Last June, Emma and I had a sneak peek into what Discovery Camps is like. Her experience was packed with lots of fun and laughter!
Discovery Camps: A Playground of Self-Exploration
Discovery Camps, a partnership between A-Star Education and Lorna Whiston, aims to provide a supportive playground of self-exploration for children 3-12 years old. Through a diverse mix of fun learning experiences, kids can discover and enhance their unique skills, abilities, and talents.
Multi-Activity Camp
There is a total of nine camps to choose from – from English Explorers to LEGO Robotics to Film and Animation – and it was a tough choice to decide which camp to sign Emma up for as they all sounded fun! I eventually decided on Multi-Activity at SJI International since it was her first Discovery Camp.
The Multi-Activity Camp covers a mixture of physical, artistic and creative activities:
1. Music
Hands-on with a real ukelele
2. Soccer
Learning how to kick and stop the soccer ball
3. Speech and Drama
Picking the perfect props for her short skit
4. Arts and Crafts
Making necklace beads using air clay
5. Zumba
Warming up for Zumba!
Each of the activities ran for 50-60 minutes, and they were conducted by different instructors at various venues (classrooms or sports halls). It was great that there were dedicated camp masters to take care of the children’s basic needs and shepherd them around the different venues throughout the day.
On Day 1, the children were introduced to the different activities they would be experiencing and learning a few basics.
As the camp progressed, the trainers moved deeper into each activity to develop the necessary skills the kids would need during the camp. In addition, the kids were given lots of opportunities to hone their social skills and develop independence and confidence through group activities.
Emma’s Favourite Class
Emma enjoyed every bit of the activities! Speech and Drama class was her favourite because there were games, story-telling sessions, dress up and role play. Emma’s eyes lit up when she saw the props. And as she searched for the perfect gear, she shouted “Who wants to be XX? Who wants to be YY?” I just love how she kept looking out for others.
After the kids played dress up, the teacher guided them with the role play. As she narrated the story, the children acted, laughed and spoke their lines. Emma exclaimed that this was her favourite class of all!
Our Journey of Discovery
With our first day of Discovery Camp done, we can’t wait to try out more. I should really consider Actor’s Studio for her next camp because there, she will get to work in teams to rehearse scripts of fun, innovative tales, and then act out the roles.
Even other sessions had something to teach us. I was initially worried that Emma wouldn’t like soccer as it might be too boyish for her. To my surprise, she enjoyed it a lot! She was really attentive and spontaneous, and she always sat right in front of the teachers.
Seeing how Emma was totally engaged and enthusiastic in all the activities, I knew she had enjoyed herself. In fact, she was sad to tell the teachers that she wouldn’t be joining the rest of the camp as she was only there for one day.
At the end of Day 1, she had achieved so much. She was already feeling braver and more confident. I can’t imagine how much more she could gain if she were to attend the full camp. No doubt, Discovery Camp provided a fun and safe place for the children to learn, get out of their comfort zones and grow!
Discovery Camps for the Holidays
There are camps during the Summer and Winter holidays, which are all about a wide range of fun and enriching activities for the children.
Winter break camps
- English Explorers (3-5 years old)
- Multi-Activity (3-5 years old and 6-8 years old)
- Life Skills (6-8 years old and 9-12 years old)
- Actor’s Studio (6-8 years old)
- Art Studio (6-8 years old)
- Code Academy (6-8 years old and 9-12 years old)
- LEGO Robotics (6-8 years old and 9-12 years old)
- STEM Explorers (6 – 8 years old)
- Film and Animation (9-12 years old)
I love how much activities Discovery Camps has to offer the children! The camps run several times during the season. Each camp spans over five days (Monday to Friday) from 9am to 3pm at St Joseph’s Institution International campus or Lorna Whiston School @ United Square/Parkway Parade. Registration starts from 8.30am to 9am.
The maximum class size is 12 children. For camps designed for 3- to 5-year-old kids, the teacher ratio is 1:6. For ages 6 and above, the teacher ratio is 1:12. It is a drop-off camp but I sat in the classes to observe for the purpose of this review.
The $625 price for the 5-day camps covers the camp fees, lunch and a snack, camp t-shirt and supplies. To make it easier to get to SJI campus and home, Discovery Camps has their own private bus service with bus stop across the island at an additional fee.
Do check out the upcoming camps at www.discoverycamps.com!
