Ready...Set...Camp!
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By Blair Thomas


C ody Burke came home from school one afternoon determined to go to summer camp.

“He was in second grade and it was the middle of the winter, but he was practically begging me to go to camp,” Cody’s mom, Mary Burke said.

“He got the idea in his head after talking to some of his friends at school and he just wouldn’t give up until I gave in.”

Cody, now 11, has gone to camp every summer since.

“For us, it was something he wanted to do to get to hang out with his friends outside of school,” Mary said.

“But other things came out of our camp experiences, too.

“Cody made friends, gained confidence and skills he didn’t have before and it kept him out of my hair during the days!”

One of the biggest draws of summer camps is the opportunity for kids to have fun and learn something new or work to improve a skill they have, while providing parents help with childcare.

“We get kids at our camps for all different reasons,” said Ed Pavlik, who runs the LYSA soccer summer camp program.

“It’s easy for parents. Our camp is affordable, lots of kids’ friends are doing it. But mostly we get kids who really just love to play soccer.”

LYSA camps offer kids the chance to run drills, learn more about the rules of the game, perfect their skills and play on a team.

Teaching teamwork, confidence, and drive is one of the best things about LYSA camps, Pavlik said.

Cody went to a LYSA soccer camp two summers ago and enjoyed being a member of a team, Mary said.

“That’s just one of those things it’s hard to teach as a parent,” she said. “Your kid has to be a part of something to feel that type of unity.”

Cody enjoyed similar fun, enriching experiences at other camps such as ones offered by the Living Arts and Science Center, The Explorium of Lexington and Lexington Children’s Theatre.

In the various camp programs offered by the Children’s Theatre, kids can learn more than what makes a good actor.

“We all must develop a creative imagination, a confidence in our abilities and an understanding of ourselves,” said Jeremy Kisling, associate artistic director in charge of education at Lexington Children’s Theatre.

“Young people in theater learn how to develop a comprehensive character and live in the world of play.”

At LCT camps, kids explore issues pertaining to the world around them – like beauty, diversity, complexity and challenges – through the dramatic process.

“It’s important to us that the kids constantly find ways to challenge themselves and grow as artists,” Kisling said.

While Cody expresses interest in going to a drama- or an art-related camp this summer, his mother is making no decisions this early because she knows her son will probably change his mind.

“There are so many different types of camps out there that appeal to every kind of kid,” Mary said.

“It’s just my luck that Cody wants to do any and all of them so we’re constantly looking for something new for him to explore.”

As Cody gets older, Mary hopes he will show more interest in academic camps.
At Sayre School, parents will find camps tailored to children who want to focus on education, while still having fun.

Sayre camps include activities such as swimming, library visits, field trips, art, computer animation, chess, robotics, drama, science and computer skills

The summer camps reflect the school’s philosophy of educating the whole child by fostering enthusiasm for learning and equipping youngsters for further education and fruitful lives, said Sayre Headmaster Clayton Chambliss.

The most important thing to consider when choosing a camp is what your child wants, Mary said.

“There are camps out there for just about anything,” she said. “But no matter what you want your child to do, you really have to leave it up to them.

“If they aren’t happy at camp, they aren’t going to learn anything. They aren’t going to get a single thing out of it.”

Blair Thomas is a University of Kentucky student and an intern at Lexington Family Magazine.