What will your kids do this summer? (Freehold, Dayton: how much, home)

[nic529]

Hi everyone! I'm curious what parents will do with their kids this summer - I'm beginning to look into arrangements for mine (first summer I've worked) and I am shocked at how much camp costs! I have a 14 yr old girl, and 5 yr old boy. While my daughter can help with my son - I don't want her to be responsible for him everyday. So I was trying to find somewhere like a camp or something I could send them both to and have her be like a junior counselor or something. No such luck. So I'm curious - what will you be doing with your kids while you work this summer?

PS - if you have any suggestions I live near Bordentown, work in Dayton, and DH works in Freehold

[CuCullin]

No summer recreation program in town? Not a camp per say, you still get them home at night

[regarese]

Did you try the Y summer camps? I worked there as a counselor in college and they had a CIT program (counselor in training) and I think the kids were your daughter's age.

[mike0421]

I will be enjoying their company! They are only 5 and 4, and don't want to miss out on their 'formidable years'. I have to take my annual user's conference in early August to San Diego, which will allow us to go to DisneyLand. I think we are also looking at a week in the four corners region in June.

Unfortunately, NJ won't be in our plans this summer. We were there last summer, and it really set us back money wise with the plane fares.

[nic529]

Originally Posted by CuCullin

No summer recreation program in town? Not a camp per say, you still get them home at night

Nothing offered by my town except a program that is run by the school from 9AM to NOON for 4 weeks.

Originally Posted by regarese

Did you try the Y summer camps? I worked there as a counselor in college and they had a CIT program (counselor in training) and I think the kids were your daughter's age.

The Y program in my area would be 3k for my son and 2 k for my daughter - I can't afford that! And they only run for full weeks - so I can't send them for 3 days and then have my daughter watch my son the other 2

I have checked into a few of the day camps but there isn't anything that works for both of them that won't kill me financially. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do.


Thanks for the suggestions

[tahiti]

my kids (2 almost 10 year olds) go to a "YMCA-type" program (non-profit) in town. it's relatively reasonable - about $3200 for most of the summer for both of them. it includes beforecare (not aftercare, we don't need it), a field trip once a week, a couple of trips a week to the pool, and any rainy day activities (movie, bowling, etc). they enjoy it.

my one son will go to a lacrosse camp one of those weeks while his brother will go to the regular camp.

we'll either be away or take off 3 weeks out of the season.

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by nic529

Nothing offered by my town except a program that is run by the school from 9AM to NOON for 4 weeks.



The Y program in my area would be 3k for my son and 2 k for my daughter - I can't afford that! And they only run for full weeks - so I can't send them for 3 days and then have my daughter watch my son the other 2

I have checked into a few of the day camps but there isn't anything that works for both of them that won't kill me financially. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do.


Thanks for the suggestions

yeah, this is the issue with most full time camps - since the summer is their bread and butter, you won't have the "ala carte" possibilities you can have through a town camp. however, like you said, the town camps aren't fulltime. our Y program is a bit worse than yours - you have to pay for a block of 2 weeks (called a "session") and if you happen to have vacation scheduled for one week and not the other - too bad. this is the main reason i don't use our Y.

there's a camp nearby that would set us back $10K for both kids and it's not even a specialty camp - just your run of the mill day camp.

[nic529]

Yes, ours here is sessions too. It stinks. We have one of those other camps also.....they wanted easily the same 10K. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do. I really wanted to get my daughter into a CIT program, but I don't think that's going to work out. I called the CYO camp, and they don't even have any openings! Already filled! So that's the reason I'm really on the move now. I don't want to miss another opportunity.


Thank you all for your replies

[regarese]

Anything through the local churches or libraries?? I'm just brainstorming.

Any community pools in your area? The one in the town I lived in hired gate keepers at 14 and a lot of them went on to train for a lifeguard position. Any interest in that? That doesn't help with your 5 year old though. Hmmmm....I'll be out on maternity leave all summer. They can come hang out with me, my 2 year old and new born. I'm planning on a lot of poolside recuperating. Perhaps the occassional trip to the beach or DorneyPark.

[BaskingRidgeMom]

Funny you should ask this question because just yesterday I was doing some research myself. I have a 10 yr old boy who spends 5 weeks in Florida during the summer visiting and staying with his Dad and goes to his old camp there where he gets to visit with some of his old friends. When he arrives back to NJ I wanted to put him in a local camp here as well but they are certainly not cheap. Last year I put him in a couple of weeks of lacrosse and soccer camps and visited our community pool alot. This year I checked out a site mysummercamps.com and you can enter your state, locale, and type of camp your looking for. I usually ask alot of the other parents at school where their kids go so that the kids can play together and have some sort of comfort level knowing some other kids.