Although it may seem a while away, it won't be long before the summer is here, the kids are off school and it's too late to enrol them in any summer courses.
Many children and teenagers like the idea of being off school for two or three months during the summer, but even with good weather a daily dose of getting up late and hanging around the house or neighbourhood can be tiresome.
Similarly, parents don't want to be left with bored children, so the best thing is to know your options when heading into the summer.
And there are many options - depending on where you live. In Dublin and the larger cities there is every conceivable type of activity for young people to get involved in. In less urbanised areas the choice may be limited and restricted because of transport. But there is still plenty of time to check out what is available and how to organise it.
If you or you child has something specific in mind to do over the summer, then head for the local library, the Golden Pages or the national organisation for whatever activity it is. If you're looking for something involving different activities locally then your school, sports centre, local library, youth services centre, citizens information centre or perhaps your local authority might have some lists of summer camps or projects.
In Dublin, summer projects are run at local level by communities which offer activities for children between five and 16 years for between one and four weeks over the summer. Some funding comes from Dublin Corporation and some is raised locally, while children pay a registration charge. Sports, arts, crafts, trips to the zoo, museums and pantomimes are just some of the activities that can be had at the summer projects.
Paul Duffy, information officer at the Catholic Youth Council, one of the groups which supports the summer projects, says the projects are good because they are based locally and often children will know the people running the projects.
Summer camps are located in all areas of the State and can often be the only options for children living outside cities where local schools are used. Activities often range from sports to arts and crafts and talent shows. Other camps offer more specified activities, such as the one held at Dublin City University (tel (01) 704 5797). Here a soccer camp, an adventure camp, a tennis camp drama camp and a super sports camp operates for young people between six and 14. The camp costs £50 for the week. Camp Glenalbyn in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, (tel (01) 288 0857) is a typical camp that can be had in any locality. It offers swimming, tennis, field activities and treasure hunts for children between five and 12. It runs from July 3rd to August 11th and costs £80 for two weeks.
Many of the major sporting bodies in the country also offer courses over the summer for children. The GAA runs courses at local level for both hurling and football and information on them can be had by contacting the GAA locally. The Football Association of Ireland also runs course locally. Courses are organised by local leagues and clubs and generally run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day for a week.
Although children can go along to develop soccer skills, the emphasis is on fun and recreation rather than training. Courses are generally run in July and more information is available from the FAI (tel (01) 890 0700).
More than 20,000 children each year participate in the Parks Tennis Ireland League every year, and if tennis is your game then this is the place to go. Young people between the ages of six and 17 can enrol in classes in 16 different counties which take place between two and three times a week for five weeks. They are trained by coaches and are supplied with rackets and balls.
The league is subsidised by local authorities and the Sports Council and also receives sponsorship and as a result the fee is low. For more information contact Kay Lonergan (tel (01) 833 8711).
The Dublin Municipal Rowing Centre runs summer camps during June for the over-12s. There are two classes, one in morning between 10 a.m. and 12 noon, and one in the afternoon between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The camp lasts from Monday to Friday and costs £10 per child. Organisers say anyone is welcome, even if you have never rowed before. For more information contact the community section of Dublin Corporation (tel (01) 672 3406).
Basketball courses run at the Beaumont/Artane sports centre in Dublin, where a week of basketball takes place under the supervision of qualified coaches. Courses are for those aged between eight and 18 and cost £25. For more information contact Maire O'Toole (tel (01) 286 7384).
For the more artistically inclined, the National Gallery of Ireland runs courses for young people during the month of July. Three to seven-year-olds can enrol in the Little Master's class; eight-to-twelve year olds can enrol in the Art Attack classes and teenagers from 13 to 17 are also catered for.
While the classes for the young children involve painting and drawing, classes for older children and teenagers involve examining the hsitory behind the paintings in the national gallery and building up an art portfolio. The course for teenagers in particular is geared towards people doing their Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate art exams.
"It's relaxed, it's interactive and the experience opens their minds," says Liz Coman of the National Gallery. Courses are £3 per hour for the young children, £30 per week for the Art Attack classes and £60 for the teenagers sessions.
The Ark in Temple Bar in Dublin offers seven weeks of projects, workshops and performances ranging across the visual and performing arts. Tutors are artists rather than teachers, and they help the children create and design.
"It is an opportunity for children to experience different things, through different media," says Martin Drury, director of the Ark. Children from four to 13 are welcome to enrol and for more information the Ark can be contacted (tel (01) 670 7788).
Freda O'Donoghue says her theatre course in Gormanstown College in Co Meath during the summer is geared towards three type of people: those who love acting; those who think they like and want to try it out some more; and those who are not interested in acting but want more communication skills.
O'Donoghue has no doubt that drama gives young people more confidence and her two summer courses, one for 12- to 15-year-olds and one for 15- to 17-year-olds, do just that. Mime and movement, script work and improvisation and sound, music and dance are the subjects which each group takes on.
The course is intensive: it runs from 9.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. for five days and costs £198 for the stay, accommodation, meals and courses (tel (0905) 43338).
The Gaiety School of Acting runs courses in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Wexford (tel (01) 679 9277).
The Busy Bee Summer School of Cooking (tel (01) 285 8674) has been running for over two decades and is the place to go if you are a budding chef, an interested cook or someone who just likes to eat well. Courses are designed for children between the ages of 11 and 16 and costs £150 for two weeks. The course lasts between 10.30 a.m. and 1.00 p.m.
The course is informal and emphasis is put on enjoyment of cooking, eye appeal and presentation. Young people start off by watching a demonstration of a three-course meal and then cook two of the dishes - which they can take home. The cooking equipment and basic ingredients are all provided and the course ends with a delicious barbeque or indoor buffet - depending on the weather.
For children with special needs, the Wheelchair Association (tel: (01) 833 8241) runs projects over the summer for children between the ages of nine and 16 in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Donegal and Ardee, Co Louth. Activities include basketball, table tennis, arts and trips. KARE, which is based in Kildare for people with special learning needs, runs an integrated summer camp for children between seven and 16. Camps run for one week and cost £30. Contact Liz Callery (tel (045) 482130) for more information. Check locally for other activities.
The Irish Centre for Talented Youth runs summer courses for talented children at Dublin City University (tel (01) 704 5634). The camp is open to children between the ages of eight and 16 and runs for two three-week sessions. The cost is £550 for three weeks and children can stay at the DCU campus.
Children must take an assessment test before being admitted onto the course. Archaeology, astronomy, media studies, creative writing are some of the subjects offered during the camp. Experts are brought in to tutor children - thus archaeologists teach the archaeology classes, while writers and authors take the creative writing class.
