You may be wondering whether to send your child to camp, and whether summer camp is right for your child. We believe camp is beneficial to every child and answer a few questions about our own camp including who goes to summer camp, what age children start, and where they come from in the world.
What age do children go to camp?
The age that children can go to summer camp will vary from camp to camp, and this also will be defined by the activities the camp offer.
At Altitude, we have 3 different camps which children can join. This allows us to open the camp to a large variety of children of different ages, and we accept children from 3 – 14 years old.
Many camps will accept children at school age, so from around 5 or 6 up to 18 years old.
Can my pre-schooler join summer camp?
Yes! We welcome children from as young as 3 years old to our half-day mountain adventure style programme.
This is an age specific programme which we call the ‘Marmot Camp’ for children between the ages of 3-5 years old. This is a morning-only camp, where the children come ready to leave for an activity at 9am. We will then all go in our van to an activity whether that’s pond dipping, swimming, camp fire building, mountain art, shelter building, the list is endless! After our activity we will come back to camp and re join the other campers for lunch, after lunch it’s home time at 1pm.
What ages do children join day and residential summer camp?
Once your child is 6 years old, they can join full day camp which run from 9am – 4pm, and when they’re 7 years old they can become a residential or ‘overnight’ camper. Both these camps are open to children right up to the age of 14 years old. We will still split up the camp into different age categories for activities, as we understand a 6 year old and a 14 year old are very different so will then handle the activities in different ways.
Day camp schedule consists of a morning activity, lunch and then an afternoon activity before home time at 4pm, and residential campers get to enjoy an evening programme as well as the adventure of staying away from home with their new camp friends and staff.
Are all the children at camp from Switzerland, or do children come from elsewhere?
At our summer camps we welcome children from all over the world. We have children from Switzerland who may be local or from Expat families, as well as children from countries such as Hong Kong, Russia, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Italy, Canada and France just to name a few! Even though the children’s native languages all differ, we ask that all children attending our camp speak English so that no one feels left out.
There are summer camps all over the world, with different target audiences, and some may be international camps such as our own, whereas others may be more local. Many camps in America and Canada tend to mainly have campers from the major cities around them, and may be based on a school campus or have pick up points in local cities. This will then attract local children as it is seen as a camp which has easy access for children to get to.
If the camp is linked to a school and they market themselves within the school, there is likely to then be a large number of campers attending the camp who also go to the school. If you find a camp which you like the look of and it seems to follow this set up, it may still be worth looking into. They may also have a programme to welcome international children.
Is summer camp right for my child?
We think so! Summer camp can bring great benefits to any child, and there are so many different camps out there we are confident you’ll find one to suit you. There are different types of camp, as well as different programmes on offer; for example if your child doesn’t like the idea of staying away from home yet, opt for a day camp programme!
Across the board, you can easily find many camps which have based their activities round core subjects like athletic camps, adventure camps, art camps including music, water sports or academic programmes. Most camps won’t require your child to have any knowledge or experience in the activities that they’re going to participate in. For example, at our mountain adventure camp we find that allot of our kids haven’t tried a high ropes course before they come to tackle it with us. However, you will find that your camp mates and staff will always be there to help and encourage your child and you will find that they come away having learnt so much!
