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Summertime Scramble

Everyone I talked to this winter said, I’m so done with this. Are you done with this?

Every single person.

So imagine the rejoicing when the snow finally melted and spring decided to show up. People were kissing the ground, smiling, singing top 40 songs in the car with the windows open. The other day I smelled food cooking on someone’s grill and automatically salivated. This can only mean one thing.

Sun for Blog

Summer is coming.

And now I hear something different. Are you ready for this? I’m not ready for this.

What’s the worry? We are done with winter! It’s almost the season of beach days and picnics and vacations and free time!

Oh yeah. Lots and lots of free time.

So the scramble begins. Day camp, overnight camp, sports camp, enrichment camp, math camp, drama camp, nature camp, reading camp, robotics camp, sailing camp, tiddlywinks camp, balloon animal camp, cake pop camp….

CAMP!

The thing is parents know their kids need structure. They recognize the benefits of organized activities, peer interaction, even instruction over the summer to ensure skills developed during the school year are honed and sustained. But finding the right balance and the appropriate setting can be difficult. And if your child has complex learning needs, it can be downright overwhelming.

Therapeutic camps often require reams of information in their application process and non-therapeutic camps are not necessarily appropriate. There is risk involved too – one difficult experience can shape a child’s opinion about camp forever.

But finding the right fit is possible and can make summertime living much easier. Here are a few resources that might help:

The ADDitude 2015 Guide to Camp & School for ADHD and LD children offers articles on picking the best summer programs and transitioning into summer camp and provides camp listings and summer learning opportunities.

SPED Child and Teen has an extensive listing of camps in Massachusetts with a brief description and contact information.

This LD Online article about choosing a summer camp is written by a parent and provides useful information and resources.

And while this listing is from 2014, The Rhode Island Department of Education has an extensive summer learning and camp directory. Many Rhode Island day programs, like the Alton Jones Farm program or Roger Williams Zoo Camp are hands-on and accessible to children who require extra social supports. And if your child enjoys cooking Fit2cook4kids might be a fun option.

If you’re looking for a special therapeutic overnight experience, Camp Avanti in Wisconsin may be the ticket. Lise Faulise, Wolf School founding Board member, is the lead therapist at this one-week intensive occupational therapy program within a rustic camp setting. The program runs June 28 – July 3 and openings are still available.

We look forward to working with our Wolf families through our specialized tutoring and activities-based programs this summer, but we know other camp experiences will round out your children’s summertime fun and help keep everyone happy and stress-free.

You may have resources or tips to share as well. We would love to hear them.

Summer is coming. You are so ready for this!

 

PS The stunning painting of the sun was created by a Wolf Middle School artist!

Comment(1)

  1. REPLY
    Tina Odessa says

    While walking around the Autism walk today, I came a cross a table promoting a one day surfers camp in Narragansett on Sept, 19.. This is exclusively for kids on the spectrum and it is free.

    The website is www,surfershealingt.org/

    Registration starts 7pm on May 30tth …If interested you must do it at exactly 7pm, last year they sold out in 11 minutes…..

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