With the school holidays in full swing, it’s time for those of you with kids to think about how best to keep the kids occupied throughout July and August.
For those of you not working, Summer camps may seem like an expensive indulgence, so cost will play a significant part in the choices you make. Working parents, on the other hand, will view camps as an essential part of “getting through” the Summer and many of you will be keen to vary the types of activities that your kids are involved in throughout the school break.
Fortunately, the number of organizations offering activities for kids in Geneva, Vaud, and neighboring France appears to be on the increase. All kinds of tempting courses are now available, targeting different interests and budgets. Kids have no excuse to be bored this Summer with courses dedicated to soccer, cooking, sewing, music, art, languages, and drama, not to mention the vast range of multi-sports and multi-activity camps also on offer.
Sport
Top of the list for many young kids this Summer will be Gordon Nunn’s and Steve Long’s InterSoccer camps. This year, they are running a series of Mini, Junior, Academy, Girls-Only and Goalkeepers soccer camps, to suit all ages and abilities. Camps are being run at various locations throughout Switzerland including Geneva, Founex, Versoix, and Vevey.
A number of tennis schools will be offering camps over the Summer holidays – just pop down to your local courts to see what’s going on in your area. Joto Tennis is one of the more popular schools in the expat community.
This year's Playball camp is a great option for children aged 3 to 6 years and will include basic activties such as jumping, throwing, rolling, hitting, catching, and kicking. Children will also have the opportunity to play mini games such as tennis, hockey, cricket, football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and much more.
Multi-activity
Many multi-activity camps include cooking within their Summer program. La Bulle d'Air and Gymboree Holiday Camps are just two centers where you can choose from a long list of interesting themes, designed to challenge your child’s imagination! The Haut Lac Summer Camp is also running a number of different camps covering sport, nature, drama and music. At the Collège du Léman Summer Campus, children from 8 to 18 have three weeks to perfect their French or English, while discovering or rediscovering athletic, artistic or cultural activities. Contact The Little Gym to find out more about their activities.
Music
Summer camps provide a great opportunity for young kids to have fun through music, whilst older kids can use the time to learn a new instrument. Music Together is popular choices for the young ones, whereas Julie Wagner’s 2-week Summer Music Program.
Arts and crafts
If your child likes arts and crafts, there are numerous opportunities in the region for your kids to get creative with their hands. Lisa Cirieco-Ohlman’s Creative Camp in August includes a vernissage on the last day where parents get to see all the unusual activities that have been made during the week – creations included travel desks, secret sand jars, painted doormats, and bottle boats, not to mention some delicious culinary delights! Places are limited, and are targeted at children age between 8 and 14 years old, so you really need to book now to ensure a place on this one!
Other
Some might like to just go every Tuesday to Châtel for their Fishing course. Or maybe a handwriting camp?
Sewing
Those of you keen to develop new skills for your children might like to sign them up for Nicola Ogilvie’s sewing workshops for kids. Running on various dates throughout the Summer holidays, children can learn several new skills, making items such as soft toys, clothing and accessories, depending on their age and ability. Nicola also runs sewing classes for adults if you are interested.
Languages
Summer is also a great time to brush up on your language skills and there are a number of classes on offer this year. Chantemerle concentrates on learning French, English, or German for an intensive overnight camp for age 12-16 or with GEMS in Etoy for Theater and Language day camps, while Key English School is targeting younger children, where the focus is very much on having fun.
Don’t forget that many of the communes in this region also run special programs for kids throughout the Summer. Since these are often subsidized, the prices can be very competitive. With the added bonus of being run in French, your child may also pick up some useful language skills whilst he or she is having fun! It’s important to note that many of these programs favor local residents first, by offering discounted prices and an early sign-up option – so if you find one that interests you outside your commune you should take a note of the sign-up dates for those living outside the commune to increase your chances of getting a place. Information on these programs can usually be found on the website for each commune or by popping into the town hall. The Service des Loisirs de la Jeunesse in the Canton of Geneva have an extensive program of activities for youngsters. Click here to download the full program.
The above represents just a small selection of the courses that are on offer in this region for your kids. Click here, to see the full list of activities we have posted on our ACTIVITIES CALENDAR. To fine-tune your research, remember to select the type of activity you’re looking for at the bottom of the calendar. Please note that this list is not complete – it represents just a handful of the camps that have been recommended to us throughout the last couple of months. A whole chapter has also been dedicated to Holiday Camps and Workshops, in our sister guidebook, Know-it-all passport® 2013/2014, starting on page 343. If there are any other camps that you think we should include on the site, please let us know by submitting our special Activities Form.
