When the summer months loom, parents sometimes panic and sign their children up for as many activities as possible to keep them busy and out of trouble.
Catholic summer activities have the advantage of being spiritually enriching, as well as entertaining. Summer programs for kids are available at many parishes, elementary schools and high schools. They are convenient for parents – and fun for kids.
BONAVENTURE SCHOOL ACADEMY AND CAMP
One of them, St. Bonaventure School Academy & Camp, will offer its second year of activities following a successful first year in 2017. Offered from June 25 to July 27, the Academy offers a summer bridge program each morning in all academic areas, including reading, writing, math, art, STEAM, study skills, and more. Morning care is available for an additional fee.
Summer Camp is available in the afternoons from 12:30-5:30 p.m. It is available only to students who attend Summer Academy. The camp will have fun weekly themes, an enrichment reading program, physical activity, friendship and camaraderie. For more information, email [email protected] or call Cathy Smith at 714-846-2472.
ANNE’S SUMMER KNIGHTS
In Laguna Niguel, independent Catholic School St. Anne’s offers Summer Knights Day Camp from June 11-August 3. Full day camp is from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., while half-days are 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. To learn more, visit st-anne.org/summercamp, or call 949-276-6711.
DIOCESAN CHILDREN’S CHOIR CAMP
For children who like to sing, the Diocesan Children’s Choir Camp is offered at Christ Cathedral Parish. Children in grades 1-4 and 5-10 will develop choral singing, musical skills, and liturgical knowledge in the camp, which begins on June 25. Staff include David Ball, Patrick Flahive, Matthew Gray, Lauren McCaul and Quang Nguyen. It is open to all children and will close with the children singing the Noon Mass on June 29. For choir camp information, please visit the website at ChristCathedralMusic.org, email [email protected], or call 714-971-2141, ext. 5529.
SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL CAMPS
Servite High School in Anaheim offers Summer Camp, nine Sports Camps, and a Robotics Camp for children ages 7-13, beginning June 4. Applications for registration can be found at ServiteSummerCamps.org.
JSERRA LION ENGAGE
JSerra Catholic High School offers Lion Engage, designed for students in grades 6-8 who want to dive into experiential learning. Hands-on learning taught by engaging instructors also offers youngsters the opportunity to interact with JSerra high school student mentors. Two sessions will include lessons in business, engineering, TV broadcasting, law, medical, theater, studio art, guitar, marine biology, and rock band.
Parents can choose morning or afternoon lessons. Session 1 is from July 9-13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the mornings and from 1-4 p.m. in the afternoons. Session 2 is from July 16-20 during the same time periods. For more information, call Laura Collins at 949-497-9307, ext. 1122, or email [email protected]. To see a full list of sessions, visit jserra.org/lionengage.
This is a partial list of all Catholic summer programs. For more, visit your parish website or call the parish office.
Remember, too, that in order to keep kids safe, it is important to know if the camp is accredited by the American Camp Assn., how the staff is screened, the ratio of staffers to campers, how the camp handles emergencies, and how campers are transported to activities. If there are activities in the sun or in the water, it is critical to ensure the camp has safe practices in place.
Above all, tell your kids to have fun this summer!