Summer Camp Ideas !

It's about that time for summer camps to start! But, what if you have no idea of where to start for choosing the best camp suited for your little one?

Here are a few tips to aide in finding the best fit for your children to ensure they have a blast this Summer!

First, what are the different types of camps out there?

Specialty camps meet a child's certain interest, such as drama, music or sports.
Please feel free to check out our specialty camps Kids party ideas and camps Vancouver

Traditional camps offer a wide range of activities, from sports and crafts to skill building and esteem building.

Travel camps take the little ones on hikes, bike, horseback or canoe rides in parks or other outdoor sites, including abroad.

Special needs camps are designed to meet the needs of children with physical, mental or learning disabilities.

Day camps can be a combination of fun activities and field trips, generally offered during regular workday hours. Some offer early drop-off and late pickup hours.

What are the questions to ask?

1. Ask other parents and your friends?

The best thing you can do is ask around your community and circle of parent friends. Ask at your community or local rec centre, your child's school, or even at their sport's events. Chances are high that another parent or friend has heard of or seen a sign or bulletin featuring day camps. Get their advice and share your thought too.

2. Start your research early.

Camps do fill up months ahead of time especially the good ones. So, research all your options early for the best choice.

3. Involve your children in the decision, show them the website.

You may think you know what’s best for your children, but it’s important to involve them in the process. Listen to their input. Perhaps all their friends are choosing one specific camp that you're unaware of. Bonus: It will also get them excited about going, if they were nervous to begin with!

4. Consider the cost.

Summer camp can be expensive, so be realistic about what you can afford. There are many lower-priced options. However, check carefully to be sure you fully understand what you’re getting. Is financial aid available? Will a trip outside the camp cost extra? Is there a refund policy? You don’t want to discover that the camp you chose costs less because it was skimping on activities or the quality of the food.

5. Ask questions.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. What is the ratio of staff to campers? What snack options are given? Are allergies or special requirements recognized? What about medical facilities? Washroom facilities?  What are the activities planned? Possibly ask for references from other parents whose kids have attended the camp. Summer camp can be a life-altering, memorable experience. Choosing the right camp can ensure that it leaves a lasting, enjoyable impression.

Above all, choosing a camp that suits both yours and your child's needs is what is most important. Camp is such a great part of childhood. Meeting new friends every Summer. Remember, camp isn’t just for fun. It also helps your child make new friends and build their social skills!

Thanks for checking out my blog!

Marty @ Young Wizards Academy

Birthday Parties in the Park!

Nature makes the great outdoors perfect for silly water games, messy projects, and themed birthday parties — and best of all, they can be done at a fraction of the price of the indoor ones without the expensive rental fees and crowded spaces.

 

I love the summer and throwing  a birthday party in the park is a must!  There is some much space to let your little ones run around from spray parks, jungle gyms and forests they never seem to get bored. Please see my outdoor themed parties here Kids Birthday Party Vancouver

Some ideas for a space theme idea is:  Put small gift rock or gem/or treats inside aluminum foil and bunch it up real tight so they look like a funky moon rock or asteroid that has just landed. Before you begin with your themed birthday party games, hide all of them around the area, in the forest under bushes and let the kids go look for them. Tell each kid to find only one then bring it back (so that they'll leave the others for guests who haven't found one yet of course). The kids will love the excitement of hunting for their own moon rock then discovering what inside they get to keep

Little Cates Park North Vancouver

 

What could be more exciting than acting out your favorite light saber scene as part of your birthday party games?! The kids will totally be up for it, let them choose a favorite scene in the movies. You can then play the actual scene on a I pad or phone from one of the movies on so that they all can get a good feel of what happens and how they need to move. Then put up a video camera and just say "ACTION"! Watch the magic come alive as they piece together an always funny scene.. The kids can rehearse and do as many takes as they wish of course. Once they get it all right save it then just rewind the tape and watch latter at home or share with all the moms and dads that weren’t able to make it to the party. Boy they’d wish they had come!..  You can also do some really cool editing after like add in some fun effect and credits also use the same music they used in the movie.  You can always burn a CD and give to each child instead of a goodie bag. Your party would be remembered for a long time!

 

Young Wizards March in May Day Parade.

Young Wizards March Parade.

It was a cool experience for the Young Wizards Academy actors to all to march down Shaughnessy Street in the Port Coquitlam May Day Parade.

 

About the May Day Parade

The Rotary Club of Port Coquitlam also nicknamed is proud to be work with the fun City of Port Coquitlam to create the space for the 92th Annual Rotary May Day Parade and festivities. This awesome parade is part of the City's May Day celebrations with several activities organized for the enjoyment of city locals and neighboring friends.

The most successful and exciting event at the May Day celebration is the big Rotary May Day Parade. This Parade is enjoyed by up to 10,000-15,000 spectators/visitors from Port Coquitlam and the surrounding areas and is one of the only few remaining community parades in the lower mainland.

The Rotary organization is a group of business and professional leaders united worldwide who can provide kind humanitarian service, and help build positive goodwill and peace in the world. There are over 1 million Rotarians who are members of more than 32,000 stationed Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries throughout the world.

Young Wizards Academy had several actors march in the parade bringing excitement to many spectators watching that day.  It was a hot and beautiful day and perfect to have a parade.  There was even someone at the end of the parade running a spray hose onto the street for the kids to run through to cool down.  Thanks for the rotary club and Port Coquitlam for putting on such a fun event.

 

Young Wizards Academy provides entertainment for birthdays and events in the lower mainland and is centrally located in Port Coquitlam.   To find out more about Young Wizards Academy please visit Vancouver Kids Parties  

Thanks for taking the time to visit us have a wonderful day.

Force Within Summer Camp - Port Coquitlam

Young Wizards Academy is proud to offer its Force Within Summer Day Camp!

Aug 10th-14th 2015 in Port Coquitlam.

Our camp includes all of the basic training a young master needs. Children get to create their own character, develop their balance and coordination through fun training games and experience becoming an action hero.

Activities through the Week:

Character Development - Kids get to create their very own character name, origin, special ability. They create their very own power action and practice it in movement & dueling.

Master trials - Kids learn to walk, jump and spin like a master. Experience fun yoga and stretching to prepare their bodies and minds to prepare them for the rigors of the day.  Also learn cool games that teach them how to be still and not be detected on missions.

Saber Training - Several types are sabers are used throughout week. Kids begin with the foam sabert and work their way up to FX saber then to a double extendable saber. At the end of the week they get to use an electronic scoring foam Sabertron saber. There is out door saber movement classes and one cool indoor glow in the dark saber class. Kids learn how to twirl and spin their saber like their favorite character and re-enact famous scenes.

Forest Missions - Teams will have a mission briefing then lead by a master to go on certain missions to retrieve objects, search for clues and symbols, and defend borders from invaders using their saber…… Not all people in the forest are on the light side!    Prepare to battle you must.

Education and Development -Force building arts, crafts and Legos. Learn first-hand knowledge of the galaxy far far away.

Leia’s light Blaster Laser Tag - Target training, team and individual round robin tournaments.

Ceremony- Reciting the oath, receiving their camp T-shirt, earning daily and weekly prizes. Final graduation ceremony. (Parents welcome to watch!)

For more information please visit http://youngwizardsacademy.com/camps/

 

Real kids Castle Adventure in Vancouver!

 

I totally love to create amazing birthdays with the use of a little imagination. Now, just imagine with me for a moment.   What if I could tell you that there is a castle here in Vancouver that kids can climb right into and play on.  Well at a small park overlooking the ocean in North Vancouver there is!    That’s right the place is called Little Cates Park and there lies the stone remains of an old mill but in the eyes of a child it easily  turns into a Castle from Medieval Times!

 

How amazing would it be for the kids to become knighted by a medieval knight? Receive a foam sword and go through sword training.  Then storm a real castle with their foam swords to overcome the opposite forces.  See them climb through the tunnel to rise atop of the castle walls and cheer in their victory.   See the old holes in the walls and craters where the cannon balls hit the castle and be wowed by its defensive design of circular Shell Keep.   The kids must know defend the castle from invaders from the sea by shooting their large cannons atop the castle to sink the invading ships. Yes, Imagination in the right location makes for a memory that lasts forever.

About Cates Park

The Dollarton area is a great beach, slope and suburb in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It has a very long shoreline that runs along the southern part of the park of Deep cove.

The area is named for the Robert Dollar shipping company which owned the sawmill and wharf area there from the year 1918 to 1941. The Pacific War closed down the lumber trade and the sawmill equipment was sold to the Gordon Gibson's Island operation. Dollar's Mill was at the base of Bakerview St which has plenty of parking now for picnickers. A cedar mill operated beside the Dollar mill, and its cement stone foundations are a legendary ruin in adjoining Cates Park. The Park has a playground, picnic tables and large grassy areas overlooking Deep Cove.

 

I totally appreciate and respect the history and ruins of the area as an adult and enjoy that it is open to the public and children to play amongst. North Vancouver built a playground beside the ruins which are open year round, the park has a great family atmosphere.  It’s a great place to bring the imagination of children to life.

 

Visit little Cates park today!  

Please visit my Themed Birthday Adventures here Birthday Party Vancouver

Thanks for visiting my blog!
Marty

Fun Parks in the Vancouver Area for a Themed Birthday!

Great Parks to throw a Young Wizards Academy birthday party! 

Here are a few parks that I have had parties at that I found to make amazing themed party locations. If you can find a nice shady area with a picnic table and a playground nearby that’s the perfect solution to creating a beautiful party with Young Wizards Academy.

1. Cates Park- located in North Vancouver it is a great park for families there are two playgrounds, a large grassy area to run around and play, nice sandy beach, lots of big tress and forest trails to check out. At the far end of the park there are some old stone runes for the kids to explore and also great to imagine it's a castle for a Medieval Knights of Camelot Party. 

 

2. Jericko Park and Beach Vancouver- During the hot summer, Jericho is very popular beach and park. It attracts people from all over the Vancouver area who want to experience the beautiful waters of English Bay. The park offers plenty of recreation opportunities during the summer, from tennis courts and field sports to bird-watching in the trees, picnic areas and plenty of nice trails and paths wind there way along the water and through the light forested areas. After some fun with the foam sabers the kids can cool down and  take a dip or build a rebel base in the sand

3. Blue Mountain Park - A fabulous little park that has a lot going for it. It has a slash park, baseball field and lots of picnic tables throughout the forest. Blue mountain has a lot of trees with the underbrush all cleared out so the kids can ride their bikes everywhere. Great for picnicking and having saber battles through the tress. It also has group covered picnic area that can be reserved

4. Robert Burnaby Park - This park is a little hidden away, but it's well worth checking out. It’s located on a hillside that slopes down from Edmonds Street to the Highway 1, and you'll will definitely have fun walking through the forest which feels like your walking on the Ewok’s planet Endor.  

 

 

Feel free to ask me about locations around this beautiful city as I often find new hidden gem of a places all the time. You can see all my themed parties at the link here Birthday Parties Vancouver. 

Thanks for taking the time, effort and energy in viewing my blog.
#Vancouver #birthdayparties #kids #fun #families

Saber Birthday with Obi-Kai Kenobi

Saber Party with Obi-Kai Kenobi

See the kids eyes light up as a real knight enters into the room. His musical entrance is actioned packed with cool moves and spins.  The kids get to feel and hold his real light sabre handle, don’t worry parents the safety switch is on. Obi-Kai always makes sure nobody loses an eyebrow.

A knight’s party wouldn’t be a party unless it had foam sabres. That’s right each child receives their very own foam light sabre to keep forever. All the kids learn the famous moves and poses of the masters. Obi-Kai also teaches them how to jump spin and wield their sabre.  The kids even get to use their sabres in target practice.  All foam sabres are made of foam and safe for the kids to use. Each child can keep their sabre to take home with them.

Get ready for the kids to go on a grand adventure deep inside the empire where laser beams, droids and other creature may cross our path. The kids now are trained well and ready for whatever they may encounter.

Obi-Kai was hidden as a small child by the Windu family during the great rebel war. By the time he was a young teen he was already very adept at channeling a strong force connection. As he progressed in the new knight order, he was acknowledged as having one of the strongest force abilities of all the new knights.  He was last seen to be with the company Young Wizards Academy on planet Earth teaching younglings in the ways of the force connection.

Young Wizards Academy is a children’s entertainment company in the Vancouver and lower mainland for ages 4-10. To enquire about a birthday or event please go to www.youngwizardsacademy.com for more information. Come and see what everyone is talking about.  

Thanks for visiting my blog

Marty