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| School's out and summer camps are in as parents try to beat holiday boredom | School's out and summer camps are in as parents try to beat holiday boredom |
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| The summer camp is often seen as a distinctly American institution, conjuring images of fresh-faced youths bombing along zip wires or camping under the stars. But British parents increasingly are relying on an expanding range of eclectic summer camps in an attempt to fend off children's boredom until September. | The summer camp is often seen as a distinctly American institution, conjuring images of fresh-faced youths bombing along zip wires or camping under the stars. But British parents increasingly are relying on an expanding range of eclectic summer camps in an attempt to fend off children's boredom until September. |
| While sport and art-based camps have been around for decades, a new breed of summer camps – offering everything from scuba diving to coding classes – are gaining traction in the UK as parents look to equip their offspring with skills for the new term. | While sport and art-based camps have been around for decades, a new breed of summer camps – offering everything from scuba diving to coding classes – are gaining traction in the UK as parents look to equip their offspring with skills for the new term. |
| The range on offer for those with the time to peruse and the cash to spend is dizzying. Parents who hope that a demure daughter could snag the newborn heir to the throne can pay £3,600 for a "princess preparation" seven-day residential camp for girls as young as eight in London. | The range on offer for those with the time to peruse and the cash to spend is dizzying. Parents who hope that a demure daughter could snag the newborn heir to the throne can pay £3,600 for a "princess preparation" seven-day residential camp for girls as young as eight in London. |
| The camp promises "an alternative summer camp experience for those seeking something more elegant than the usual cabins and campfires". Located "in the royal borough of Kensington & Chelsea, London's most sophisticated neighbourhood", the camp provides pointers on such vital survival skills as sipping soup, pouring and serving tea correctly and meeting royalty ("because you never know when your paths might cross!") and offers a Skyflyer Solo provision for supervision of children flying unaccompanied from the States. | The camp promises "an alternative summer camp experience for those seeking something more elegant than the usual cabins and campfires". Located "in the royal borough of Kensington & Chelsea, London's most sophisticated neighbourhood", the camp provides pointers on such vital survival skills as sipping soup, pouring and serving tea correctly and meeting royalty ("because you never know when your paths might cross!") and offers a Skyflyer Solo provision for supervision of children flying unaccompanied from the States. |
| "Summer camps are becoming more and more popular as the choice on offer widens and kids become more adventurous and demanding about what they want," said Fiona Jakobi, of Camp Experts, which provides advice to parents looking for summer camps. | "Summer camps are becoming more and more popular as the choice on offer widens and kids become more adventurous and demanding about what they want," said Fiona Jakobi, of Camp Experts, which provides advice to parents looking for summer camps. |
| Jakobi estimated that the number of camps her site dealt with in the UK had doubled in the past five to six years. "Sometimes parents just want their children out of their hair and having fun, but there is also a sense of having something else on the CV, whether that's learning Mandarin or volunteering in Kenya," she said. "Parents are more competitive than ever: they want to be top dog and give their kids the best experience." | Jakobi estimated that the number of camps her site dealt with in the UK had doubled in the past five to six years. "Sometimes parents just want their children out of their hair and having fun, but there is also a sense of having something else on the CV, whether that's learning Mandarin or volunteering in Kenya," she said. "Parents are more competitive than ever: they want to be top dog and give their kids the best experience." |
| For the eye-wateringly rich, the exclusive Junior and Teen Camp in Flims Laax, Switzerland, provides seven- to 16-year-olds with languages tuition, ice skating, shopping excursions to St Moritz and formal dinner dances – all for a mere £16,300 ($25,000) for an eight-week programme. | For the eye-wateringly rich, the exclusive Junior and Teen Camp in Flims Laax, Switzerland, provides seven- to 16-year-olds with languages tuition, ice skating, shopping excursions to St Moritz and formal dinner dances – all for a mere £16,300 ($25,000) for an eight-week programme. |
| But less loaded British parents are also feeling under pressure to find not just affordable childcare during the summer holidays but an experience that will leave their child grateful and inspired, according to Siobhan Freegard of the parenting site Netmums. | But less loaded British parents are also feeling under pressure to find not just affordable childcare during the summer holidays but an experience that will leave their child grateful and inspired, according to Siobhan Freegard of the parenting site Netmums. |
| "We hear so many mums telling us they feel guilty during the summer holidays because they are working and can't provide those perfect 'Famous Five' moments, but you don't feel guilty if they've been to rock camp or been the star in a play," she said. | "We hear so many mums telling us they feel guilty during the summer holidays because they are working and can't provide those perfect 'Famous Five' moments, but you don't feel guilty if they've been to rock camp or been the star in a play," she said. |
| At the Hemel Hampstead school in Hertfordshire this week, a group of 11- to 17-year-olds were making those rock star dreams come true at the KZR Music Rock Sessions summer camp. Taking a break from thrashing at her electric guitar, 11-year-old Kate Hunter explained why she enjoyed it. "Normal summer camps just feel like your parents are trying to get rid of you, and here it doesn't. You are making music – what's not to like?" | At the Hemel Hampstead school in Hertfordshire this week, a group of 11- to 17-year-olds were making those rock star dreams come true at the KZR Music Rock Sessions summer camp. Taking a break from thrashing at her electric guitar, 11-year-old Kate Hunter explained why she enjoyed it. "Normal summer camps just feel like your parents are trying to get rid of you, and here it doesn't. You are making music – what's not to like?" |
| Alex Ranson, also 11, said: "When you think of summer camps you think of boring things like orienteering, dreary things that your parents make you do because that's what they had to do. This is much more lively and fun." | Alex Ranson, also 11, said: "When you think of summer camps you think of boring things like orienteering, dreary things that your parents make you do because that's what they had to do. This is much more lively and fun." |
| Other more educationally focused camps are also gaining in popularity. Callum Tikly, of The Academies holiday camps, which started up last year, said the company had seen a boom in parents asking for Mandarin lessons for their children, available at £130 a week. "China is a massive emerging economy and that is something on parents' minds," Tikly said. "Some parents just need effective childcare, but others are looking for something extra." | Other more educationally focused camps are also gaining in popularity. Callum Tikly, of The Academies holiday camps, which started up last year, said the company had seen a boom in parents asking for Mandarin lessons for their children, available at £130 a week. "China is a massive emerging economy and that is something on parents' minds," Tikly said. "Some parents just need effective childcare, but others are looking for something extra." |
| For a growing band of tech-savvy parents, that extra comes in the guise of specialist computing and robotics courses. Jill Hodges, a tech enthusiast, this year founded Fire Tech camp, based in London, which provides summer courses for nine- to 14-year-olds in mobile app and video game design, as well as coding, robotics and hardware development. | For a growing band of tech-savvy parents, that extra comes in the guise of specialist computing and robotics courses. Jill Hodges, a tech enthusiast, this year founded Fire Tech camp, based in London, which provides summer courses for nine- to 14-year-olds in mobile app and video game design, as well as coding, robotics and hardware development. |
| "There is a huge demand for enrichment courses," she said. "Parents see how much kids love video games and this is a way to harness that energy into something useful and creative." | "There is a huge demand for enrichment courses," she said. "Parents see how much kids love video games and this is a way to harness that energy into something useful and creative." |
| But at £498 for five days, this type of enrichment does not come cheap, which is a sticking point for many parents, said Freegard. "It's great if you have the money to do it, but for mums and dads working to just make ends meet, the summer holidays can be a really tough time." | |
| It is a thought echoed by Marianna Davis, of Kids Company, which is calling for donations to provide summer camps outside London for disadvantaged children from the capital. "The reality is the majority of families cannot afford expensive summer camps," she said. "A lot of the children we support dread the summer holidays because it means not eating, being bored to death or potentially much worse." | It is a thought echoed by Marianna Davis, of Kids Company, which is calling for donations to provide summer camps outside London for disadvantaged children from the capital. "The reality is the majority of families cannot afford expensive summer camps," she said. "A lot of the children we support dread the summer holidays because it means not eating, being bored to death or potentially much worse." |