North America

Summer camps for kids in Maine

There are some very interesting summer camps for kids in Maine, the state is so hauntingly beautiful. Some are strenuous activity camps and others specialize a bit. The ones I reviewed I found quite fascinating.

Camp Allstar concentrates on training kids for touch competitive sports like ice hockey, basketball, soccer, baseball and tennis. http://www.campallstar.com/ Schedules can be customized to the student’s needs and desires, participating in a “skill-appropriate major sport” for 2 hrs. a day. The rest of the time is theirs to customize as they want for other activities, including swimming, fishing, mountain biking, archery, and more. Competing against other teams in the camp at their level prepares them to strengthen their teamwork skill and develop strategies as a group. It really strengthens a kid for all the competition he will encounter at all levels of his adult life, while providing an active summer of auxiliary fun and companionship. The camp is non-denominational and their day ends with a wrap-up of life lessons followed by fun evening activities. Trips on the weekend take campers to Portland for baseball games, bowling and other events. Kids in the 4- and 6-wk. sessions get to go white water rafting, deep-sea fishing and other exciting trips every other Saturday. The camp’s golf program is top-notch. The 6-wk. session is a hefty $7,290 while the 4-wk. session is $4,990. The optional golf program costs $340.The earliest sessions start on June 24, and all sessions are ended by at least August 4. There are AllStar logo caps and paraphernalia campers can wear proudly when they go home! Camp uses the great facilities of Kent Hill Preparatory School overlooking the scenic valleys of the Belgrade Lakes region. Cafeteria meals are delicious and varied and campers’ accommodations are single-sex dorms with 1-3 roommates to each comfortable room. Call the camp at 800-283-3558.

http://www.omnicamp.com/ Starting in 2007, any age camper can choose from any of the 2-wk. sessions for just $2,400. The 4-wk sessions are $4,300. Omni is located just 5 minutes from the Maine turnpike in southern Maine, surrounded by towering pines, fields and “dramatic rock outcroppings” all surrounding the camp’s own private lake where water sports are held. A new Field house has been added and the accommodations including a huge dining hall, new tennis courts, a riding stable with miles of trails, and a new Arts and Conference Center begun in 2003. The sleeping cabins are very comfortable. one camper says on the site, “Omni is an EVERYTHING camp!” Another says it was the “bestest, greatest, swesomnest, funniest month of my life!” This is testimony says it all. A special feature of Omni is their Awareness Workshops where kids can discuss things that are of concern in their lives with other campers and they work out to be friendship-building modes as well as relief valves where questions and some problems can be worked through and conquered.
OMNI Camp
200 Verrill Road
Poland Spring, ME 04274
Phone: 207-998-4777

http://camppage.com/maine_coed.htm
Camp Wekeela is one of those old classic Maine camps that has been around for a long, long time–in Wekeela’s case, for almost a full century! Located in the heavily timbered forests of south central Maine, an easy drive from the Portland airport, just an hour away by car. The teen camp is the one I’ll talk a bit about. http://www.campwekeela.com/site/ There are six total activity hours per day to build skills through repeated practice and experience. Swimming, tennis and some team sport activity are required and the rest is left up to the choice of the kids. There’s enough to choose from, heaven’s knows! They rotate activities from the Wilderness, Creative and Performing arts categories. There’s a lot of competition, while stressing sportsmanship, fair play and total enjoyment. Click around on the activities and you will find It may be hard for kids to even choose. 290 kids, ages 6-16, participate in the co-ed camp at any given time. a full 2-mo. session costs $8,600 and a single session of a single mo. will cost around $5,000 to $5,500. It is past deadline to apply for the summer 2007 session but go on the web site and get prepared to get your kid in for the 2008 sessions! Call them for more information at 201.612.5125 or email them at ephram@campwekeela.com.