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Schools, Choices, And Children: Picking Your Kid's School

When the time came to choose a school for my children, I was overwhelmed by all of the choices. From public school to private school, with charter schools and cyber schools as well, I had no idea where to start. I finally jumped into the research with precision focus so that I could fully understand the choices. My research was exhaustive, and there was no single source to find all of the details in one place. I created this site to build just that. I hope that the information here helps you to find the school that's right for your child.

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Schools, Choices, And Children: Picking Your Kid's School

How Can Kids Summer Programs Help Your Child To Unplug?

by Nevaeh Watkins

Is your child semi-permanently tethered to their tablet, laptop, or smartphone? If you're searching for a way to help your child unplug, develop new skills, and more, take a look at what you need to know about kids' summer program options in your area.

What Is A Children's Summer Program?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Summer programs for kids range from outdoor playground camps to in-depth science, math, foreign language, or art programs. These camps also vary in the number of days per week they meet, the hours of the day (morning, afternoon, or all day), and the session length. Some of these programs take place in the child's regular school, while others happen in science centers, community centers, art museums, or outdoor spaces.

How Can A Summer Program Help Your Child To Unplug?

According to the Pew Research Center, 88 percent of parents say that their children use/interact with a television, 60 percent report that their children use smartphone devices, and 44 percent say that their children use laptops, desktop computers, or gaming devices. If your child is one of the many young students who spends time online, gaming, or in any other way interacting in the digital world, they may need to unplug.

While technology use is necessary for children to complete schoolwork and eventually move into many professional fields (in a future career), parents often want to limit the amount of screen or tech time their children engage in. If your child uses digital devices more often than you would like, prefers the online world to the real one, or can't seem to put down their smartphone, summer programs can help.

Outdoor camps or nature-based programs eliminate the possibility of interacting with screens. Whether the camp focuses on a sport, science, or nature in general, your child won't have the opportunity to pick up and play with an electronic device. This allows your child to forget about apps and the Internet while building physical (gross motor), critical-thinking, and possibly even science-related skills.

Indoor camps can also help children to put down their devices and pay attention to something more tangible. Instead of free time to scroll through the Internet or game online, your child will participate in a learning experience that can help them to build new school-related skills, master new material, develop new interests, and make new friends.

Which Summer Program Is the Right Choice?

The right camp is the one that your child will enjoy. If your main goal is to eliminate screen time, explore outdoors, create art, and enjoy other hands-on program options. But if you prefer to redirect your child's electronics use and reduce leisure screen-time activities, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or similar program can focus their attention and help them to build valuable tech-related skills.

Reach out to a kids' summer program near you to learn more.

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