Kids enjoy themselves at a local scout camp in the New River Valley.
Lisa Bass
Contributing writer
Spring is here. Summer is coming. Montgomery County and Radford Public Schools have announced that May 25, 2018 will be the last day of school.
Parents want to keep their kids from becoming sluggish and inactive during the summer months.
An active summer can be physically healthy and mentally engaging. Where does a parent begin to find a variety of affordable summer camps that will provide unique experiences?
The New River Valley Macaroni Kids webpage provides an enriching list of summer camp programs to empower parents to start planning now. Local recreation programs and businesses are starting to advertise to an overwhelming degree.
The New River Valley is fortunate to have three colleges, Virginia Tech, Radford University and New River Community College that open their campuses to local kids to enjoy fun offerings.
Camps are being offered to kids from ages three to 17. Camp sessions can be half-day, full day or away-from-home. Staying local is no problem because the New River Valley has a lot of offerings!
If kids want to be active, there is vast array of day camps: dance, sports, gymnastics, wrestling, mountain biking, basketball, baseball, tennis, swimming, volleyball, soccer, water sports, yoga, cheerleading, archery and more.
Kids wanting to engage in educational activities can explore many topics: STEM, cooking, drama, music, songwriting, fashion modeling, animation and tons of other inspiring subjects.
Exploring the outdoors or just establishing friendships, many camps can offer a variety of playtime and adventures.
Where to begin? First, consider your child and his/her interests. General camps offer a diversity of activities. Kids may want to experience new interests. A kid may want to focus on certain skill building in a specialty camp. Parents may want to consider a variety of summer camp programs to create balance.
Start with www.nrv.macaronikid.com, which offers a comprehensive guide of camp programs in or near the New River Valley.
Type “summer camps 2018” into the search icons of www.radford.edu and www.vt.edu to see a variety of camps and clinics. Virginia Tech offers eleven sports related camps and 4-H camp sessions as well as a culinary camp.
Radford University also offers sports and dance camps but also a Bridge STEM program for girls.
Seek out the summer brochures of the Towns of Christiansburg and Blacksburg as well as Montgomery County recreation departments, which will be published and distributed by mid-April.
The Blacksburg Parks and Recreation offers a diverse range of 45 different camps with interesting titles, for example: Busy Beavers, Fashion Design, Gross-Out, Wizard Potion’s Lab and Future Doctor.
Montgomery County Parks and Recreation offers Frog Hoppers as a great way for campers to experience education and recreation outdoors rain or shine.
Christiansburg will be offering clinics in archery, fitness boxing, cheerleading and other sports. Radford Recreations Department works with Radford University offerings, which often use the city facilities.
Even sports and academic clubs will have high school students and teaching staff for summer camp opportunities. Blue Demon Wrestling will be offering a camp.
The Christiansburg High School Drama Department have organized drama workshops to teach acting, improvisation, theatre games, singing, dancing, stagecraft, costuming, stage management and lighting to culminate in a full scale performance.
There are three full-time camp facilities in Montgomery County offering opportunities. Ata Mons is a summer camp and retreat center owned by the Roanoke District of the United Methodist Church in Shawsville.
Alta Mons features four camp sessions of day and residential options on its 850 acres. Camp Carysbrook in Riner is Virginia’s oldest overnight camp for girls, was established in 1923.
Camp Carysbrook provides a place where girls experience true community living and working together in a beautiful, natural setting on its 200 acres.
Blue Ridge Christian Camp will soon celebrate its 50th year as a camp for youth and is operated by the Churches of Christ/Christian Church of Southwest Virginia.
Offering eight unique themed camp sessions on 40 acres, campers experience the beauty of creation through a structured program to encourage leaning more about themselves.
Local Boy Scouts offer a dozen of active programs at its Blue Ridge Scout Reservations in nearby Pulaski County for boys ages 11 and older while the Blue Ridge Mountain Council offers day or twilight camp opportunities for younger Cub Scouts.
The Skyline Council Girls Scouts operate residential and day camps to expose girls to new adventures, creative reasoning and skills in a natural setting.
There is no shortage of camps this summer to explore and to meet every interest. Knowing the offerings in the New River Valley, parents can do more research to pick the more beneficial camps within the family’s price range and schedule.
Often financial issues are cited as reasons kids are unable to attend camps. Families may be unaware of summer camp scholarship options.
Starting early to research what summer camp a kid would like to attend and making inquiries into scholarships is necessary as some assistant funding may be offered on a first-come, first service basis.
A parent will need to be flexible, actively responding and staying engaged in the scholarship process.
A summer camp can be one of the most rewarding experiences in a kid’s life. Developing friendships, overcoming challenges, staying healthy, building character and just having fun are all outcomes that prepare kids with many important life skills. Whether it is day camp or overnight camp, April is the time to start planning those summer time memories.
