Parents want their children to be happy and healthy. They are concerned about such issues as kids fitness and nutrition. They want their children to develop good social skills and grow into responsible, well-adjusted adults.
The Electronic Age
Many well-meaning parents purchase electronic games and devices for their children. While such parents have good intention in doing so, research has shown that the average child in the United States spends 7.5 hours each day in front of the some sort of electronic screen and only 1 out of 3 children engage in physical activity on a daily basis.
The CDC has recognized the harmful effects of such a lifestyle on children and teens now encourages them to engage in 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Health professionals recommend children perform muscle and bone strengthening exercises for 3 days each week. Push-ups, gymnastics and tree-climbing are some of the activities suggested to meet this goal.
While there are physical education classes during the school year, kids are left at a disadvantage over summer breaks as statistics show only 1 in 5 homes with children are within a half mile of a park or other recreational facility.
Summer Camps to the Rescue
This is where summer camps can be very helpful to the social and physical health of children. There are an estimated 12,000 summer camps in the nation of which, 5,000 are day camps. in fact, the number of day camps has increased by 90 percent in the past 20 years with over 11 million individual attending annually.
Hit the Beach
Families in the Los Angeles area now have a rather unique option for kids camps as more programs are being held on the area’s many beaches. There are many fun activities for the children and the beach adds to the festive atmosphere of the camp program. Beach camps are being held in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades and many other towns along the California coast.
Beach camps has well-designed programs similar to camps held in other areas. The programs are geared to different age groups and each family is sure to find a beach camp that is well suited to their needs and preferences.
