May2015

CAMP
by GerriAnn Pane
OUT of the RUT
Travel Camps Add Excitement to Kids’ Summers
If you’ve been to a summer camp,
you’re not surprised to hear about
camping’s many benefits. Having
experienced life at camp yourself as a
child, you know the profound, positive
effects that still matter to you as an
adult, and you also know that you want
the same thing for your own kids.
But if you didn’t go to camp as a child,
you may not realize just how good the
experience is for children. You may not
Myah Williams, Lila Mendencino (back), and Chance Goldman
touch to help them understand material
better. Zoos, nature centers, and botanical
gardens show kids animals and plant
life up close and often have areas where
children can touch displays such as
petting zoos and interactive computer
programs. Kids can look forward to and
prepare for the field trip for several days
or weeks. Learning in assorted ways
can appeal to varied learning styles,
helping children succeed whether they
are visual, auditory, or kinetic learners.
Lauryn Edwards, Sabrina Fernandez (back),
and Mia Landol
know why so many parents are committed
to sending their kids to camp. One of
those reasons is because of the field trips.
Camp just is not camp unless you
can travel offsite and experience new
adventures. In all my years of experience
directing summer camps, the one
thing that the campers and counselors
talk about and always have fond
memories of is their field trips away
from the base camp with their friends.
There are so many exciting places
for children to experience in South
94
Grace Derstine, Kristina Marker,
Kamari Fason, and Chris Fason
Joseph Dent, Myah Williams (back),
and Sienna Goldman
Florida, and a travel camp is a way to
experience all of those fun places with
their friends. Field trips give children a
welcome breath from routine.
Field trips give
campers an
educational, cultural,
and fun experience
away from the regular
camp environment.
Popular trips include zoos, nature
centers, science museums, aquariums,
etc. Not only do field trips provide
alternative educational opportunities
for children, they can also benefit the
community if they include some type of
community service.
Campers visiting different educational
facilities learn in a more hands-on
interactive manner than they do at the
base camp site. Science museums, for
example, have displays that children can
MAY 2016
Dylan Schreiber, Emma Meyer, Brayden Derstine, and
Andrew Moran
Savita Bagarithran, Alanis Souza (back),
and Eden Sharoni
Field trips expand children’s
learning through active hands-on
experience with the rich resources
of the local community. Field
trips increase student knowledge
and understanding of a subject,
and add realism and enrich their
experience all with the camaraderie
of their friends. P
GerriAnn Pane is the owner/
manager of Gerri’s Travel
Adventures and Programs
(Camp GTA) in Coral Springs.