Child 1 Age 9 (Female)
Program(s) focused in STEM, Sport (multi)
(5) Overall experience
At the beginning, my child was a little hesitant to come to J. Addison because we did not know the school. However, I find that the two-week program works well because it gives the kids time to adapt and start making real connections with staff and other kids. After a couple of days, I noticed she was happy every morning when saying hello to the staff, and by the end of the two weeks, she even said she would miss them. Even now, after almost one year, she keeps remembering what she learned during the camp. For me, it was important that she felt welcomed and supported because we noticed that some of the kids already knew each other from previous years so I thought it would be challenging for her but everybody helped her through the process.
(5) Reason for choosing the camp
For us, it was convenient and practical because I work close to the school and they have extended care available. Also compared with others, I found well-maintained and safe facilities for the children. Since they are a boarding school, they also have lunch services from their own cafeteria, freshly cooked every day, which comes at an extra cost but it was totally worth it. My kid liked the food very much. Actually, this was part of the everyday conversation, after picking her up she would comment about her lunch menu.
(4.5) Program quality and activities
My child especially enjoyed the sports activities at the camp, and we appreciated that they had the chance to try different sports beyond the ones they are used to. For example, my daughter practiced some soccer during the summer. However; we discovered that she also liked hockey and volleyball, which we had never thought of simply because we had never been introduced to the sport before.
The way the program is built, the kids get to know the basics of 10 different sports giving them a broader scope than just attending a specialized camp. Especially at younger ages, I found this very interesting because my child got curious about other things. They also have to build science projects during the week, and we as parents liked that the project is built over several days, which gives time for further exploration, and comprehension at home. My child would go home and start thinking about some ideas she would like to apply to the team project the next day.
(4.5) Social dynamics and experience
As I explained, several kids already knew each other so the first days, she felt a little shy. However, I think what helped was that they had a well-organized busy schedule to keep the children engaged and active at all times. Also, staff members would come and help her interact and socialize until she was more comfortable. I think the small groups they have are also perfect for avoiding these situations because the children are always accompanied and supervised.
(5) Skills and growth
As I mentioned she started to try other sports even wanting to join the ball-hockey team at the school during the year. To be honest I was not looking for a challenging activity during summer. For me it was time for her to enjoy and build social skills more than a challenging activity. Being a shy kid she overcame this and started to build relationships with new people, which made me proud.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
I received all the communications by email but I was asked, if I would like to be included in a WhatsApp group to receive announcements and communications so I decided how I wanted to get involved. One thing I like very much is how they share photos and moments at the end of the day.
Communication was always open. My child had one minor incident when playing with a ball and they called me right away to give me detailed information asking me how I wanted to proceed. Everything was ok and I always felt my child was taken care of and safe. This incident was minor but I was surprised that even with something like this they will call and let you know because from my experience sometimes groups are so big that they do not notice something has happened or they do not have enough staff to make a personal approach so fast.
(4) Advice and tips
I would advise parents first to register early to take advantage of the early bird fees. Another thing I suggest is to encourage your children to be open to try new things.
It would have been helpful to know more about the detailed daily schedule ahead of time, so we knew exactly what they were going to do during the day, especially for the Friday trips and activities.
Questions about J. Addison School STEM & Sports Day Camp?
