Summer camp fun - VnExpress

Little Kha Minh, a member of a firefighting summer camp, enjoyed swinging from a high floor to the ground. At the end of the semester, he wished he could stay at the camp longer.

A few days after returning from the firefighter summer camp in Hoa Binh, Vu Tran Kha Minh, a 4th grader at Nguyen Binh Khiem Primary School in Hanoi, still remembers and recounts in detail all the activities he did during his week there.

"I'm very happy. I'd love to stay another week," Minh said.

Minh's camp has more than 100 students, divided into groups in separate air-conditioned rooms. Each coach is in charge of 5-7 students. Minh and his friends have to do everything by themselves and are called home twice during the course.

Minh enjoyed the experience of escaping from a high floor the most. After tying the ropes, he was instructed to slowly descend from the second floor, while the older children descended from the fourth floor.

"The feeling of falling from a height is very exciting," said the 9-year-old boy, who also said he was taught how to tie number 4 and number 8 knots for rescue from high-rise buildings. The number 8 knot is used to connect the ropes together to make them longer, while the number 4 is used to tie them, helping him climb down.

In addition, Minh learned how to escape from the artificial smoke room. The thick smoke made it difficult for Minh to see clearly, so he crashed into the wall and got a nosebleed. He used a wet mask and lowered himself to find his way out. He was also excited when trekking in the forest or using a fire extinguisher for the first time and was proud of overcoming his fear and putting out a real fire with his own hands.

The boy said he adapted quickly to communal life, ate a lot, and slept well, although he was a bit homesick at first.

Minh is one of thousands of children participating in summer camps organized by organizations such as the youth union, the army, or private organizations. With a cost of less than 10 million VND, the children have new experiences, away from books and screens.

Minh and his friends participate in a forest rescue training activity. Photo: Provided by the character

For Tran Linh Dan, two weeks of summer camp helped her learn about nature and basic skills such as cooking and cleaning. Hoang Linh, Linh Dan’s mother, said she wanted summer to be a time for her children to participate in extracurricular activities to recharge their batteries before starting the new school year.

Linh Dan's summer camp is a boarding camp, with morning departures and evening returns in Hanoi, with a cost of about 4 million VND. Each session has about 20 children participating, divided into groups, assigned to cook rice, make simple dishes and clean the house.

In addition, Linh Dan went swimming or learned about some animals such as bees, earthworms, frogs, and toads. She learned about the life cycle of a butterfly, starting from egg, larva, pupa, and butterfly; was curious when she saw the journey of silkworms spinning silk to weave fabric, or explained the color change of leaves.

"I also like to make crafts like beehives and paper frogs. These meticulous tasks train my hands to be more flexible and increase my creativity," Linh Dan shared.

Ms. Ly was emotional when she came to pick up her child after finishing the firefighter summer camp. Photo: Character provided

The summer camp model in Vietnam appeared about 10 years ago and has become popular in recent years. There are no statistics on the number of students participating, but this has gradually become an annual activity for many children, especially in the city because parents are busy working and have no one to look after them. In the US, summer camps are a $4 billion business each year, with about 26 million children participating.

To ensure that summer camps provide children with useful and enjoyable activities, the prerequisite is the capacity of the organizer, child education experts say. There are many good facilities, but there are also "summer camps" that are just childcare places in townhouses, even terrifying children due to poor infrastructure and services.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Khanh, Director of the Southern Youth Center, Central Youth Union, the first unit to have a military semester model, reminded parents to choose reputable organizers to limit risks.

Ms. Ha Thu, a representative of a company specializing in organizing gender-based summer camps, said that if possible, parents should visit the site to survey the facilities before making a decision.

Some summer camps allow children to call home at a certain time. At that time, parents should ask their children about the day's activities and their feelings to immediately grasp any problems. Parents should also contact the organizer regularly and ask for pictures of their children's activities.

If you skip researching summer camps and assessing whether they are appropriate for your child, summer camps can backfire.

The 11-year-old son of Ms. Nguyen Giang Nhu, in Yen Xa village, Tan Trieu commune, Thanh Tri district, was scared when he was beaten by his friends at a retreat in Thanh Oai district. The boy said he could not bathe because of lack of water, the toilet was dirty and often clogged, and he had to sleep on the ground. She also regretted not going to see the conditions of the summer camp, even though it was only 3 km from her house.

Trinh Thi Hoa's 9-year-old daughter once had a stomachache at an English summer camp. Because she had to prepare her own lunch, but the center did not have a refrigerator, the food went bad without her knowing.

Unlike the advertisement that said they could go out and visit the city, Ms. Hoa's child stayed in her room almost all day, coloring and doing crafts.

"My child found the activities boring, like kindergarten," said Ms. Hoa. After doing some research, she learned that this center was organizing a summer camp for the first time, so she let her child quit.

After returning from summer camps, children can begin to form good habits. To maintain them, when they return home, parents should often remind, practice, help their children remember and repeat the skills they have learned.

Ms. Giac Ly, mother of Minh, grade 4, is satisfied with her decision.

"I'm happy that my child returned healthy, excited, loving everyone around him and appreciating life," said Ly. "Next year I will send him to summer camp again."

Dawn

*Names of some characters have been changed

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