Children participating in summer camps can enjoy a variety of activities. Part of the time is devoted to polishing academic skills like math or English. There is also strong emphasis on physical activity. Children play indoor and outdoor games such as indoor soccer, football, pool, basketball and air hockey on a daily basis. They are encouraged to partake in art and drama projects. The summer camp technology labs are often equipped with computers to enable kids play games.
Another attraction of a well-organized summer camp are frequent field trips. Kids are able to see museum exhibitions, visit parks or go for a hike. The field trips are supervised more strictly with the teacher to student ratio of 1:5. The parents are frequently encouraged to participate in field trips for better and more abundant supervision.
Some summer camps are known for their qualified, motivated and enthusiastic teachers. For example, the Interactive Learning Adventure camps for the Peel region of Ontario hires only qualified teachers and university graduates or students. Almost 90 percent of the teachers hired as summer camp instructors have made education their career goal, which helps to ensure high standards and quality of instruction. All teachers have to have the criminal check performed.
Summer camps can be whole day or part day events. If the summer camps are offered by schools, they usually operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, they usually offer extended hours, or before and after camp hours to enable working parents to work without interruption. Children need to bring in their own lunch to camps organized by schools. Some overnight camps provide all the food and snacks.