Education

Time to sign up for March Break and summer camps

March Break is coming up very quickly now as parents rush to sign their kids up for activities that will keep them busy — and hopefully learning something — over that week off regular school.

And some summer camps are already starting to fill up. Most open their registrations in January–March period and could run out of space any time before the end of spring. If you want your child to have the full range of opportunities over the summer months, you’d better get cracking and check out the camps now.

First though, bear in mind that camps during spring and summer  breaks are opportunities for students to expand upon the learning they’ve acquired at home and school. Camps give them a chance to learn something different — or in a different way. Or to take their education in a field of their choosing  to a new level.

At camps, children pick up individual and social skills that may be just as important in their development as what they were learning in formal education.

Camps can foster emotional intelligence, self-confidence, independence, healthy living, environmental awareness, leadership and socialization. Not to mention specific skills in sports, computers and technology, arts, music, public speaking, dance, skating, swimming, nature studies….

The variety of topics covered by day and overnight camps available in the Toronto area is inexhaustible.

Sports camps

There are way too many sports camps to list them all here — a camp for every athletic interest.

Here’s a few:

• For beginners to advanced players, Power Soccer camps provide the opportunity for kids and teens to improve their game during March Break and summer..

• During summer, the North Toronto Soccer Club  offers a variety of camp sessions for kids 4 to 15 to develop their soccer skills and have fun.

Leaside Volleyball offers programs and training in indoor and beach volleyball. In summer it hosts weekly fun beach camps at Woodbine Beach, Ashbridges Bay for players of all ages and experience.

Phoenix Volleyball serves up summer beach volleyball camps at Ashbridges Bay, indoor volleyball clinics at various locations in North Toronto and Beaches, and March break camps. The program develops basic technical skills, motor skills and team play in a fun environment.

True North Sports Camps has camps in baseball, flag football, basketball, soccer and multiple sports. The year-round sports programming is for boys and girls ages 4 to 14 in mid-town Toronto.

CASMA Camps offer basketball, as well as other sports, arts and music camps, during March Break and summer for boys and girls ages 4 to 14.in North Toronto.

Toronto Athletic Camps present training in soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball, floor hockey and mixed martial arts across Toronto and GTA.

Science camps

• The local leader in this is, of course, our famous Ontario Science Centre, which offers programs on March break, during weekends, and in the summer.

• Among the many other science camps to check out are Mad Science Camps and Spirit of Math Camps, for high-performing math students, located across the GTA.

Computer/tech camps

• Based in the Leaside area AfterFour presents technology driven day-camps and workshops specializing in animation, digital art, LEGO, Video Game Programming and more.

• Hatch Canada promises computer coding can be made fun at its locations in North Toronto, Richmond Hill and Oakville (transportation available).

Arts camps

• The Art Gallery of Ontario may be the leader in this field with its popular summer program, though there are many more.

Unique camps

Debate Camp Canada is for young intellectuals who want to learn the power of effective public speaking, debate and Model United Nations simulations. Day and overnight camps are available across Toronto for Grades 5 to 11.

Private-school camps

Branksome Hall Day Camps is a co-ed day camp for girls and boys 4 to 12. It features dance, tennis, soccer, musical theatre, public speaking/debate, robotics, wonder camp, swimming and more.
Crestwood Valley Day Camp in midtown Toronto offers 20 to 25 daily activities, including baseball, basketball, water sports, gymnastics, arts, nature study, and technology and much more.