How can you ensure your child will be happy at summer camp and that the teachers are properly qualified, asks Sylvia Thompson.

As schools across the country close for the long summer break, summer-camp operators are gearing up for yet another busy summer. In the last five years or so, there has been a huge increase in the number of summer camps on offer in Ireland. There has also been an increase in the number of disgruntled parents who feel that some summer camps are not all they claim to be.

So what makes a good summer camp? And how can you tell from the outset that your children will be happy in camp? "Structure, variety and discipline are the key elements of a good summer camp," says Kurt Steinbach, coach trainer and coordinator of Playball Summer Camps, which run in Dublin, Cork, Wicklow, Kildare and Wexford.

The Playball camps are based on the year-round after-school Playball classes (which focus on pre-sports skills) with arts, drama and games added in. They are run by trained adult coaches who follow a camp manual with a timetable of activities throughout the day. "We also strive to have low coach-child ratios with a maximum of eight children per coach for younger children and 12 children per coach for older children," adds Steinbach.

But not all camps have this level of organisation. Sports camps, by their very nature, attract a lively bunch of children and some parents have been disappointed by the lack of experience of the leaders in some of camps run in multiple venues throughout the country.

"In one particular soccer camp, I found that the co-ordinators are very good organisers, but the problem is that the coaches themselves are often 16- or 17-year-olds who don't know how to control six- and seven-year-old boys," says one mum. She was also very cross about the promotion of unhealthy snacks, which seems to be a feature of sponsorship with the larger camps.

COACHES WHO ARE in their late teens aren't a problem if they enjoy what they do, according to another mother, who has sent her three children to numerous camps. "Enthusiastic leaders are the key element of a good camp. That means leaders - male or female - who look forward to being with the children," says Brigid Mohan.

Cost is another issue that many parents grapple with. But what represents good value for money depends on how specialised the skills taught at the camp are, whether materials are provided or not, as well as the child-tutor ratio. Many camps average out at about €4 or €5 an hour, but some more specialist camps cost €10 an hour and others cost up to €15 an hour.

"I'm happy to pay more for a good camp," says Mohan. "Last year, my two children went to the Junior Chef Cookery School in Blackrock, Co Dublin. It was expensive but good. This year, I inquired about a golf camp which had about 15 children per group at a cost of €15 per hour. I decided not to send them because with costs like that and with such a high child-teacher ratio, you'd be better off getting individual professional golf lessons which cost about €30 an hour."

Yvonne Rosenkranz runs the Junior Chef Cookery School. She says that children come back year after year. So what is the recipe for her success? "I think it's because it's a very homely camp. It's very hands-on. The children learn to cook and then they sit down together and eat what they've cooked," she says.

Rosenkranz employs qualified home-economics teachers to run the camps. "I don't want bossy teachers. And I don't allow the teachers to punish or discipline a child." She deals with that, adding "Usually when you talk to the child, you find they are being disruptive because they don't want to work with a particular child."

Art camps have become particularly popular over the last few years but the quality varies widely. "My daughter went to an art camp in which each child produced the exact same portfolio of work at the end of the week. The whole emphasis seemed to be on completing each piece and there was little room for individual creativity," says one mum.

THE PINE FOREST Art Centre in the Dublin Mountains is a popular summer camp. The founder and owner of the centre, Mary Carroll, says this stems from the fact that the children spend time out of doors in natural surroundings. "They have to look around and find things to make art out of. They collect rushes and do leaf printing," she says.

Carroll believes that children have very little exposure to innovation. "Most things are presented to them as a fait accompli and children rarely spend time exploring in groups in the woods or by the seaside, so these camps give them these opportunities."

But camp venues can sometimes present particular problems of their own. Most parents have heard tales of children wandering off playing pitches on their own to find a toilet in a school building. If you're happy with that, well and good. If you're not, make sure the camp you book your children into has teenage assistants who work alongside the camp leaders to tend to the needs of younger children.

Some outdoor camp venues also don't have access to an indoor sports hall or rooms for other activities if it rains. Again, it's personal preference. Some parents don't mind their children being exposed to the elements in the summertime while others feel strongly that indoor spaces should be available as a backup in bad weather.

With so much on offer, there's bound to be a huge variation in standards of summer camps. So should there be an independent assessment of summer camps? "This has never been raised as an issue by parents, either because they aren't worried about the standards or because they think they know best themselves," says Philip Mudge of the National Parents Council. His advice is to find out about the summer camp of your choice from someone whose child has previously attended it. "Go to the parents' association in your school and ask about the camp. You're bound to find someone who has tried it unless it's very specialised, or a new camp," he says.

Mudge also recommends that all parents speak to the person in charge of the camp about any of their concerns before they pay. "And make sure when you drop your child off at the camp that this person is still in charge. Teenagers connect well with children and can be good camp leaders, but they must be supervised by someone older," he says.

Finally, Mudge says there is one caveat that all parents must remember before signing up their children for summer camp. "If in doubt, trust your doubts," he says.

The kids' camping essentials:

Dotalk to your children before deciding on a camp, as you will often get a clear idea of what they like only when they talk about it. Some prefer specialised art, drama, music or dance camps, while others like the variety in multi-sports camps.

Dospeak to the camp coordinators before paying a booking fee. Check you are happy with the coach/child ratios, experience/training of leaders and general camp rules. Make sure you're happy with the fees too, as they vary hugely from camp to camp.

Doask if alternative activities are arranged in bad weather at sports camps which are based in playing fields. Also, find out where the children eat their food if it's lashing rain at break times. Find out if there are assistants who bring younger children to the toilet while the camp leaders continue with the planned activities.

Don'tbook your children into a camp without first talking to parents of children who've already attended that camp. In the absence of regulated standards, local knowledge is still the best way to find out about summer camps in your area.

Don'texpect the camp to be perfect. A perfectly scheduled camp can make children feel like they are still in school. Instead, expect some variation and spontaneity in the pacing of day-to-day activities.

Don'texpect your child to be a master chef or experienced potter at the end of a two-week summer camp. Remember, it's all about having fun learning new things and making new friends, not about creating perfect pieces for parents.

See www.ireland.com/theticket/ summerevents/

www.primarytimes.net/whatson.htm