one of our in-the-kitchen math lessons, he helped me measure oil, water and batter for brownies.

This exercise taught him fractions and the metric system.

Another time he helped me make sugar croissants. The exercise required measuring ingredients like brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. We used smaller measurements like teaspoons and tablespoons.

Here are some pictures from the activity we did, complete with steps on how you can make your own cinnamon bites:

 

Aside from being fun (and yummy), these activities were lessons for him that not only help to develop life skills but also teach him a thing or two. After a few hands-on experiences in the kitchen, the concept of fractions was clearer to him.

What Summer Camp Is About

This is what summer camp should emulate for kids: creative learning opportunities that will have educational impact. Camps like Galileo camps do just this. These hands-on camps teach pre-K-8th graders to be innovators who explore, create and fail without fear.

Being able to create without fear of failure is important to a child’s growth, esteem, and enjoyment. This is why kids love Galileo summer camps.

We all know that camp can be expensive. Try Galileo camps out for yourself and save $30 off per family for 1 session. Click the link to check out their offerings and use code: 2015INNOVATE to save. When a child is interested in what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, that is when they’re most successful and when they excel.

Thanks to Galileo Learning for sponsoring today’s discussion.