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Wild & Wacky Summer Camps Get Extreme
By Lauren Ware

When we were kids, camp meant swimming, sports, maybe some boating and s’mores by the campfire at night. Not so anymore. Kids today can choose from such diverse camps as circus performing, space camp, video game design camp—even scuba diving camp in Fiji. With such a dazzling array of choices, how can you pick just one? Let’s take a sampling from the smorgasbord of wild, wacky, and unusual camps. Maybe one will inspire your little one to delve deeply into his passion this summer.

Play video games

Summer camp is about spending time outdoors, right? Not necessarily. With continuing advancement in computer gaming technology, more and more of today’s kids are finding their passion in video games: creating and designing them or even just playing them.

You can find an outlet for your teenage “cyber athlete” at a computer gaming camp. Yes, really. Teens hone their skills and learn new strategies while playing against other campers at iD’s Gaming Academy. They promise the hottest new games and cutting-edge computer systems at locations around the country. iD Tech Camps offers other high-tech camps: video game design, digital video editing, game modding, special effects editing, web design and flash animation to name just some. Campers can stack programs, creating specialized “tracks” such as Game Programming or a Sampler track that allows teens to explore a wide variety of tech-related topics. For the nearest location, visit www.internaldrive.com/cyber-athlete/index.htm

Join the circus

Is your child dreaming of running off to join the circus? She can get a taste of circus life at a camp such as the one run by Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vt. Here, both beginning and experienced circus performers learn tricks and skills for the big top. Campers train five hours a day and attend dinner in costume. Kids can explore any of a number of circus stunts from juggling to trapeze to clowning to tightwire to unicycling. Circus camp wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to throw pies in the instructors’ faces! Top it all off with a performance for friends and family on the last day of camp. Admission to the Big Top Tour is very competitive, but even if your child isn't a budding Cirque de Soleil performer, she can still have a blast at this very unusual camp. For more information, visit www.circussmirkus.org.

Dissect DNA

Do you have a budding geneticist or mathematician who shudders at the thought of wasting precious summer days that could be spent studying and learning? Send her to the Peddie School Summer Science Institute in Hightstown, N.J. Don’t worry, the Peddie School balances intense academic focus with some typical camp recreation in the afternoons. In the Genetics Program, kids get to learn lab techniques in a state-of-the-art DNA laboratory as they make their way through a mock investigation. To complement the hands-on lab work, students visit real laboratories and geneticists in interactive field trips. The Peddie School also offers a math enrichment program that promises to make math meaningful and fun so young scientists can sharpen their skills in this area, as well as a robotics program where kids will learn to program and build their own robot. For more information, visit www.peddie.org.

Count down to liftoff

Blasting off into space is what tickles your tween’s fancy? Send her to Space Camp in Mobile, Ala. Focused on ages 9-11, Space Camp allows kids to experience state-of-the-art simulations. Campers get to mimic the feel of a moonwalk, sit in the 5-Degrees of Freedom Chair (just like Gemini astronauts), and strap on a simulated jet pack. They’ll even build and launch their own one-stage model rocket. And of course, they will try space food and learn first-hand how to sleep and go to the bathroom in space. For more information, visit www.spacecamp.com.

Scuba dive and sail

If you thought circus performing or playing video games was extreme, check out Broadreach's teen summer adventures. How about scuba camp in Baja? Or sailing in the Caribbean? Exploring Mayan ruins in Honduras? The wildest and most adventurous teens will find their wanderlust satisfied by the wide range of offerings. Broadreach limits group size to 10-14 teens per group for quality and safety, and the opportunities are certainly among the most unique anywhere. If your child doesn’t have any scuba or marine biology experience, don’t sweat it. There are programs for beginners as well as advanced scuba divers, sailors, and explorers. For more information, visit www.gobroadreach.com.

It’s about your child

In the end, the best camp experience is going to be the one that is tailored to your child’s interests. These wonderfully unusual camps can help kids explore their unique passions in a safe yet exciting environment. What’s it going to be this year?

Lauren Ware is a freelance writer.