Conley: Make your own summer camp

Three years ago I had the awesome opportunity to take my daughter and her dancing buddy to a dance camp at BYU. As I prepared for the camp, I read the itinerary. The drop-off time was 8:45 a.m. and the pick-up time was 10 p.m. What? 10 p.m.?

As you can guess, they danced, danced some more, and they played. They enjoyed sugary-sweet Popsicles, crunchy watermelon, refreshing swimming pools, and an adventure-filled water park. Summer camps – what an opportunity! 

As a mother and educator, I began brainstorming during my free time and decided to try my very own summer camp with my daughter. It will include horseback riding, traveling to foreign countries, meeting new friends and sharing cultures. 

How will I do this in eight short weeks? Reading! Each week we are going to a different “camp.” The first day will always begin with a trip to the library. The public library in Maricopa is filled to the brim with amazing children’s books of all levels.

The level is the key ticket to turning your child on to summer camp. If your child enjoys pictures books and can read them without stumbling, check out a picture book. If chapter books are O.K., find the chapter books. My daughter, although in fifth grade, loves picture books and, since that is her love, we check out picture books. 

The second key to a successful “summer camp” is choosing camps of your child’s interest. Explore the planets and travel to the moon. Ride a camel in the deserts of the Sahara. Jump off the Hawaiian cliffs into the ocean. The options are unlimited. (If you need help, ask the librarians. Their job is to help us find the books we need and desire.) 

My challenge to you as a parent and community member is to create your own summer camps for your children; take the ordinary summer and make it an extraordinary summer sensational adventure.