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Boredom Busters
Spice up Your Tween's Summer
By Kendeyl Johansen
Fortunately with a little research, it's possible to find a fun camp for your tween. After weighing camp choices for her daughter, Vasquez decided to enroll Meagan in the Peninsula Youth Theatre Group. "Meagan's excited because the kids actually rehearse and perform plays in the park," she says.
Outstanding tween camps share several traits. "Look for very hands-on, interactive camps for preteens," says Claire Turner, director of youth education at University of Utah. "Kids 9 to 12 want something interesting that they don't do in school and activities that creatively teach them about the world of work." The claymation and filmmaking camps are among the University of Utah's most popular preteen offerings.
Turner also recommends seeking a camp that matches your child's top interests. Maybe your tween would like a sports-oriented camp, an art camp that focuses on horses or a gourmet cook-and-eat class.
"The best camps offer a lot of summer fun but incorporate learning as well," Turner says. For instance, in the University of Utah's "Club Splash," tweens splash in pools, but they also learn diving, marine sculpture and water science.