u/velveteensnoodle

Favorite summer 2026 camps for elementary school kids?

Favorite summer 2026 camps for elementary school kids?

As we get to the end of the summer, I want to know: what were your kids' favorite West Seattle summer camps this year? Here's my kid's opinions:
Best according to my kid: Summer Fun Camp, outside-only, the days rotated between the beach, the park, and biking. My kid is pretty high-energy, active and outgoing, and this camp was a welcome space where he could be just himself. Will definitely do this camp next year.

Runner up: Pedalheads Trail Riders at South Seattle CC, gave him a noticeable boost in bike confidence that we benefitted from as a family all summer. Cons from a parent perspective: only half day, kind of pricy. Would still consider it again especially if he's still into biking.

Worst according to my kid: YMCA Discovery Camp at Louisa Boren. Kid thought it was "babyish" (his word), too indoorsy and quiet. Pros from a parent perspective: this camp had the best coverage of the workday and provided the most snacks. But we won't do it next year since the kid didn't like it.

Would love to collect some more ideas, please share your kid's favorites!

u/velveteensnoodle — 3 days ago

What's working with my reluctant reader: custom early reader books tailored to his interests

My kid ended K right on grade level, but has been really pushing back on practicing reading this summer. We've tried reading.com, playing word games, worksheets, journaling, library books... still resistant. Here is what is working: I'm using a LLM to create an early reader version of a movie that he likes, adding related images from the internet, printing and stapling to make a mini custom book. For example, his current fixation is The Lord of the Rings, so I made a Level 1 version of The Lord of the Rings and a Level 1 version of the Hobbit.

We started at Level 1 readers, and with each new "book," I've been gradually adding more sentences and moving into Level 2.

I am perpetually open to other creative ideas for reluctant readers, please share yours!

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u/velveteensnoodle — 28 days ago