Summer camp is a time for friendships, fun, and being a carefree kid. In the past, summer camp often meant going away from home to spend a week in the woods at a sleep-away camp. However, as family dynamics have changed, so have summer camps. To effectively serve today’s families, most municipal recreation agencies offer summer day camps.

Everyone knows that summer camps are fun, but a well-kept secret is that summer camps are quite educational. The valuable life lessons learned at camp will not be found in textbooks or classrooms, but rather on playgrounds, in swimming pools, and art studios. Conflict resolution, teamwork, and development of interpersonal skills are a few of the important lessons children actively learn while involved in summer camp programs.

Miracles seem to happen at summer camp, as the kid who seems incapable of picking up their clothes off the floor, astonishingly learn to put their things away. Picky eaters who won’t eat anything other than macaroni and cheese, will often inhale eyeballs, worms, brains and blood, the foods that adults commonly refer to as grapes, spaghetti, cauliflower, and tomato juice. There is something magical for a child that rounds third base and heads for home plate, after working hard to hit a home run.

The life lessons may not help the math grades, but if you ask most 11-year-old girls to add the number of humps on Camel Alice, the age of Justin Bieber on March 1, and the number of days that kids are out of school on summer break, they will quickly come up with the sum of 98.

Whether kids love the tried and true traditional camp activities such as games, sports, skits, and swimming, or specialty camps such as magic, science, theatre and math, Montgomery County Recreation will help you find the perfect camp. From building robots, to twirling batons there are plenty of amazing activities to ensure that children have oodles of fun this summer!

Montgomery County Recreation offers hundreds of programs throughout the summer. The Summer Programs Guide is available on the Montgomery County Recreation website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec.

Families have the option of half-day, full day, and extended day. On-line registration is available.