Guide to Houston Day Camps

The Summer Book, 2007:

A guide to Houston Day Camps and Classes for Kids and Teens.

Houston: Gish Creative, 2007. 154 pages, paperback, spiral bound. A few ads $12.95 ISBN 0-9728507-4-0 http://www.thesummerbook.com/ http://www.gishcreative.com/ sarah@gishcreative.com

Yes, summer is gone. All the better reasons for Houstonians packing children to get this volume now, planning is the only thing that saves you from summerkiditis. Most of the book is an alphabetically arranged, annotated directory (including costs) of about 200 institutions / organizations with programs of care and enrichment for the summer of 2007.

It is appended with two useful indexes. One is by the calendar, i.e., what camps / classes occur what week. The other index is by category: art, educational, full day, other, religious, free camps/classes (only 6), special needs, sports, and teens. Another list is “Drop-ins,” “ organizations that offer drop-in or at-home activities for kids.”

The final 7 pages constitute a chart for the organizations and for each their primary climate, area of town, age range, and length (full or half day.) In 2107, our children’s children’s children will notice the options they once had. One wonders what 2107 will hold for our children.

In Marshall of the 1950’s, we had summer school for the slow and the fast, Scout camp, church camp, Little League and Mormon softball, horse classes, and that mysterious girls’ camp near Jefferson; otherwise we ran free – in the Woods, the Vines, the Pits, up and down the Hills, at the Pond, in the Branch, at the Park – doing things not always reportable to grown ups. Get on the mailing list for next year and civilize your wild one.