Here is our Mix 100.7 Baby Bracket grand prize winner, Riley Flanagan on the cover of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine! Click here to see what's inside this month's issue.
Tampa Bay Parents
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Angela Ardolino's Bio:
Email: parents@tampabaysmix.com
Facebook: Become a Fan
Twitter: Follow Me
If you have any parenting questions email them to parents@tampabaysmix.com and you question may be featured on this blog!
Click here to visit the Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine website for more!
Angela Ardolino's Bio:
For more than 20 years Angela Ardolino has been serving families throughout the state of Florida, providing parents and guardians with smart, healthy and eco-friendly advice for sustainable living. As an entrepreneur, her businesses have provided support, guidance and resources to the stay-at-home CEOs, domestic engineers and full-time mothers and fathers who also work outside of the home.
She is the founder and editorial director for Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine, a valuable publication committed to enhancing the lives of families and providing information they can trust about raising responsible children and teens. As the Founder and Executive Director of the Children�s Theater Company in South Florida, she counseled, nurtured and changed the lives of thousands of children through the performing arts from Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Ardolino also presented parenting classes and workshops with a number of renowned organizations including Informed Families and the Miami-Dade County Department of Children and Families.
She strives to inform families about smart, healthy and energy-friendly living that helps not only the family unit but also the entire community. Most recently she launched Parenting With Angela, in which she provides candid advice and serves as the kid campaigner and teenage translator for parents. She can be seen weekly on ABC Action News providing advice about everything from breastfeeding to sending your kids to college to talking about sex. Ardolino is also a featured correspondent on Daytime providing resources to parents across the country on the syndicated network.
In the last two years, she has had the pleasure of serving on the Arts Council of Hillsborough County as well as serving on numerous boards which serve women and children, including the Executive Committee of Arts Tampa Bay, the Glazer Children�s Museum, Junior League of Tampa and Florida Fashionistas. As the chair of the Imagination Gala in 2010, she helped to raise more than $215,000 for the museum, and most recently more than $155,000 at the Seagrapes event hosted by The Florida Aquarium. Follow Angela on Twitter, @angelaardolino
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Baby Bracket Winner On The Cover
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Choosing A Sport And Adventure Camp
By Angela Ardolino
Remember when summer vacation was a chance for all school-aged children to leave the confines of the classroom or living room and spend endless hours outside? Well, one way your parents may have encouraged this is by sending you to a sports or adventure camp. You enjoyed it because you were outdoors but there are countless other benefits to these camps that will help kids thrive in social settings, stay healthy and most importantly have fun.
Healthy and Active Living
Just like it sounds, kids will be sending a lot of their time at sports and adventures camps doing physical activities both indoors and outdoors. The primary goal here is teaching them that exercise and physical activity is the key to growth, overall health and encourages the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle. Through these activities they’ll explore how their bodies work and how to keep them in shape.
Stepping Out of their Comfort Zone
Many camps, including sports and adventure camps, adhere to a philosophy known as “Challenge of Choice”. In these programs, kids push themselves to explore and experience new things like zip lining, feeding animals, or learning about new cultures through different activities.
Afterwards these camps will hopefully allow time for kids and counselors to sit together and share their experiences; what they liked, didn’t like and what they’d like to try again. Correctly implemented, the camp staff will gently nudge kids to experience new things but step in when activities or tasks become too overwhelming or difficult.
Develop Social and Life Skills
Camps with sports at their core will help develop your child’s crucial life skills including leadership, teamwork, sportsmanship and healthy competition. They’ll realize that to succeed as a team requires working together to solve problems and tackle situations head on. Competition, which is everywhere, will also help them succeed whether it be in sports, school or later on in business.
The benefits of a sports and adventure camp are great and choosing a good program that encourages these principles will make your child’s summer fun, exciting and educational. At the end of the summer, you can transition your kids into the new academic year citing teamwork, healthy living and challenging yourself as the steps to a good school year.
Sources
For a full list of summer camps and programs, visit TBParenting.com/SummerCamps.
Here’s a list of Sports and Adventure Camps for you to check out:
AquaCamps
701 Channelside Drive, Tampa
www.flaquarium.org ● 813-273-4015
Get NAUI open water certified during this scuba camp for ages 12-15. Ages 10-14 can participate in travel camps, enjoying snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and tubing around Tampa Bay. On location camps for ages 6-9 include science experiments, field trips and the opportunity to see live animals. AquaTots and AquaKids programs for 3-6 year olds include crafts, games and live animals. Register online!
Belleair Parks and Recreation
918 Osceola Road, Belleair
www.belleairrec.com ● 727-518-3728
These 11 weeks will fly by and your children, ages 6-12, are sure to come home with great stories and lasting memories. Traditional and specialty camps offered, with the goal of safety, relationship building and fun.
Busch Gardens Adventure Camps
3000 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa
www.buschgardens.org ● 888-800-5447
Camps include resident camps that marry the best of the park’s offerings into multi-day, sleep-away programs for students in grades four through college. Day camps — single-day to weeklong — provide campers in prekindergarten through ninth grade with hands-on, educational experiences with animals and the outdoors. One-night sleepover camps are perfect for groups and students in first through 12th grade who are looking for enriching up-close encounters with amazing animals as well as fun crafts and activities.
Camp Seal
19501 Holly Lane, Lutz
www.sealswimschool.com ● 813-229-7946
This aquatic camp program for ages 4-12 will offer weekly themes that center on a variety of activities, including swim lessons, recreational swimming, outdoor sports, indoor games and arts and crafts. Each child will receive personal attention from the professional camp staff. Before and after care available. Register for the whole summer or individual weeks.
Circle F Dude Ranch Camp
5301 Dude Ranch Road, Lake Wales
www.circlefduderanchcamp.com ● 863-676-4113
Nestled in 500 acres of wilderness, this traditional sleep-away camp for ages 6 to 17 offers two-week, three-week and 10-day sessions packed with exciting programs that focus on providing young people the opportunity to just be kids. Campers build lifelong friendships as they participate in horseback riding, archery, sports, photography, arts and more in a safe environment.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage
www.seewinter.com ● 727-441-1790
Get your camper ready to have fun in the sun as he embarks on a coastal learning experience. Enjoy half- or full-day weeklong camps featuring Winter, snorkeling, scuba diving in sea grass beds and sand flats, kayaking through local estuaries, meeting and greeting rescued animals and discovering marine creatures in their natural habitats.
Eckerd College Waterfront Program
4200 54th Ave. S., St. Petersburg
www.eckerd.edu/waterfront ● 727-864-8288
Classes offered include sailing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, kayaking, saltwater fishing, children’s marine discovery, exploring marine life, little mariners watersports, and exploring watersports for ages 5 to 17. Weekly camps run June 3 to Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to noon and/or 1-4 p.m. All watersports equipment and life jackets are provided. Each student receives a camp T-shirt, sports bottle, class photograph, certificate of completion and snacks. Register online!
Explore the Shore
1603 Gulf Way, St. Pete Beach
www.montessori-by-sea.org ● 727-360-7621
Children ages 3–6 years will explore sea birds, seashells, fish and water transportation during this four-week camp. Each week includes beach play and exploration, arts and crafts and cooking. Camp is led by a certified Montessori teacher. Enroll for one week or all four. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (June 17 – June 28 and July 8 – July 19). Cost is $150 per week, with a $50 registration fee.
Gold Medal Camps
6564 44th St. N., No. 804, Pinellas Park
www.goldmedalgym.net ● 727-515-5796
These half-day, day and weeklong camps are for aspiring gymnasts ages 6 and older. Children will work with professional staff and a camp director with more than 40 years’ experience. Early drop off and late pick up available. Classes and sessions are by appointment only. Space is limited.
History Adventure Camps at Tampa Bay History Center
801 Old Water St., Tampa
www.tampabayhistorycenter.org ● 813-675-8960
Your children can dig, craft and build their way through the past! Open to ages 7-11, the camps, led by experienced educators, include games, music, literature, splash park fun and interactions with historians and other experts. Themes include: Go Green (June 17-21); American Girls (July 8-12); Build It! (July 22-26); and Archaeology Adventure (Aug. 5-9).
Primrose Schools – Passport to Adventure!
Various locations
www.primroseschools.com/find-a-school
Camp offers field trips, creative activities, sports, and fun adventures to help explorers play, laugh and learn their way through an unforgettable summer. Choose specific camp weeks or join a location all summer long. Enter online for a chance to win a $1,000 American Express Travel gift card!
Pro Martial Arts Karate Kamp!
10027 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa
www.promartialarts.com ● 813-252-3955
Packed full of activities to keep your camper busy, participants will build confidence, character and self-esteem while learning self-defense and enjoying healthy snacks, crafts, movies and more. Parents are invited to demonstrations at the end of the week to see what the new martial arts masters have learned all week.
THE Shot LAB by Marvin Harvey
730 S. Sterling Ave., Tampa
www.marvinharvey.com ● 813-374-2503
Internationally renowned for 30 years of training amateur and professional athletes, this elite program includes basketball aptitude, run-jump-shoot training, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 team training and basketball specific coordination training. Sign up year-round.
Tampa Elite Soccer Camps at UT
401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
www.tampaelitesa.com ● 813-323-3933
Camps are held on the 100-acre University of Tampa campus with the goal of laying a foundation of individual and team skills with an emphasis on individual player development. Campers are grouped by age and ability. Other camp activities will include indoor soccer, sand soccer and swimming.
Tampa Parks and Recreation
25 locations
www.tampagov.net/dept_parks_and_recreation ● 813-274-8615
The city’s nine-week camp is available at 25 community centers. Children will enjoy sports, arts and crafts, games and more.
Tampa YMCA
Various Locations
www.tampaymca.org ● 813-224-9622
Summer camps focus on nurturing the potential of children and helping them grow in spirit, mind and body. Fun and friendship are encouraged and young people build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills and make lasting memories. Camps are offered at 10 YMCA locations and at several program sites.
Tampa Bay Watch Estuary EDventures
3000 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde
www.tampabaywatch.org ● 727- 867-8166, Ext. 246
Does your child have an interest in marine science? Sea Monkeys is a camp is for kids ages 6-8 and offers an introduction to the marine environment. Tampa Bay Discovery camp is for kids ages 9-14.
Tampa Bay Skating Academy
255 Forest Lakes Blvd., Oldsmar ● 813-854-4010
27001 U.S. 19, Countryside ● 727-723-7785
www.tbsa.com
Have a cool time on the ice through camps for beginner and intermediate level skaters ages 6-12. Daily camp sessions include on and off ice instruction, arts and crafts, catered lunch and supervised on ice free time. There also are camps for experienced skaters, including a hockey camp in Oldsmar and a figure skating camp in Countryside.
The Y of Greater St. Petersburg
Various locations
www.stpeteymca.org
Youth and teens will experience indoor and outdoor games, field trips and activities that will help them grow in spirit, mind and body. The Y helps young people build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills and make lasting memories!
The Y of the Suncoast
Various North Pinellas locations
www.ymcasuncoast.org
Youth and teens will experience indoor and outdoor games, field trips, and activities that will help them grow in spirit, mind, and body! The Y believes that good self-esteem and character development makes happy campers and the Y gives young people the tools to enjoy a summer of fun and friendship in a positive, safe environment.
Valley View Ranch Equestrian Camp
606 Valley View Ranch Road, Cloudland, GA
www.valleyviewranch.com ● 706-862-2231
A horse lover’s paradise since 1954, instructors teach beginner to advanced riders. For girls age 8-17, the camp includes barrels, vaulting and trails. Space is limited.
ZooCamp At Lowry Park Zoo
1101 W. Sligh Ave.
www.lowryparkzoo.com ● 813-935-8552, Ext. 268
This summer, the Zoo School is headquarters for more than 100 week-long camps for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Kids and teens can learn about nature, science and the animal kingdom while hiking through the zoo, exploring behind-the-scenes and cooling off in the water play areas. Adventure camps include animal encounters, keeper talks, educational shows, games, crafts and more.
Photo: Pressmaster/Shutterstock
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Choosing A Sleep Away Camp
By Angela Ardolino
For parents making the decision to send kids away to sleep away camp this summer, the idea may be frightening for both parents and the kids. But with an ever increasing number of families making the leap of faith to explore this other summer camp option, your family may find that sleep away programs can be beneficial for kids of all ages.
Every sleep away camp, whether two days or two months long, varies greatly. Some camps focus their programs on typical summer activities like kayaking, archery, color wars and various outdoor projects while others specialize in one or a few different areas like performing arts, boy scouting or S.T.E.M.
When is a child ready for sleep away camp?
When deciding whether your kids are ready to spend a portion of or the entire summer away from home, you should take into account a few different points; maturity level, their independence and how they make decisions. Campers should be a good listener and be able take direction well from counselors and camp directors. Your child should also know that they’ll be one of numerous kids in a bunk which means they’ll be responsible for making their own bed, showering daily and keeping track of their personal items (like toiletries, clothing, etc.) And of course, because mom and dad won’t be around, they should display the ability to make good decisions based on what you’ve taught them at home. Emphasize to your camper that while away, any rules that apply at home also apply at camp (like no swearing). If you think your child is capable of these things, they’re probably ready for venturing into the world of sleep away camp.
What will my child do at sleep away camp?
At their core, any good sleep away camp will help your child nurture fundamentals like teamwork, independence, learning new skills, making life-long friends and how to disconnect from technology. Without the distractions of home your child will spend their time at sleep away camp learning new things about themselves. A good sleep away camp should make the kids feel at home and give them more freedom to make choices while under the immediate guidance and supervision of trained staff.
Everyone, including parents, should be ready and anticipate homesickness for first time campers. Most camps are prepared and have policies in place to spot, treat and resolve homesickness within the first two days of arrival at camp. One such policy is a “no phone” policy, which bans kids from calling home encouraging them instead to write letters or emails updating mom and dad about what’s happening at camp.
Like choosing a day camp in your neighborhood, you’ll need to research sleep away options that meet goals and requirements you’ve set for your family. Whether it’s your kids whose been bit by the sleep away camp bug or parents looking to push their kids to be more independent, this is a viable option for your family.
Sources
Sleep Away Camps
Circle F Dude Ranch Camp
5301 Dude Ranch Road, Lake Wales
www.circlefduderanchcamp.com ● 863-676-4113
Nestled in 500 acres of wilderness, this traditional sleep-away camp for ages 6 to 17 offers two-week, three-week and 10-day sessions packed with exciting programs that focus on providing young people the opportunity to just be kids. Campers build lifelong friendships as they participate in horseback riding, archery, sports, photography, arts and more in a safe environment.
Valley View Ranch Equestrian Camp
606 Valley View Ranch Road, Cloudland, GA
www.valleyviewranch.com ● 706-862-2231
A horse lover’s paradise since 1954, instructors teach beginner to advanced riders. For girls age 8-17, the camp includes barrels, vaulting and trails. Space is limited.
Photo:altanaka/Shutterstock
