Latest news with #summercamps
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Adventure Play Days give Sudbury kids a chance to use their imaginations
While a lot of children in northern Ontario are enrolled in summer camps or organized sports for the summer, there's an effort in Sudbury to encourage more unstructured play. Émilie Pinard, a professor at Laurentian University's McEwen School of Architecture, and Pierre Harrison, the founder of an organization called PLAYLearnThink, have launched Adventure Play Days at two local playgrounds. The play days happen throughout the summer, every Tuesday evening at the Riverdale Playground and Wednesdays at the Antwerp Playground. The idea is for children to play with loose materials like cardboard boxes, art supplies and even some tools like hammers and handsaws. "The key component of a play day is giving control to the children," said Harrison. "When children are controlling their play, they're developing things like problem solving, resilience. It's absolutely wonderful." Harrison said if a child plays with a telephone, for example, but pretends it's a car, that's fine. "That's the beauty of loose parts," he said. "It can be anything as long as the children are free to do whatever they want with it." Harrison said children don't have as many opportunities today to participate in unstructured play. "There are psychologists that have been studying that and they've also noticed that, you know, anxiety, depression and suicide amongst children has been increasing as the abilities or the opportunities for play have been decreasing," he said. Pinard's own children have participated in the play days. "They really enjoy it. They asked to come back." For Pinard, there's also a research component attached to the Adventure Play Days. "I'm looking at how our cities can better support children's well-being and health," she said. "And play is one key factor." Pinard is interviewing parents about their children's experiences with unstructured play. "By better understanding, you know, how children participate in Adventure Play Days we can offer different types of programs than just typical playgrounds that are usually targeting a specific group age, or where kids are maybe getting bored pretty quickly," she said. Ashley Hurley, a parent who brought her children to a play day at Riverdale Playground, said she thought it was a great idea to organize opportunities for unstructured play. "I think the biggest barrier at home is the supervision and the mess that it makes," she said.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
More Halifax-area families seeking financial help for day camp enrolment, says YMCA
Day camps are an important rite of summer but an increasing number of parents in the Halifax area are seeking financial assistance to enrol their children. The YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth says of the 831 campers participating in its programs this year, about 40 per cent required financial assistance. That's double last year's figure when only about 20 per cent of children required assistance, according to Alex Jackson, the organization's day camp director. A spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality, which operates a number of day camps, said in an email the municipal parks and recreation summer programs have seen an increase in requests for assistance. "There has been a 40 per cent increase in [subsidized] camp programs from 2024 to 2025," the email said. Jackson said it's a reflection of growing financial pressures on households. "Things are getting more expensive generally," he said. "I'm sure we've all felt that, and it's tough to have that sort of budget set aside for your summer care, but it is still super important." The YMCA camps offer activities like swimming, arts and crafts, and community outings for kids aged five to 12 while school is out. The downtown Halifax location also offers lunch for the children. The cost per week ranges from $230 for YMCA members and $260 for non-members. There is a 10 per cent discount if two or more campers are enrolled. Jackson said the YMCA's financial aid program, which covers at least half of the enrolment fees, is funded through community partnerships and donations. "We do our best to give something to anybody who comes in and asks," Jackson said. He said eligibility hinges on income, expenses, and family size, but the process is straightforward and people are taken at their word. With high demand, Jackson said the YMCA has been trying to bring camps closer to where campers live. This year, new locations have been added in Spryfield, Lower Sackville and Dartmouth. Jackson urged parents who have never enrolled their children in day camp before to give it a try. "They have opportunities to try things they wouldn't do otherwise during the school year ... and they can meet people, make those lifelong connections," he said.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Watch Saskatoon's future entrepreneurs. Getting a first hand account of the Edwards School of Business summer camps teaching youth how to start and operate a business
Watch Getting a first hand account of the Edwards School of Business summer camps teaching youth how to start and operate a business
South China Morning Post
16-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
ESF Explore, and sports and theatre camps, help students make the most of holidays
The school holidays are a time of rest from school, where children can sleep past their alarm, indulge in more screen time than usual, and spend more time on their hobbies. However, much like a muscle, the brain needs exercise as well and too much down time will make it harder for children to bounce back to regular programming once school starts. On top of that, the two-month summer holidays are also a chance for children to gain experiences outside the classroom environment that can be fun and enriching. Summer – and winter – camps offer a mix of activities that are educational, provide children with opportunities to socialise and make new friends, and get them involved in outdoor activities. Frances Deram, head of business development and operations at ESF Explore. Photo: Handout 'Participating in summer camps helps children build essential life skills like teamwork, leadership and resilience. They learn to navigate diverse social settings, fostering cultural awareness and empathy,' says Frances Deram, head of business development and operations at ESF Explore, which offers year-round extracurricular programmes for ESF schools across Hong Kong. ESF Explore programmes are open to all children, with options that range from playgroups for infants, to language classes and STEM activities for teenagers. With careful consideration, the right camp programme can provide refreshing ways to learn and prepare for the new school year as well as being an enjoyable experience that allows children to relax. 'The 'summer slide' is the sneaky brain drain that children face when they ditch learning over the summer. Lounging with phones or TV numbs minds and bodies, stalling growth,' says Ruth Benny, the founder of Top Schools, a consultancy firm based in Hong Kong. 'Active camps – whether sports or STEM or something else – help keep kids sharp, curious and energised.' Future ready
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
ESF Explore, and sports and theatre camps, help students make the most of holidays
The school holidays are a time of rest from school, where children can sleep past their alarm, indulge in more screen time than usual, and spend more time on their hobbies. However, much like a muscle, the brain needs exercise as well and too much down time will make it harder for children to bounce back to regular programming once school starts. On top of that, the two-month summer holidays are also a chance for children to gain experiences outside the classroom environment that can be fun and enriching. Summer – and winter – camps offer a mix of activities that are educational, provide children with opportunities to socialise and make new friends, and get them involved in outdoor activities. Frances Deram, head of business development and operations at ESF Explore. Photo: Handout 'Participating in summer camps helps children build essential life skills like teamwork, leadership and resilience. They learn to navigate diverse social settings, fostering cultural awareness and empathy,' says Frances Deram, head of business development and operations at ESF Explore, which offers year-round extracurricular programmes for ESF schools across Hong Kong. ESF Explore programmes are open to all children, with options that range from playgroups for infants, to language classes and STEM activities for teenagers. With careful consideration, the right camp programme can provide refreshing ways to learn and prepare for the new school year as well as being an enjoyable experience that allows children to relax. 'The 'summer slide' is the sneaky brain drain that children face when they ditch learning over the summer. Lounging with phones or TV numbs minds and bodies, stalling growth,' says Ruth Benny, the founder of Top Schools, a consultancy firm based in Hong Kong. 'Active camps – whether sports or STEM or something else – help keep kids sharp, curious and energised.' Future ready
