Cherie Gough Photo cour tes
: L A E V RE S D I K Love
y of YMCA of
y e h T y Wh er Camp
San Diego Co
Summ
unty
It’s that time of year—
time to decide which spring and summer camps to enroll the kids in! San Diego camps provide an abundance of awesome summer fun and diverse experiences beyond the classroom for young people all over the county. Before wracking your brain and researching which camps are the most educational or enriching, talk with the kids about what they love and want to do this year. Their opinions matter—and their answers may surprise you. Whether they decide to delve into something new or dig deeper into an activity they already enjoy, make the most of their time off from school with a camp experience. I asked local kids what they like best about summer camp and what reigns supreme is adventure, trying new activities and time outdoors. San Diego kids especially love their water sports! Almost everyone mentioned relishing the freedom of time with friends, new and old. Here are kid confessions—what kids say about their favorite summer camps: “I love zoo art camp because I’m really into art. We made pandas out of clay and they were really cute. I have one in my bedroom. I love art so much that we changed our dining room into an art room.” Cameron, age 9, San Carlos. “At theater camp, you get to do stage combat, make-up, dress people up in toilet paper and at the end of the day, you rehearse your show.” Olivia, age 9, Carmel Mountain Ranch.
“My favorite summer camp ever is Mission Bay Aquatics Camp be cause I got to go in th e water everyday. My fav orite subject was boog ie boarding because I lai d on my belly like an ott er and went really fast!” Sofia, age 9, San Dieg o.
“My favorite summer camp is Rawhide Ranch in Bonsall. I really enjoyed learning so many things about the animals there. As a buckaroo, I was even able to care for the horses.” Kalei, age 13, Oceanside. Photo courtesy of Lisa Gipson
22 • SanDiegofamily.com • April 2017
Photo cour tesy of Mission
Bay Aquatic Center
park and t a huge skate a is p m ca te . I enjoy all “Ska re pro skaters a rs lo se n u the co y and nice nd how funn a rs lo se n u the co t trick s and teach us grea ey h T . re a they ant to try.” e trick s we w th k ic p to t we ge Del Cerro. John, age 9,
“I get to swing on the bars and do flips on them at gymnastics camp.” Maggie, age 6, San Carlos. “My favorite thing about summer camps is learning new things, getting to play sports and meeting new people.” Jake, age 11, Carlsbad.