Buffalo Rising Online

Jun 28th, 12:06pm By Sandra Williams Gordon

Dual income, single, and working parents, often start to sweat long before the summer heat arrives, worrying about how they are going to provide quality childcare during summer vacation.

Many parents remember their summer vacation as a simpler time. If you lived in a city, you got together with your friends, played make believe, arranged a baseball or basket ball game, played hide and seek, worked on building a hovercraft. And if you lived in the country, you may have done some of these things, or you explored nature, rode your bike, your horse, went fishing, discovered birds nests and fireflies, and planted gourd seeds in your mother's flowerbed (hehe). You had your own little science lab in your backyard.

Today, for myriad reasons, that is not an option for most families. The days of kids getting together for a quick game of baseball, or hoops is sadly fading away. Not to mention playing outside of your house or yard, or riding your bike around all day with a sense of safety.

As we watch the arts, music, physical education and recess being cut back, or disappearing altogether from our schools, summer camps and their curriculum are more important than ever. Summer camps fill a need that many parents and our schools can't always meet.

While children can easily be over-scheduled with extracurricular activities during the school year, and parents are busy driving their children to one event and then another, summer camps offer an important opportunity to just have fun, while still learning.

Studies show that summer camps, be they for the duration of the summer, or just for a week or two, hold significant benefits for children of any age or economic background. Remember your summer vacations? You were engaged in activities that developed important learning skills such as communication, problem solving, creative thinking, decision making, goal setting, planning, that you weren't even aware of learning! And you weren't parked in front of a television or computer. You were exercising your body and mind!

Summer camps are special places, set aside from the everyday life of school or home. Summer camps can provide more than just a fun time for kids. Summer camps can keep the 'learning' going, but in an atmosphere that is physically, emotionally and intellectually enriching. No homework! No tests!

This is one area in which the term 'No Child Left Behind' should apply in the truest sense.

Whether you are a parent that has the opportunity to take the summer off, or a working parent who wants the best summer experience for your kid--or perhaps a little bit of both--there are some important things to consider. Look for a camp that will stimulate your child physically, mentally and emotionally, as well as one that meets your child's particular interests.

As anyone who has priced camps knows, summer camps can be expensive. However, either formally or informally, most private and public camps offer a variety of financial aid, including full or partial tuition scholarships, and in some cases, your health insurance policy may cover part or all of the cost.

Keep in mind that it pays to ask because not every camp advertises the availability of scholarships, or financial aid. Some camps extend assistance based on a simple letter of request. And some camps are free! Other financial perks include lower fees for early registration, sibling discounts and special rates for members of an organization. And remember that you may not have to be a member of an organization or school to participate in the summer camp programs. Enrollments can fill up quickly, so register soon.

The following is contact information for area summer camps that can fit most any kid's (and parent's) need, from pre-school-aged children to teens.

Those that are ambiguous by title often offer a multitude of activities and it's best to call for further information.

Buffalo State College Summer Camp
1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, Campus West C-Wing
716-878-5335

JCC (Jewish Community Center) Summer Camps
787 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo
716-886-3145, 716-688-4033
www.jccbuffalo.org

Elmwood Franklin School Summer Camp
104 New Amsterdam Avenue, Buffalo 716-877-5035
www.elmwoodfranklin.org

CEPA Gallery (Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts)
Summer Photography Camp
617 Main Street, Buffalo 716-856-2717
www.cepagallery.org/education/summercamp.html

Buffalo Museum of Science Discovery Camps
1020 Humboldt Parkway, Buffalo 716-896-5200, ext. 338
http://www.sciencebuff.org

Tifft Nature Preserve
1200 Fuhrmann Blvd, Buffalo 716-896-5200, ext. 338
http://www.sciencebuff.org

Triple Trek Day Camp- (Tifft Nature Preserve, Penn Dixie Paleontological and Woodlawn Beach Outdoor Education Center)
716-627-4560
http://www.sciencebuff.org

Elmwood Science Spot
810 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo
716-332-3524
http://www.elmscispot@sciencebuff.org

Buffalo Zoo, Summer Nature Camp
300 Parkside Avenue, Buffalo
716- 995-6128
http://www.buffalozoo.org/summer_camp.html

Canisius College Summer Camps (sports, young writers, science)
2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14208-1098
Phone: 716-883-7000
www.canisius.edu/camps

Xtreme Wheels Indoor Skate Park
356 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo
716-871-9361
www.xtreme-wheels.com

Fencing Center of Buffalo
Robert Binner Community Center, 777 Maryvale Drive, Cheektowaga, NY
716-553-3448
www.fencingbuffalo.com/camps.html
E-mail: fencingbuffalo@roadrunner.com

Parkside August Art Camp
716-838-1240
http://parksidebuffalo.org/events.html

Buffalo Equestrian Center Summer Camp
950 Amherst Street, Buffalo
716-877-9295
www.ryegate.com/btrc/bec.htm

YMCA (various locations)
716-565-6000
www.ymcabuffaloniagara.org
YWCA (various locations)
716-852-6120 ext. 116
www.ywca-wny.org

Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC)
97 Lemon Street, Buffalo
716-856-0363
http://www.bfnc.org/summerFun.html

ARCHITECTURE SUMMER CAMP AT THE MARTIN HOUSE
Grades 4-6
“The Wright Experience”
$125 per-student for the week and $100 per-student for children of Martin House Associates (materials for projects, snacks and beverages all included). 716-856-3858. Enrollment is limited to 25 students.

Photo: Kathleen M aka snowflake5