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Satisfy the Need for Adventure With Extreme Camps

Kids crave adventure, especially when they're free from the demands of school. Space camp, spy camp, circus camp and more – extreme summer camps will satisfy their desire for thrills and still stay within a parent’s comfort zone.



by Lori Zanteson

The school year can really take a toll on kids. Come summer, they are itching to get out and get active. And as the summer goes along, they get more and more restless.

But to satisfy a kid, a summer activity's gotta be kicked up, fueled with adrenaline, and amped with excitement. That’s a tall order from a parent’s standpoint—until you take a look at summer camp. Not just any summer camp. Check out extreme camps for adventures that are sure to satisfy your child’s thirst for thrills yet maintain your peace of mind.

Rocket kids

Many kids are obsessed with astronauts and flying through space on a rocket ship. Space camp prepares them for takeoff in their coolest and most extreme mission yet.  Kids ages 9-11 can be a part of Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The program gives the full experience of training like an astronaut, from lift-off at 4 Gs to practicing the real moon walk in the 1/6 gravity simulator.

Students learn what it would be like to work in a weightless environment on trainers like the Zero-Gravity Wall (see photo above). They actually maneuver the MMU—the Manned Maneuvering Unit propulsion backpack that allowed astronauts to perform untethered spacewalks from the space shuttle.

Campers also build and launch their own rocket and lift-off in a shuttle simulator, command from a mission control center, and “live and work” in Space Camp’s International Space Station simulator.

There are Space Camp programs throughout the year. For older kids, Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy are open to ages 12-14 and 15-18, respectively.

For more extraterrestrial action, check out the programs at Camp Kennedy Space Center in Florida and The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Utah.

Undercover adventure

Ever feel like there’s a spy in the house? Put that curiosity to task at Spy Camp where there is never an idle moment. Open your child’s world to secret agent style spying at Camp Lohikan in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, the ideal setting for high action adventure.

Junior agents are trained in the “martial arts, code breaking, surveillance techniques and undercover maneuvers.” And that’s just to prepare them for the real training.

Any spy needs to learn to get around (and away!) on an ATV 4-wheeler, to scale a rope course at altitude, and to jet over water obstacles on skis. For those old enough, combat tactics using paintball will come in handy too.

Totally prepared, agents take on a mission to put their skills and talents to the test. Role playing was never so realistic at home in the backyard. Physical skills, teamwork, and serious critical thinking are disguised as pure fun and adventure. Organized by age, every spy kid will be challenged and satisfied at this extreme adventure camp.

Girls just want to have fun

Girls can be just as extreme as boys at Pali Overnight Adventures’ Girl Power Extreme at sunny California’s Lake Arrowhead. An adventure exclusive to girls, this camp will rock their worlds with the addition of a little girl-style pampering.

Intended to build perseverance and determination, activities are a big dose of extreme:  zip lines, paintball, skating in Shred City, racing minibikes, and self-defense. To meet all a girl’s needs, the extreme is tempered with yoga, manicures, pedicures, and other rejuvenating spa treatments.

Since every girl needs the balance that comes from inner strength, girl power is emphasized through bonding time. Girls are led in talks about female role models like popular athletes and leaders as they learn to empower themselves through goal-setting and achievement.

Join the circus!

We’ve all got a clown or two on our hands, so why not let them experience a few tricks of the trade at circus camp? The circus is made for kids, making it the perfect camp to learn new skills, build confidence, and enjoy lots of belly laughs.

Kids can make their circus dreams a reality at circus camp where they learn and practice the skills and techniques they most want to perform. They might choose classic clowning, magic, juggling, and the circus bike, or the graceful techniques of acrobatics, flying trapeze, and the tight wire. The more daring will likely venture toward fire-eating, stilts, and the unicycle.

Circus professionals instruct all of the skills in small groups to ensure safety in practice and performance. In addition to the physical skills of strength and coordination, kids develop focus and self confidence and learn teambuilding. Of course, a real circus performance serves as the camp’s grand finale.

Some circus camps worth a look are Circus Smirkus Camp in Vermont, Circus Arts Program at Camp Lohikan in Pennsylvania, and Circus Camp in Georgia.

If you are parenting children who are craving adventure with an alternative, intense edge, extreme camps are the way to go. They get exactly what they want, and it just happens to be in a safe and supervised environment—exactly what you want!

 

Lori Zanteson is a Southern California-based writer and mother of three who specializes in health, food, and fitness for families.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Space and Rocket Center

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Inspire Your Kids to Cook

 

by Christina DiMartino

 

Your kids—boys and girls alike—express a desire to cook from a very early age, likely without your even realizing it. They make mud pies in the sandbox, play with child-sized cooking sets, and organize kitchens in doll houses or play areas, and they probably inquire about what you’re cooking from the time they begin to communicate.

 

Kids Cooking Activities offers up reasons why you should encourage cooking activities with your kids. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com)

 

* Cooking with your children helps them to learn about nutrition and healthy eating. 

* Cooking in the kitchen will give children a boost of self confidence. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important, and contributing to the family.

* Taking time to cook with your kids will give them lasting memories. They will pass the traditions on when they are grown and have their own families.

* In the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, your children will be more likely to eat what they had a hand in making.

* Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math, and creativity in the kitchen. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects.

* Cooking is a great way to learn life skills. This is especially helpful when children are older and more independent. They won't have to rely on fast food and junk food to sustain them.

* Working together in the kitchen teaches your child teamwork.

* Cooking teaches children planning and making choices skills.

* Kids practice creativity and imagination in the kitchen. Cooking activities are a great way for kids to express themselves and enjoy their creations.  

 

It may take longer to get the meal or snack done, but the moments with your children will be priceless. Remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk.

 

A role model for cooking with kids

 

Cooking With Kids, a series of 90-second videos, is hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef John Sarich. Development of the program was inspired by the reality of childhood obesity, anorexia and other eating disorders, Type II Diabetes, and low bone density, which have all become national issues. Cooking With Kids encourages parents and children to spend time in the kitchen together preparing healthy meals in ways that improve communication and help children develop healthy nutritional habits. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.cookingwithkids.org/fact.html)

 

The program shows how easy it is for kids to prepare snacks and meals that taste good and that are good for them. It uses the five food groups as a platform for nutrition messages. You can watch the videos with your children through the website, then print out the recipe and go try it yourselves.

 

The recipes that Sarich prepares with kids on the segments teach them which categories on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid are included in the recipe. He explains how vegetable burritos, for example, include foods that have protein, fiber and dairy, and that the burritos are low in fat.

 

Good cooking habits

 

Spatulatta provides 350 step-by-step videos that teach kids good cooking habits, and offers advice for moms, dads and kids on numerous issues related to cooking with kids. It emphasizes topics like teaching kids to wash their hands properly before handling food.  (Set up link at underlining to http://www.spatulatta.com)

 

When it comes to working in the kitchen, you know your children. You know what abilities they have and how fine their motor skills are. Some children are ready to handle a certain kitchen utensil or work at the stove earlier than others. It’s up to you to make that determination.

 

You set the rules in your kitchen, such as you will always light the burners and oven for your children.

 

Go over the workings of every electrical appliance with your child. Explain that the beaters, for example, should be inserted into a hand mixer before the mixer is plugged in.

 

Safety and courtesy are behaviors that need to be re-enforced and modeled.

 

Once you've explained how to handle an item safely, try asking your child to tell you how to do it the next time the task is required when making a recipe. We all learn best when we try to teach.

 

 

CREDIT:

Christina DiMartino has been a freelance and assignment writer since 1985. She is a researcher, interviewer, writer, editor, and manuscript collaborator with a repertoire of clients from around the world.

 

 

PHOTO / ILLUSTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:

Go to http://www.cookingwithkids.org

 

 

TEASER: 

Cooking with your kids does much more than produce tasty treats! It teaches teamwork, safety, courtesy, math, science, and more, and encourages creativity and imagination. And there are some terrific online videos that will help you get started.

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