Six weeks of vacation! What to do with the kids?

On June 23rd, it's time. Summer holidays begin in the first federal states. Six weeks! The students are excited. Finally, they can sleep in. No homework. But six weeks can be long, especially for working parents. Only a few can take care of the children by themselves the entire time. So where to with the child? 

famPLUS collaborates with specialists in vacation care, Sphairos and KidsCampAmerica. Both partners offer camps for children aged 4 to 15. The special feature: The camps are conducted in English. The extra for famPLUS customers: They receive a discount of up to seven percent. But what does a day in the camp look like? What can children expect, and are the camps suitable for children with limited English skills? We wanted to know more and spoke with Katharina Winkler from Sphairos and Sarah Taines from KidsCampAmerica.

They both primarily offer English-language camps. What should one expect from that? 

Sphairos: As I am aware that this concerns the children's holidays, I place great emphasis on not making the daily routine like school. The focus of the camps is more on Creativity  or Sport  and on applying the already existing language skills. Thus, fun is always the priority. However, we also offer the Communication Camp in which students from 5th to 8th grade expand their language skills and learn to speak more freely and fluently. The same applies to the camp Willkommen in der 5. Klasse , which prepares the graduates of the fourth grades well for the new fifth grades.

What is special about the vacation care concept of KidsCampAmerica? 
 

KidsCampAmerica: At KidsCampAmerica  is learned effortlessly. Our goal is to teach the children the language without them being really aware of it. In class, projects are undertaken, group and role plays are conducted, encouraging the children to speak, listen to, and live English. Our motto is “Don’t just learn English – Live it!”. But our camps are also distinguished by their international nature. In addition to German children, we have had participants from America, England, the Netherlands, Spain, India, Korea, Japan, China, UAE, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Israel, Nepal, and more. This leads to many of the participating children having English as their native language.

What prior English knowledge do the children need?

KidsCampAmerica: No prior knowledge is required. The children are divided into mixed groups of native speakers and "learners" based on age.

Do you conduct a placement test with the children in advance at Sphairos?

Sphairos: No, we usually have very small groups with a maximum of 8 participants per supervisor. Sometimes there are even fewer children in a camp. We group the children by age and only further divide them by years of education if possible.

At KidsCampAmerica, you follow a slightly different concept when assembling the groups. How does integration work when the children have such varying levels of English proficiency? 
 

KidsCampAmerica We also do not consider ourselves a language school, but rather an "English immersion camp" – practically a language trip right at your doorstep. Anyone who has ever learned a language knows how difficult it is to apply what you have learned in the classroom to real life. A language is best learned by speaking. Therefore, we place great emphasis on communication. At KidsCampAmerica, we try to make the language tangible for the children. They should immerse themselves in the language for a week, be surrounded by it, and use it in everyday situations. It doesn't matter whether they speak it fluently or are complete beginners. 

What does a typical day at your camp look like?

Sphairos This question cannot be easily answered, as our camps all have different concepts. In the creative camps, the children are accompanied by the same supervisors throughout the day. In the sports camps, there are supervisors for the English language and supervisors for the sports part. We take small excursions to the nearest playground every day, as well as a day trip each week, always depending on the theme of the camp. The excursions range from a rally through the English Garden to visits to museums (such as the Museum of Man and Nature, the Egyptian Museum, the Children's Museum, to name a few) or trips to the zoo. We visit the printing press of the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Textile Museum in Augsburg. We also let ourselves be inspired by the weather – on hot days, we might even take a foot bath in the Isar. 

KidsCampAmerica With us begins every day  with a "morning circle" with the entire camp. All campers gather in a large circle to learn about the day's theme through songs and games, which is explored in detail during the English sessions. The rest of the morning, between 9:30 and 12:00, is spent in the seminar rooms. The morning English class is structured so that children of all language levels enjoy it - with projects, games, and activities. Afterwards, everyone goes to the canteen together. Once strengthened, they proceed to the afternoon activities. Every hour, a sports and a craft activity are offered, from which the children can choose. Finally, we all come together again to talk about the day spent. We look back on the experiences and give a preview of what awaits us the next day.

What do you do when a child has difficulty settling in?

Sphairos This fortunately happens very rarely, because the way we structure our camps makes it easy for the children to feel comfortable. However, if it does happen, the supervisors talk to the child, and only if it is really necessary, the parents are involved in the communication.

KidsCampAmerica We place great importance on strengthening group cohesion right from the start. Teaching the children to behave respectfully towards each other. Every lesson begins with a team-building game. Furthermore, we don't take ourselves too seriously. The teachers sing silly songs and sometimes play the clown in front of the group. This creates an environment where children are happy to help each other, and beginners don't have to be afraid to get involved and make mistakes.

What highlights can your camp participants look forward to for the remaining holidays of 2016?

Sphairos This question is very difficult to answer. I think that all our camps are highlights in their own right. It always depends on the child and where their interests lie. I think all our camps are great because they cover so many wonderful topics: Hiking for outdoor enthusiasts (by the way, in one of the most beautiful huts of the Austrian Kaiser Mountains), Fashion for fashionistas, Food for children who like to cook (and eat), Art for the diverse aspects of children. Not to mention the sports camps – horseback riding for girls (mostly), soccer for boys (also mostly), tennis and climbing. How would you decide if you had to name a highlight here?

KidsCampAmerica We have added some great new activities to the program this year, such as candy making, a newspaper club, and disc golf.

Numbers, data, facts:

Care hours

Costs

In which cities are the camps offered?

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