Brilliant Summer Camp

[milee]

This week, my youngest son is attending a baking camp at a local Italian family bakery.  Genius idea for that bakery.  Not only do they build loyal customers (we didn't ever go to this place prior to camp), but it's a cost effective way for them to leverage their fixed assets (lots of space and free family help) during the slowest time of the year.  Win/win.

Son is loving the camp and came home yesterday with 4 boxes of baked goods he'd made.  I'm going to gain 10 pounds by the time the week is over.

Anybody else have some examples of creative summer camps that benefit both the kid and the business/organization?

[thyme4change]

That is awesome - I wish someone around here would do that!

[milee]

Maybe Amy's Bakery will offer a course?

[NancysSummerSip]

A couple of local restaurants are doing something similar, since this is a very slow time for them as well. Build a customer following, make money, keep the kids out of parental hair for a week and have some cheap child labor working in their kitchens doing menial tasks. I think it's awesome. Make the kids work for their meals -isn't that how it used to be?

[milee]

Jun 26, 2013 10:08:54 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

That is awesome - I wish someone around here would do that!

You should suggest it to DeFalco's.  That was a really nice family, if I remember correctly.  And their oldest daughter is now maybe around 10, so still at an age where they think about how summer camp works.  Not sure they'd do a baking camp, but it would be awesome if they did a cooking camp and taught kids how to make that awesome family sauce.

Although they used to be busy year round, so not sure if they have the space.

Too bad Matt's Big Breakfast's place is so small.  They were also a nice family and their little boy would be around 9 now.  If they move into bigger digs, they'd be good ones to ask.

[Deleted]

Our local stable has a summer "riding" camp, but 70% of the time is spent cleaning stalls, grooming horses, sweeping aisles....

The 11-16 year old horse-loving girl crowd loves it and would gladly pay to clean barns all day. 

[thyme4change]

Jun 26, 2013 10:09:28 GMT -5 milee said:

Maybe Amy's Bakery will offer a course?

I just googled it, and there are a couple of places that offer summer "camps" for cooking.  Their definition of camp, and my definition of camp are different.  One of them is 90 minutes long, every day.  That is a class, not camp.  Camp has to be a minimum of 4 hours, and even that is somewhat annoying to me.  Camp should be all day.  Anything else is an activity or a class.

[milee]

Then this Italian baking camp just barely qualifies.  It's only 4 hours a day - wish it were a little longer.  From 10-2.

I have no idea how they get all this stuff done in 4 hours, though.  Yesterday, they baked themselves pizza for lunch plus decorated all the sugar cookies they made the day before, made 2 different pies (blueberry and apple), plus baked turnovers and cinnamon twirly cookies.  

[milee]

Just thought of another Phoenix place that might be interested if you suggest it to them - is AJ's Fine Foods still around?  They've got the space and equipment plus summer is their dead time.  Bet they'd do well with summer kids baking or cooking camps.

[Deleted]

A local farm does Sheep camp. The exotic animal rescue place holds camps... I mean, they don't get to pet the tigers, but do learn animal care, etc. the tech school offers robotics, CAD, etc. A friend runs a German immersion program. The local historical houses run history type camps....  There are lots of cool camps around, but my kids aren't really interested. 

All of these generate interest in the organizations that run them, etc.

[Bob Ross]

The only thing about Italian baking that a kid needs to know is how to microwave pizza rolls.

[swamp]

The local museum has free daily kid programming in the summer.  Good way to get the parents involved and become financial supporters.

One of the colleges has a Camp Invention, sort of like Intro to Engineering.  It's taught by the Engineering Technology faculty. 

[Bob Ross]

Jun 26, 2013 11:48:34 GMT -5 swamp said:

The local museum has free daily kid programming in the summer. 

You mean they program kids for free?

Tell me more.

[greeniis10]

Milee, I'm curious how they advertised for this camp or how did you hear about it?  Since you said you don't normally go there I'm just wondering what type of advertising they used because it must have worked!

I'll have to try to think of something similar that would work for around here...

[milee]

Jun 26, 2013 12:08:39 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

Milee, I'm curious how they advertised for this camp or how did you hear about it?  Since you said you don't normally go there I'm just wondering what type of advertising they used because it must have worked!

Word of mouth.  Guess it started last year and we had three different families rave about how it was their kids' favorite camp ever.  My little guy heard about it and begged to go.  It wasn't easy to find, either.

And yes, so far, it's been pretty fantastic.  He'd spend the rest of the summer there if I'd let him.

He woke up bright and early this morning, put on the apron he made at camp (they hand-decorated them the first day) and was just bouncing around the house ready to go bake...

[Bob Ross]

I'll bet they put weed in the brownies.

[milee]

Jun 26, 2013 12:52:27 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

I'll bet they put weed in the brownies.

If it keeps my kid mellow and happy, I'm completely OK with this.  Maybe I'll pick up a few extras for our next vacation.

[thyme4change]

Milee - I'm not doubting that the baking is fun, because baking is fun.  But, I suspect that whoever is running the camp is great with kids.  Someone who doesn't know how to deal with kids can sap the fun out of the best experience.  Even if I were to find a baking class, there is no guarantee it would be 1/8th as fun as the one you have found.  Childcare is all about the providers, not the activities.  

[milee]

True.  This is like being part of a big Italian family for the day.  There are about 6 women from great grandma, grandma, mom, aunts and daughters plus a few husbands and grandpa around.  They're all very friendly and obviously love each other and enjoy the kids.

Andy's got blond wavy hair and big blue eyes, so he looks pretty funny in the middle of this Italian family.  The other campers are 10 little Italian looking girls and one tiny Asian boy who always looks terrified.

Today he brought home a full sized, decorated cake, two cake cone things and a few more cookies.  He said they also made lasagna - which they ate for lunch - and cake pops but the icing on the cake pops needs to harden overnight before it's ready.  My pants won't be able to button if he keeps bringing this stuff home.

[Bob Ross]

I think a good spinoff would be a mob family that runs a mob camp that teaches kids how to do mob stuff.

Much more useful IRL if you ask me.

[greeniis10]

Wow, just word of mouth?  Awesome.  Sounds like a great time for the kids. 

I'm not sure how old your son is, but it could get pretty "dangerous" if he figures out that certain activities such as this one are primarily girls!    He may want to make a habit of it!  More importantly, good for him (and the other boy) for participating and doing well.

[milee]

Jun 26, 2013 13:38:33 GMT -5 greeniis10 said:

Wow, just word of mouth?  Awesome.  Sounds like a great time for the kids. 

I'm not sure how old your son is, but it could get pretty "dangerous" if he figures out that certain activities such as this one are primarily girls!    He may want to make a habit of it!  More importantly, good for him (and the other boy) for participating and doing well.

At the start of the first day, as the campers were gathering, he looked around and whispered with a surprised expression, "mom, do you think I'm going to be the only boy here?"

Me:    "Uhm, maybe.  Is that OK?"

Andy:  "Oh, yeah.  I like girls!"


(This is good news for me.  I have been figuring that 20 years from now at Thanksgiving he would introduce me to his very special friend, Steve.  And while I actually quite like the idea of getting a SIL instead of a DIL, I think my chances of having grandkids are better with a DIL.)

[Jaguar]

I remember way back in 1977 I went to a week long conservation school camp. They stuck me in the middle of a swamp and told me to find my way out. Those were the glorious days of my youth.

[thyme4change]

Jun 26, 2013 14:07:23 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

I remember way back in 1977 I went to a week long conservation school camp. They stuck me in the middle of a swamp and told me to find my way out. Those were the glorious days of my youth.

hmmmm - my kids are almost to that snotty teenager age.  Tell me more about this camp.  Is it still up and running?  

[greeniis10]

Jun 26, 2013 14:07:23 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

I remember way back in 1977 I went to a week long conservation school camp. They stuck me in the middle of a swamp and told me to find my way out. Those were the glorious days of my youth.

Really wish we could do that for today's youth!  And, no, you can't bring your iPhone or your GPS.  Use your BRAIN and figure it out!  Something like this teaches multitudes to kids that can't be taught in a classroom. 

[Jaguar]

I believe it is still up and running. I had done a lot of hiking as a kid so it wasn't an issue with me. But you should have seen some of the other kids. We were stuck in a bog and just told to find our way out.

[dannylion]

Jun 26, 2013 11:46:20 GMT -5 Bob Ross said:

The only thing about Italian baking that a kid needs to know is how to microwave pizza rolls.

This makes me sad. 

[thyme4change]

It makes me hungry!

[Malarky]

Both my kids are counseling at Karate Camp this week and one other week this summer. 

They came up through the system and they and nine other kids who have been studying for years together make up the bulk of the staff.  

There's a lot of competition for the limited counselor and camper spots.  They not only practice martial arts, they do other more campy activities.  Crafts, playground, scavenger hunt, tie dye etc. 

 

[Deleted]

Why isn't there camp for grown ups . . . waaaaa

I booked kidlets into Lazer tag & day camp.  I want to go somewhere that I can just run around and play all day!!