The Benefits Of Summer Camp Speak For Themselves

Busy parents and active families alike know that the summer months are fun but can be tough to negotiate for students on break from the structure of school. Pent up with energy from finally having the warm and sunny days but without clear direction, too many students sink into the “summer slide” of becoming lethargic and losing the momentum that existed during the school year. Relaxation is one thing; lethargy is another. One key way to prevent “summer slide?”… Summer camp!

For generations, summer camp has been the perfect way to get kids outside, in the fresh air, and staying active throughout the summer months. With the instructional and educational activities mixed in with physical and fun adventures, camp offers the perfect way for students to keep that momentum up throughout the summer.

But perhaps, most importantly, summer camp is an invaluable experience for building skills, friendships, and self-esteem - especially if campers attend the same camp all day, all summer long, with the same friends and same team leaders. That consistency allows for independence within familiarity.

Here are a few reasons why this summer might be the right summer to get your child engaged with camp life, and how to find the right camp for your unique camper.

Summer Camp: Antidote For “Summer Slide”

According to the American Camp Association, students who attend camp learn a wide variety of valuable life skills that they may not experience otherwise, including the ability to live with others in a meaningful, engaged, and participatory environment; the drive to embrace the outdoors and active play, which is vital to early childhood development; and the skill of being a leader, including leading songs, games, teams, and in other activities.

Campers who attend regular summer camp experience critical thinking, get comfortable with the experience of being uncomfortable, and learn when and how to ask for help when they need it. And in the freedom and play of camp life, the experience is egalitarian: campers mingle and befriend other campers of different ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds in one common setting, while they learn to embrace this diversity.

There is a broad consensus among different groups of the well-understood benefits of experiencing camp as a young person. Parents and former campers from all around the country bring their own fond memories of summer camp into their later studies, their adult life, and their future successes. For many of these former campers, attending a consistent camp atmosphere was critical to the benefits of the camp experience.

Why Choose An All-Day, All-Summer, Local Camp?

Busy parents know all too well the struggle of trying to shuffle campers from one theme camp to the next all summer long. Whether it’s switching camps each week or each month, or only attending a month or so of camp all summer, the inconsistency and confusion of the multi-camp approach is apparent just about from day one. With more than one child to schedule for, this formula becomes overwhelming. That’s why, for many families, a single, all-day, multi-week, local camp is the ideal solution.

Plus, the consistency of attending one camp all day and throughout the summer offers campers that stable platform on which to build long-lasting, meaningful connections with other campers. Rather than rushing from camp to camp each week at different locations with new adults to navigate each time, campers at our SummerQuest camp are able to build friendships at a comfortable pace, with the consistency of seeing the same fellow campers week after week for even stronger bonds as summer progresses. The adults facilitating the experience for your campers get to know all of the campers well, can anticipate situations and make them into learning experiences and are able to easily communicate growth to families at pick up time. Everyone stays in the loop which keeps communication flowing.

And because our SummerQuest camp focuses on all-day activities, this includes a healthy mix of indoor activities, learning activities, sports, arts and crafts, geo-caching, cooking, spontaneous happenings and special field trips - with, of course, a healthy daily dose of outdoor nature time, plenty of pool time, and the chance to explore and just let the kids, be kids!

Come See What’s In Our World

We believe passionately in the importance of educating the “whole child” in each student, including their including cognitive/intellectual, physical, social-emotional, cultural and creative development. That’s why we’ve designed our summer camp program to touch on all of these points on a daily basis, offering campers the chance to really get down to having fun without losing sight of each student’s academic, social, and emotional progress. Our motivation is to turn ‘summer slide’ into summer gains!

With weekly themes to spark imaginations, planned adventures and activities to keep young minds working, and plenty of play time to enjoy the fresh outdoors and sunshine, our SummerQuest program is ideal for those families looking for a consistent camp experience in the Greater Nashua Area.

If you and your child are looking for that great, memorable, and valuable camp experience that so many of us remember from our own childhoods, look no further than World Academy! Contact us and get your child ready to enjoy the summer ahead to the fullest.

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World Academy is a state licensed, independent, developmentally-appropriate and academically rigorous private school and summer camp for children from ages six weeks through Grade 8. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, it offers high quality Early Childhood Programs, Elementary and Middle School, Before and Afterschool Programs, and SummerQuest Camp. For almost 40 years the school has been dedicated to providing all students with a high-quality, 21st-century, diverse, “whole child” focused education that supports families and engages all facets of a child’s being, including cognitive/intellectual, physical, social-emotional, cultural and creative aspects.

Located at 138 Spit Brook Road in Nashua, the state-of- the-art 55,000 square-foot campus features specialized wings for Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Middle School students; three age-appropriate playgrounds; a natural playground; two in-ground swimming pools; Gymnasium/Theater complex with a rock climbing wall; nature trails; a soccer field; an accelerated Math Program; immersive World Languages programs; Lego Robotics built into the curriculum for K-8; and much more.

Students from World Academy have consistently been accepted into their first-choice schools including Groton School, Middlesex School, Lawrence Academy, Bishop Guertin High School, Central Catholic High School, Berwick Academy, The Derryfield School, The Pike School, to name a few. For more information, contact Samantha Wingate, Director of Admissions at 603-888-1982.