We are now on the verge of summer and many homeschooling families are contemplating summer activities. The question of summer camp is on the forefront of many people’s minds. So should a homeschooling family send the children off to camp? I will answer this question in two parts. The first will discuss reasons you will want to send your kids to camp, and the second will discuss reasons you might not want to send your homeschooled kids to summer camp.
Summer camp can be an excellent change of pace for a homeschooler. It will give them the chance to explore the world independently of their parents and siblings, and can be that first step to testing the values viewpoints that he or she has learned at home. Sending a kid to summer camp, will of course spit in the face of the dreaded socialization question. No one can say that children that go to summer camps are social misfits. While this “socialization” is in a smaller dose than a child in school would have, it is more useful as kids are not breaking rules to interact with each other, as is often the case in school.
Summer camps may reinforce a child’s love for homeschooling. After being inundated and possibly overdosed by kid culture, you child will not be able to wait until they are home again. I am not saying that being around other kids is torture, just that a week or two, to a month of nonstop exposure can wear on the nerves of even the most social camper. Besides, distance makes the heart grow fonder (or so they say). Separation, even temporary, can often strengthen a parent-child relationship.
Summer camps can be educational. If you choose the right camp, you child will come home with a wealth of new knowledge. Summer camps to consider would be computer camps, space camps, science camps, art camps, and theatre camps. When camps are focused on certain activities, they are much more productive and there is less room for bad experiences.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?