With the summer months fast approaching, families across Northern Virginia are starting to consider which summer camp is the best fit for their child.
The Fairfax County Park Authority offers a wide array of summer camp choices, all of which can be found at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks by clicking on the "Summer Camps" section.
Among the most popular Park Authority camps are the Kiddie Camps, open to children between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. Kiddie Camp attendees play games, such as soccer, and attend field trips to places like Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.
"There's not a lot offered for that age group outside of the Park Authority," said Ellen Greenburg, youth programs specialist for the Park Authority. "It's very, very popular."
For school-age children, between the ages of 8 and 12, the Park Authority offers the popular Adventure Camp, which teaches campers kayaking, rock climbing and they travel to theme parks such as King's Dominion and Six Flags.
The Park Authority also offers school-age children single-focus sports camps for skateboarding, tennis, basketball and more.
Rec-PAC (Pretty Awesome Children) is another summer camp option operated by the Park Authority. Open to students in grades one to six, Rec-PAC lasts for six weeks and is held at 62 elementary schools throughout Fairfax County. Rec-PAC campers can expect to enjoy indoor and outdoor games, team sports, nature hikes, arts and crafts, talent shows and more. For more information about Rec-PAC, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/recpac.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington is another major camp provider in Northern Virginia. Their summer camps feature youth swim classes, overnight camp, teen programs, child care and more. They are available in the City of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
To see the YMCA's full summer camp brochures, go to www.ymcawashdc.org/camps/summercamp.