CAMPS with a difference
If your kids are looking for something different in the way of a summer camp, there are many out-of-the-ordinary options to choose from in the Montreal region. Here’s a look at three of them:
NATIONAL CIRCUS SCHOOL
In the olden days, kids would run away to the circus in search of adventure. But these days they can stay in Montreal while learning what circus life has to offer, thanks to summer camps at the National Circus School. Now in its 30th year, the facility at 8181 2nd Ave. is the largest North American school devoted to circus arts training. But summer is off-season for advanced students at the National Circus School, which is why the school opens its doors to vacationing kids wanting an introduction to life under the Big Top.
“We have two summer camps that are open to beginners,” said Marilou Cousineau, who heads up the program. “For 9- to 12-year-olds, we have a one-week camp that allows them to try out the trapeze, tightrope walking, dancing, acting and other circus skills in a safe environment. The two-week camp for 13- to 17-year-olds follows the same pattern, but lets these campers specialize in two disciplines.”
Both NSC programs are available as day camps, or as overnighters where campers are assigned to counsellors. “In the evenings, our overnight campers get to see the sights of Montreal,” Cousineau said. “Meanwhile, all campers who show a talent for circus arts have the chance to apply to our Circus and High School Studies program for an audition.”
ACADÉMIE CULINAIRE
As any parents who have seen their offspring raptly watching the Food Network on TV know, children are fascinated by cooking. This is why Montreal’s l’académie Culinaire is once again offering summer camps for kids 8 to 17 years old. Working in the school’s kitchens at 360 Champ de Mars St., the campers learn to prepare their own lunches – and then cook dinner to take home to their families. (What other camp offers that?!)
“Cooking is now accessible to the younger generation, and it is hip to cook!” said Nadine Landry, Académie Culinaire’s chef
des communications. “As an adult, it is wonderful to see how kids want to participate in the kitchen. By coming to l’académie, they learn cooking skills that will be useful for the rest of their life.” Among the skills taught are ingredient preparation methods such as mirepoix, julienne, and macédoine; cooking methods such as sautéing, searing, and sweating; plus how to make sauces and stock. Campers even learn how to make bread and sushi!
As for non-cooking pastimes? “At the kids’ request, we no longer have outside activities,” Landry said. “They love to cook, and they come to l’académie Culinaire to spend a maximum amount of time in our kitchens.”
For children who love animals, the Ecomuseum Zoo offers bilingual Nature and Wild Discovery camps. The Nature Camp features half-day sessions for 5- to 7-year-olds and full-day sessions for 6- to 11-year-olds at the Zoo, where kids learn to care for animals and observe their behaviour.
“They will, among other activities, feed the bears and the eagles,” said Isabelle Mayer, the zoo’s communications director. Of course, the kids will not meet those bears and eagles up close, but they will handle safer creatures who have been trained to be touched, “like the snakes and the turtles.”
The Wild Discovery Camp goes a step further, by bringing kids (12 to 15 years old) face-to-face with wild animals in nature, and includes an overnight camping trip. This is a chance for older kids to see birds and small mammals in their habitats, and to appreciate natural life first-hand. As well, “the participants get to see exclusive scientific presentations, not only from our zoologists but also from other experts in the province of Quebec,” Mayer said. “As they meet the experts, they get a close look at different types of jobs related to sciences. This is the kind of experience that teenagers who like nature will remember for a long time!”
Three extraordinary camps, all offering memories that will last a lifetime. If your child truly wants a break from traditional camping, give these three some serious consideration. And check our directory on Page 11 for other possibilities.