Summer Opportunities Fair: Camps of All Kinds

Ahh, summer. Even though temperatures may dip below freezing now, summer is not so very far away. For parents, this means we have to start planning. How will we keep our children occupied, let alone enriched, over the long, lazy months? As it has been for nearly 40 years, the Summer Opportunities Fair is here to help.

The fair takes place Jan. 30 at John Burroughs School and is a one-stop shop for parents looking for the camp that best suits their child. “We have 160 exhibitors offering every kind of experience, from traditional sleep-aways to more specialized programs like photography and rock-climbing,” says fair co-chair Shilpa Thornton. “From toddlers on up, we have something for everyone.”

One of these specialty camps—offered by DaySpring School of the Arts—is tailored to the budding thespian. The Maryland Heights school holds 12 different camps throughout the summer, all of them performance-based, says Rebecca Garcia, grants and development director. “Children learn the ins and outs of putting on a show. Our camp is special because it provides real training. During two three-week blocks, two shows are produced—a play (often Shakespeare) and a musical. Campers are given their lines before the camp even begins. “We want lines memorized ahead of time, because then the children can focus on what the directors are teaching,” Garcia says.

Clearwater Camp for Girls in Minocqua, Wisconsin, offers a different way to spend the summer months. It was started in 1933 by Sara Holiday Sprague as a way to build girls’ confidence and adventurous spirit. Sprague’s great-granddaughter, Liz Baker, is now executive director. “She wanted to empower young women,” Baker says. “And that is what we do.” The camp offers two, sessions each three and a half weeks, for girls ages 8 to 16, and one two-week ‘introduction to camp’ for girls in grades second through fourth.

Clearwater is traditional and outdoorsy, offering activities like sailing, canoeing, archery, kayaking, outdoor cooking, pottery and photography. Baker says the camp rents 15 horses for the summer so the girls can ride and learn to care for them. The cabins for the older girls are situated on an island.

A highlight of each session for girls age 13 and older, Baker notes, is the four- to seven-day road trip they take to places like Michigan’s Porky Mountains and Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands. “We instill great values in our girls,” Baker says. “We push them out of their comfort zones and encourage them to do their personal best.”

The 2016 Summer Opportunities Fair takes place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 30 at John Burroughs School. The event is free. For more information, visit summeropportunitiesfair.org.

Pictured: DaySpring School of the Arts