Moving this summer - questions about camps (Arlington, Alexandria: apartment, rental)

[skterrill]

We are going to be moving to NOVA on June 1 (our school year end on May 31 and we've sold our house and must be out by then). We are trying to buy or rent a home in Fairfax County/Arlington County (my husband is already working in Crystal City).

Here is my question - what do I do with my kids this summer (ages 8 and 6)? If we find something in Fairfax, I know there are all kind of camps through the rec department - parktakes I think - are they any good? If they are good, do they fill up quickly or can I take my time to register them in the area that we buy/rent. Do the elementary schools offer camps? Are their better camps? I want my kids to be able to meet some kids prior to the start of school.

Question #2 (less important because I pray it won't happen) - if we can't find something before June 1 and we are stuck living at my husbands 1-bedroom apartment in Alexandria (Mark Center) for the/part of the summer - what resources are available there?

Thanks so much for your help!

[mdcrim]

Most martial arts programs (and there are a TON in the area) offer camps. I can't speak to the areas you are moving to (I'm out in Loudoun) but Fairfax Parks and Rec should have some and I know some of the private schools in the area also offer camps.

I have found that most places that offer after school care also offer camps in the summer. This is probably more generic information that you're looking for but may provide you with a start. Oh, and most camps are 9am-4pm, although some offer before and after care for an additional fee.

[Yankeesfan]

2009 Rec-PAC Summer Camp Program

Camp Registration Information, Fairfax County Park Authority

[claremarie]

Do you want your children to meet generic kids, or their new classmates and neighbors? Families in the DC area make all sorts of summer arrangements, and signing your kids up for camp doesn't mean that they will be meeting the kids they will be going to school with, or even kids who live nearby. Lots of kids don't even attend day camps, especially if they have a stay-at-home parent. Your children might be just as happy, and meet just as many playmates, by hanging out at the local pool or playing at the playground.

[Guamanians]

Living in a 1 BR apartment might bring your family closer together... not a sermon, just a thought

[skterrill]

Great information - thank you. I think the pool idea is a great one - hadn't thought of that because in New Orleans, where we are moving from, many people have their own pools and kids go to camps during the summer. I've read alot about community pools and rec centers in NOVA. Thanks for the tip.

As well, I think living in the 1 bedroom for the summer would be fine (as well as would save us 3 months of rent/mortgage payments!), but since we're probably going to rent before we buy, living in the apartment would entail moving 3 times in one year (once to the apartment, 3 months later to a rental and 1 year later moving into a purchased home) - I think it would be hard on my kids and rather stressful for us.

Thanks again - can't wait to move to NOVA!

[Yankeesfan]

Most large neighborhoods have pools. Some neighborhoods, primarily newer ones with HOA dues, include the cost of membership in the dues and all the residents have access. Other neighborhoods, primarily older ones, require that you pay a membership fee and then annual dues on top of that. If a smaller neighborhood doesn't have a pool, you can ask if there's one nearby that you can join, but you'll have to pay. So if you plan to use the pool, check out ahead of time what the cost is, if any.

[Yankeesfan]

Regarding camps, the Rec-PAC camps register by the week and the FCPS camps are one or two weeks. So you could do a mix of camps and at-home activities, if you will be home during the summer, rather than paying for the whole summer's worth of camps.

[car54]

Will there even be Rec-PAC this summer? Parks (and libraries) are going to get hit hard in the new budget.

FCPS buses do Rec-PAC transportation and we've been told if we want to work this summer, we should start looking for a job...somewhere else.

[Yankeesfan]

Good point. Rec-PAC was usually held in schools, I think. They used the buses for one field trip per week. So I wonder if they're just eliminating field trips or cutting back the whole program?