The Washington Post
Debate camp. Filmmaking camp. Computer coding camp. There is no shortage of variety when it comes to summer camp offerings in the Washington region.
Does your son love dinosaurs? How would he like to spend a week digging for bones with a paleontologist? Does your daughter want to run for student council? How about a girls-in-politics camp that could also prime her to run for office one day?
In the high-achieving culture of Washington, parents are always eager to give their children an edge and help them develop new interests or go deeper on something they learned at school. This drive has fueled a proliferation of specialized camps that are upending the notion that summer camp is about arts and crafts and learning to swim.
“Just plain fun-in-the sun is not necessarily enough anymore,” said Lisa Friedlander, chief executive of Activity Rocket, an online service that helps parents pick and choose from among hundreds of area camps. “Parents want to take full advantage of this time. There’s always this push: What can I expose my child to?”