Before I tell you about our experience, let me tell you a little bit about Flip4Kids and why I love them. Flip4Kids offers a traditional fun summer camp in a full immersion setting and you can choose from Spanish, French, or Chinese. The camps are for 4 - 11 year olds and run from 9am-3:30pm at Rashkis Elementary in Meadowmont in Chapel Hill. (But if the full week, full day option isn't for you, they also offer flex camps! Your child can attend camp for half a day in the AM or PM or come 2,3, or 5 days out of the week. Extended care is also an option. Whatever works for your family best!) Each day, children begin by practicing the words and melodies to one of the camp's interactive units. Then it's on the first lesson - Spanish, Chinese, or French - with lots of interactive games. After that it's time to enjoy a day full of music and movement, indoor and outdoor games, cooking, and arts and crafts activities. And Flip4Kids works with campers of all skill levels, so if you already speak another language at home, or if your child is in a dual language program at school but could use some brushing up on skills, or just would have fun practicing their vocabulary, it's a wonderful place for beginners and fluent children alike, as well as anybody somewhere in between!
For example, just one week of camp last year involved a visit to Kidzu Children's Museum, the fire station, the post office, Harris Teeter to practice grocery shopping, and a Mexican restaurant (where they had to order in Spanish). They also had a visit from a police officer, made tortillas and cookie houses, observed earthworms, learned songs and more. In my daughter's week they made toucan wings, masks, and anklets for Brazil's Carnivale, learned spanish dances, made maracas, earned pesos which they traded in for goodies, ordered snowcones in spanish, sang songs in Spanish, and still got lots of exercise outside. My daughter had already expressed a lot of interest in Spanish and wanted to learn more. This week was so wonderful for her thirst for knowledge about another language, and she hasn't stopped wanting to learn since.
Learning a foreign language is an amazing thing for children - it's benefits can't be underestimated. Kids who speak more than one language have been proven to be better at problem solving, switching between tasks is easier, have improved memory, better social skills with a wider range of peers, a greater appreciation for our diverse world, and the benefits continue with age, including increased earning potential and slower cognitive decline. Read more about why a second language is so great for a growing brain here, at SoDu Parents Posse's blog about Flip4Kids.
But there's more!
- If you have a child over 11, they can apply to be a counselor in training!
- This year Flip4Kids is proud to introduce their ESL camps!
- Lastly, if summer camps aren't an option for you, they do also offer language classes for kids of all ages from six months and up. Just check their website for more information: http://www.flip4kidsnc.com/classes-and-camps/.
So, if you'd like to enter to win the FREE WEEK of summer camp simply meet Hao in person at the summer camp fair at University Mall on February 6th. Now is the time to take advantage of early registration discounts and pick your week before it fills up! More info on the fair here: http://www.universityplacenc.com/event/day-camp-fair/2145465498
(FTC required disclosure: In exchange for a blog post, I was given a free summer camp so that I could sample their services.)
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