Sidwell Summer (Camp) Planning Checklist

Spring break has just wrapped and the birds are chirping, which means summer is right around the corner! It's time to start looking at your summer calendar as a whole. Do you have unexpected weeks in between vacations? Did your child sign up for four weeks of sports camps, and you want to give them the chance to try something else? Have you locked in your summer travel? Look at your summer schedule, and see if there's an opportunity to add more of what you're excited for. Add in the things that are missing. Reach out to your child's friends to see what weeks they'll be around - do Sidwell Summer together! 

Surprise Free Weeks

If you have unexpected free weeks that you want to fill with a camp and don't know where or what kind of experience is best for your family, now is the time to start researching options and making plans. Do some research online or ask friends for suggestions--they may even have kids who went to similar camps and can tell you about their experiences! 

We keep our registration open until the last week of camp, so no matter how late in the game your schedule opens up- we’re here for you! 

Your Child's Favorite Thing

Your Child loves something. Maybe it’s art, athletics, reading & writing, etc. Do you have enough of that thing booked into their summer schedule? 

• If they love a sport, can you add in an extra week of that sport camp? We have new sports offering this summer - lacrosse, field hockey, elite soccer! 

• If it’s reading, you must sign them up for a program in our Art & Lit Studio! They will have their own published book by the end of summer! 

• Maybe this will inspire you and your family to create a bucket list of summer books? Can you read some together and have a mini book club at home? Is there a book your child can read that takes place in a specific setting, that you can then visit after they finish reading? 

• For your artist, Sidwell Summer is the place for them! From sewing and knitting to woodworking and fashion design. Your artist can have a summer full of creativity! We love to watch campers explore their creative side each summer! 

Something new.

Summer is the perfect time to think about cultivating a new hobby or building a skill. Sidwell Summer offers a wide range of specialty camps that can take your child from curious learner to budding expert in a week!  

What percent of your summer do you want your children to spend dabbling in a “new” activity or skill?

• Learn a new sport - our AM Only programs are a great way to try something new! 

While we don’t have any programs for adults (sorry!), you can still make it a family experience.

• Challenge everyone in your family to try and embrace something new. This is a great opportunity to take an interest in each other’s hobbies too. 

Set Expectations for Screen Time.

How do you define screen time in your home? Do you set caps based on time? What activities are allowed and what aren’t? Can screens be used unsupervised? The answer to these questions depend greatly on age and personal beliefs. What’s important is to set the expectations in advance and give your child the chance to succeed. 

Sidwell Summer can help you get your child to put the screens down and connect and create with their peers. With minimal programs using screens and technology, Sidwell Summer enables and encourages good old fashion summer fun! 

Get out of the house, but stay home... sometimes. 

There is nothing wrong with having unscheduled time at home! Summer creates a unique opportunity to share space with our loved ones more than we can during the academic year. 

Maybe an AM Only program is great for your camper because they can have the morning out of the house and the afternoon at home to relax. 

Day Camp may be the perfect place for your camper who wants to try it all or doesn’t excel on the sports field. We love Day camp as campers get to sample a little of all that is great about summer camp, make friends and get to have good old fashion summer fun! 

Create a Summer Bucketlist

Another way to plan ahead for this season is by coming up with a summer bucket list. This is a fun activity that you can do as a family. 

What skills do you want to learn this summer? What new experiences do you want to have? Just gather all your family members together and have each of them write down activities they’ve always wanted to do. 

You can also convert this into an individual bucket list. Here are a couple of ideas to help you get started:

• Learn a new sport
• Build a pillow fort in your living room
• Cook a recipe that you learned in culinary arts
• Plan a playdate with a new camp friend
• Go bowling
• Plan asynchronous color walks. Have your child do a color walk on campus, while you search for the same color at home or at work. At the end of the day, come home and share observations.

Create an end of day ritual. 

While summer doesn't bring the same intensity of routine and pressure as the school year, it's still important to have a mindful way to close out your day. Give your child time to relax and decompress.
Give them space to do their own thing without instruction after camp and on the weekends.

Encourage mindful activities, like yoga, meditation, or walks (either with a grown-up or alone depending on age).

Now that you've read through this guide and had a chance to consider your options, it's time to get started on planning your summer. Keep in mind that these are just suggestions--if something doesn't work for you or your family, don't feel like you have to do it!
If there are any other questions about camp that weren't answered here, please reach out! We love to hear from you. 

Bonus: consider making a summer scrapbook at the end of the season to commemorate great moments inside and outside the home. We hope Sidwell Summer will be included! 

About Sidwell Summer:

Enrolling your child in a summer camp gives them a splendid opportunity to grow, and continue learning in a fun way. Most importantly, it allows them to explore new interests and activities that aren’t available to them during the school year. 

At Sidwell Summer, we offer a wide range of activities for kids aged 3 to Grade 12. We are a well-rounded summer camp with branches in DC and Bethesda. 

We offer a little bit of everything- from athletic programs like baseball and soccer to niche-specific ones like art, fashion, culinary, and coding. Here’s a comprehensive list of the programs we offer.