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Camp is a time when children come together from all over to have fun and create everlasting memories! The camp setting is unlike no other, it allows campers to explore new adventures and skills while being in a safe and fun environment.  Here are 10 reasons why children need summer camp…

 

1. To live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Children and youth need to be active for a minimum of 60 minutes a day of moderate physical activity. This can include any of the following types of movements:

• Aerobic activities
• Physical activities
• High intensity activities in order to elevate one’s heart rate

Camp activities and programming incorporates many different movements to help improve their overall health!

2. Social Skills

A camp setting allows children to develop their social intelligence skills. They learn how to interact with other campers, while being in control of their feelings and thoughts. It allows them to step outside of their comfort zone while being in an safe and welcoming environment.

3. Promotes Independence

The concept of independence can be overwhelming especially while being away from parents and loved ones. Camp allows children to take on some responsibilities of their own with the guidance of camp counsellors and supervisors on site. Independence helps children learn some helpful tips and tools on how to overcome situations where they might not have someone directly available to help them.

4. Teaches Teamwork

Teamwork is an essential life skill, whether it is at school, sports, work, etc. A camp setting allows children to learn how to work with others in a collaborative environment, along with learning from one another. Most of camp programming is based on group participation, we also include some team building exercise that allow them to communicate with one another to achieve the obstacle ahead.

5. ‘Screen-free’ FUN!

As much as we do not want to admit it sometimes, we get into the habit of being on our phones or television a bit too much. This is why camp is such a wonderful opportunity for children to be away from their screen and enjoy some indoor and outdoor activities. It allows them to explore the outdoors while getting some much needed Vitamin D.

6. Develops Creativity

Allowing children to be creative and explore new aspects of themselves and those around them is important to a child’s development. For example, at our day camp; campers will learn a variety of technical and tactical skills that will allow them to be creative when it comes to their soccer skills and abilities. These skills also translate well to other aspects of our camper’s lives!

7. Stress Reliever

Camp is a great way to relieve stress for children and youth. When they are at camp they do not need to worry about school or competitive sports, they can simply focus on having fun and being themselves. With a wide variety of programming, it allows campers to learn more about themselves and how to deal with stress.

8. Making Friendships

Camp is a great way to make friends that will last a lifetime. There are so many opportunities to meet some amazing people, you never know, they might even live down the street. We encourage participation at camp, creating a buddy system and making strong bonds with all the other campers in their group.

9. Builds Confidence

We all know that new environments can be scary and worry-some at times. The camp community is a constantly growing environment. Campers are learning and exploring new aspects of themselves and others through various activities continuously. At camp, children have to make many of their own decisions, which is all part of the growing up process.

10. Endless FUN!

From learning soccer skills to learn each others’ name, camp is being part of a community and gives you a chance to have fun while being surrounded by wonderful people. Everyday will be a little different, as we want each camper to have a wide variety of experiences and adventures. There is always so much FUN to have at camp!

There is no doubt that this year’s back-to-school season is vastly different than in previous years. Whether your child is attending class in-person or online, you’ll be facing some unique challenges when preparing for this school year.

Safety protocols

One of the most obvious changes to in-person schooling will be the implementation of safety protocols. These measures will vary from province to province and even board by board. They generally include optional or mandatory mask-wearing, physical distancing, and cohort grouping.

In preparing for back to school, it is advisable to practice mask-wearing and proper hand hygiene. Students are recommended to build mask endurance through pre-school year practice. Going from not wearing a mask to wearing one for the entire school day can be challenging. Experiment with different mask types—design, fabric, and size—until your child finds one comfortable to wear. Make the experience enjoyable by choosing a print reflecting your child’s personality, such as their favorite movie characters. Personalizing masks using fabric paints is also a fun option. Once a comfortable mask is found, gradually increase practice time, starting with enjoyable activities as a reward. This approach helps children become more at ease with mask-wearing, setting them up for success upon their return to school.

Online learning

When preparing for an online return to school, assess your child’s comfort level with the necessary technology. Consult with your child’s teacher or the school board to understand the software that will be used and begin practicing on it. Depending on your child’s technical proficiency, you may need to start with basic typing and mouse usage. For classes using video conferencing apps like Zoom, consider setting up video calls with friends and family for your child to practice essential features. Knowing how to join a session, manage video visibility, and mute/unmute are crucial skills. Practicing these in advance reduces frustration during online classes.

Play and be active – consider VC

Regardless of the schooling option chosen, it remains crucial to provide children with opportunities for play and physical activity after school. Many typical extracurricular activities are not available due to the ongoing situation. If offered, weigh the risks of exposure against the benefits these activities provide for your child. An alternative is the After-school Virtual Camp (VC), allowing campers to safely engage in extracurricular activities daily. Virtual Camp offers opportunities for children to meet others, make friends, participate in active games and soccer skill-building activities, and have fun with games and trivia based on the week’s theme. These activities serve as a great way for your child to release stress and end the day on a positive note.

As we all know camp has looked different this year as many camps have switched to virtual camp.  Here at Royal City Soccer Club we have ran a successful virtual camp, each week focusing on a different topic to spark interest in the campers while maintaining our focus of developing soccer skills.   Camp always helps develop different skills and has many benefits. Today we are focusing on how Virtual Royal Camp can help prepare you for back to school.

Communication Skills     

Campers have been able to develop their communication skills with the other campers and the counsellors.  They have had the opportunity to share and listen to different camper’s stories while following the virtual camp rules as well as respecting everyone within the virtual camp.  This is very important this year as many children are socially distancing themselves and not able to interact as often with their friends and other children around the same age.

Curiosity

Changing the theme weekly allows campers to learn new information about different topics which can spark passion or the desire to explore new topics and interests.  This is achieved through trivia, interest stories and themed activities and games.  Some campers specifically choose certain themed weeks as they loved the theme previously and we were still able to provide them with challenges and new interesting information.

Skill Development

There are many benefits with skill development.  At Virtual Royal Camp our main focus is on developing soccer skills and life skills.  These skills are developed through different exercises and activities that campers are able to do on their own but are directly applicable to the game.  Developing skills helps to build confidence, whether that is in their soccer skills, general athleticism or more confidence in themselves.

Tech confidence   

Normally camp is a time to get away from screens but this year screens have helped bring us all together.  With many unknowns about the upcoming year, developing confidence with computers can help campers tackle many different situations and scenarios.  If any classes or programs switch to online, campers will have had a positive experience where they have had to interact virtually. Overall, Virtual Royal Camp helps campers develop different skills which will help campers navigate back to school.  Through gained confidence in themselves, their soccer skills, sparking curiosity, developing computer confidence and communication skills, campers will be more prepared for the upcoming school year.

Here at Royal City Soccer Club, because the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to cancel our in-person summer camps this year, we’ve created an amazing new virtual camp for boys and girls aged 7 to 13.  But not everyone is convinced that Virtual Camps are for them, so we wanted to clear up a few common misconceptions about virtual camps, especially here are Royal City Soccer Club.  Here are the 5 most common misconceptions about Virtual Camp:

1 – My kids are going to be bored….

Our Virtual Royal Camp @ Home is designed from scratch to create very engaging, fun and creative interactive 1 hour virtual camps.  Each session will include various interactive games, warm up and daily physical activity, soccer skills and exercises, story of the day, trivia, jokes and so much more.  Our program has been created to keep the virtual participants engaged in a fast moving session that includes to much in just 1 hour a day.   

2 – My kids won’t be active…

Most parents, understandably, are tired of their children being on screens all day.  We understand this frustration so in each of our 1-hour sessions we’ve incorporated physical activity into at least half of the session.  Even though our virtual participants will be using a screen, they will constantly be active throughout the hour.

3 – They won’t get any soccer…

Being a soccer club who prides itself in providing soccer programming, its important to us to incorporate soccer skills and exercises into every single virtual session.  While it certainly is a little more challenging teaching soccer skills through a virtual environment, we’ve tried to create 2 separate soccer sections into most of our daily virtual sessions.

4 – We don’t have enough space…

While some virtual campers have access to a backyard while participating in our virtual sessions, you don’t need to be outside and you don’t need a lot of space.  Most of the active portions of our sessions, including the soccer exercises, only need about a space about 5 feet x 5 feet. 

5 – We don’t know if we can meet the technical requirements…

To participant in our virtual camps, all you need is a computer or tablet with a camera and internet access.  Our virtual sessions are conducted on Zoom but if you aren’t familiar with Zoom, we’ll provide you simple instructions upon registration on how to log in.  Our Instructors will also teach and help participants learn the basics of Zoom so that they can participate and enjoy all aspects of the session. With several sessions available each day to all boys and girls aged 7 to 13 throughout the whole summer,  we hope to see you register soon.

Also, be sure to check out the cool highlight video of our first week of Virtual Royal Camp @ Home by clicking here.

With schools coming to an end, and most of the country sheltering in place, many youth are now finding themselves with a surplus of extra time on their hands. While video games and sleeping in until noon can be a welcome break for a few days, it’s easy to begin going stir crazy. The most important thing we’ve found to combat quarantine boredom has been keeping up a schedule.  We’ll walk through some of the things that have filled our schedule the past couple of weeks!

Wake up call

With no more morning classes, it can be easy to slip into the habit of oversleeping into the afternoon. However, it’s very important to maintain your sleep schedule, and thus proper sleep hygiene. You may not need to be up at 6am anymore, but try to set yourself a goal wake-up time and stick to it. The same goes for your bedtime routine; pick a time and stick to it!

Set some goals

You’re up now, what next? Schedule some time for activities each day, varying up productive goals with entertainment and free time. 

Exercise! 

Whether it’s following along with an at-home workout on YouTube or going for a walk/run through the neighbourhood, be sure to give yourself some time to stay active and get your heart rate going!

Clean! 

Spring is here and along with that comes spring-cleaning. Your goal could be anywhere from having all the dishes washed directly after super, to making a deep clean to do list and setting aside an hour or two each day to tackle one of the items. From washing the baseboards to scrubbing the tub, there’s lots to be cleaned around the house!

Build your resume! 

We recognize that many employers are not hiring right now (but here at Royal City Soccer Club we are still are hiring!) , however you never know what opportunities are out there if you’re not looking. If you can’t find any new postings one day, why not try working on an employable skill? Watch a webinar about using Excel, work through some exercises on your favourite free language learning app.

Have some fun

Don’t schedule your whole day full of chores and work, otherwise you’ll quickly lose motivation and burn out. Set realistic goals, and be sure to pepper in plenty of time for fun and recreation throughout the day.

Play some games! 

If you’re back home with your family for the summer, now’s the perfect time to implement game nights. Break out your deck of cards and monopoly board and have some fun! If you’re not sheltering with other people, try playing games online. There are plenty of multiplayer games online, or set up a video chat with your friends and family and play with them virtually!

Do some arts and crafts! 

This is the time to start exploring your creative side and knocking out some of those projects you have pinned to your Pinterest board. Pick up a hobby, be it painting, macramé, knitting, etc. and explore your creative side. There are plenty of blogs and Youtube videos out there for anyone looking to pick up a new crafty hobby!

Enjoy the outdoors (safely)! 

With this tip it’s important to consider physical distancing, but there’s still some ways you can enjoy the outdoors. Spring is here in full swing, and as it gets warmer it’s a perfect time to begin clearing out your gardens and prepping them for your May plantings. It’s also a great time to break out your sports equipment and start practicing at home in your own backyard. Pump up your soccer balls or strap on your roller blades! 

 

Your schedule is completely up to you! Some people will want a jammed-packed day with no free time. Others may want a morning routine to get them started, and trust that the rest of the day will sort itself out. Just be sure to treat yourself kindly through these times, and know that we will get through this. 

The most important thing to remember through these times is that we are all in it together. It’s been amazing watching our communities come together while staying distanced and seeing Canada as a whole pull together to support each other.

Stay safe and stay home!

-RCSC