Which Summer Activities for Teens?

My niece is interested in spending about a month in the Bay Area this summer. She will have completed 8th grade at an International School abroad (American-based school so majority of the classes are taught in English). Her parents would like to enroll her in a program that’s more fun, local culture-focused, and not too academic. Can anyone recommend any such programs for a rising 9th grader? I would prefer the location to not require driving past the tunnel towards Orinda/Walnut Creek or go east of Castro Valley, since I would chauffeur her along with my own much-younger children. Thank you for any advice.

Any suggestions of what your teen has done for summer at this kind of 'in between' age? Our 14 year old has basically aged out of all but one camp that he likes (which honestly aren't that many anymore) and has a couple of small trips planned for the summer. We're waiting to hear back from one camp that might decide to do a Counselor in Training (CIT) program, but in case that doesn't pan out, I'm trying to figure out if he can work a job as he'll be 15 at the end of May, but most jobs for his age (other CIT positions) seem to require availability for the whole summer and we have one two week camp and the two trips, so I don't know if any types of those jobs are flexible in that regard, it seems like they aren't. Even classes at the community college won't work due to the trips and camp unfortunately. Any advice appreciated!

Hello friends!

My (newly adopted!) 14-year old son and I moved to Alameda (by way of Brooklyn) on July 1st and I promptly signed him up for a couple of weeklong camps. (This is our second summer together and I know that things get a little dicey without some structure.)

He has a lot of social anxiety, mostly keeps to himself and would prefer to stay home and watch tv over anything else. He went to Bay Harbor Club’s Tennis Camp for the first week (which he didn’t hate) and for these past two weeks he’s been at the Alameda Community Sailing Camp which, to my great surprise and delight, he admitted was “super-divertido*” from Day 1!! So much so, that he is now asking about camp for next week! 

And that’s where you come in! 

Do you have any suggestions for a (teen) camp that might have an open slot next week??

He’s particularly interested in water-sports like kayaking or even swimming, but as long as it’s not too “sporty” (he vehemently avoids soccer, basketball etc) and within say…a half-hour-ish drive from Alameda, I’d love to hear about it!

*I should mention that, while he understands a LOT and really knows how to say A LOT, he communicates primarily in Spanish (or non-verbally due to his shyness).

That said, he’s mentioned ACTING as one of the activities he’s interested in pursuing!?! So if you know of any bilingual acting programs—even during the school year—I’d happily take that info too!

Any points in the right direction would be so appreciated…

Hello BPN!

Well, my 15 year old will be completing her first year of High School next week and had an Absolutely Amazing Year! Now … what to do for the summer? She is headed to visit family for a week down south. But, nothing else is scheduled. What are your rising 10th graders doing this summer to keep busy and not become Couch Potatoes? My daughter is not old enough for a part time job just yet. By the time she turns 15.5 for a work permit, school will be starting again. Also, she is going to be in Honors Geometry next year any suggestions on how to get her “mind ready” for that? Gone are the Summer Workbook days LOL!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! I always plan in 1 week of nothing at the start and 2 weeks of nothing at the end. So, she has plenty of time to be a “couch potato”.

Thanks So Much Village!

Anything really great you have heard about/done?  He is interested in biology, mountain biking, surfing but we are open to whatever could be a great experience and expand his world:  college programs, internships, unique things...  We did NOLS last summer which was beyond amazing.  Thanks!

Looking for ideas on what to do with my 13 year old son this summer, starting high school in the fall.   I've been looking for some kind of camp in July where he can engage with other kids (not sports oriented) and I'm struggling to find something that only runs in July.  Thanks for any ideas.

Hello BPN Fam -- Looking for ideas on what's available this summer for rising 9th and 10th graders in the Berkeley (Oakland/Albany/El Cerrito) area. Open to online, hybrid and COVID conscious outdoor (or even indoor in very small pods) activities. Open to academic, musical, artistic, outdoor adventure (though not team sports), community service, etc. Thanks!

Could some of you recommend a super engaging online course for my 16 yr old son to take this summer? He is an athlete & team sports may be hugely curtailed so I need a few ideas to occupy him. He’s really bright but NOT super academic & has ADHD. He loves controversy & argument so for example he’s been listening to Ben Shapiro podcasts to have something to argue with us liberal Jewish parents about (gay rights, feminism). He’s interested in economics, ethics, politics, black culture, business. I don’t care if he gets high school credit for the class but it might be incentive for him to compete for an A (he’s very competitive)! Thx

My son has been attending fun-filled summer camps every year for his whole childhood. He is 12 now and I'm starting to think this is no longer a good thing. He is developing a sense of entitlement about every summer and every school break—as if it is meant to be all about him at all times.

He also doesn't believe me when I tell him not all kids get to go to camp, that many kids live in apartments or homeless shelters instead of houses, that lots of families go to the laundromat because they don't have washers and dryers where they live, etc., etc. As my words were having no impact, I had him watch a documentary about poverty in America. He said it was sad but nobody he knows in Berkeley lives like that so he should still get to do all the fabulous things that all the wealthy Berkeley families do. 

Mind you, we don't live like a super wealthy family. We drive an old used car, have never had a video game player, we have not given him an iPhone or a tablet, we have not taken him on any vacations out of the country or to expensive resorts, his life is not filled with material stuff in any sense. But maybe we have made the mistake of believing it is our job to ensure all of his days are filled with fun activities. It makes me sad that he doesn't see his life as one filled with good-fortune, but instead as something his parents are "supposed" to give to him. 

I would like to change this by helping him to discover the joy of contributing to others instead of just the joy of his own entertainment.  I'm going to sign us up to volunteer at a shelter on the weekends, but I really also want to find a sleepaway summer camp that is about helping others. And not the kind of "helping" that flies kids off to Puerto Rico or Barcelona for an exciting adventure in the guise of a "volunteer opportunity," which seems to be the only thing I can find online. 

Would love to hear if any of you have found something like this. 

Greetings,

I am new to the network and am looking for fun, especially outdoor activities, my 15 year old stepson can participate in for the summer while he is here. He lives out of state and will be visiting for a month.

In the home he lives in most of the year, he is glued to video games, even on the weekends.

During his visit, when his dad and I are not working, we'll be camping, dirt biking, and swimming. We love the outdoors and our teen does, too, when given the opportunity. We want to ensure that our teen has some great activities to do during the week, especially since he will be fasting from video games.

I have a 13yo boy and am beginning to think about the summer.  If you have/had a young teen, what activities did they do during the long break?  He has tried CIT type of things and will probably do them again, but not every week.  In the past, he's had some weeks of nothing planned, but again don't want that every week.  He is still interested in some camps for older kids (through Cal, The Crucible mainly), but it seems there are not many.  He's too young to get a job, isn't he?  I should also say that transportation (for some half-day/middle-of-the-day activities) would be an issue some of the days as both parents work.  I'd love to hear ideas.

We are looking into summer options for our daughter, who will be 16 years old in June. She found what looked like a great program in NYC to learn about journalism, but it was close to $5k for 2 weeks, plus airfare and lodging. There are a lot of web sites out there, but how to know they are legitimate and of good quality? She's open to traveling and learning- other options she discovered include Poland, Costa Rica, and France (she is studying French). She did see something that is on the BPN site from 2011, but the link doesn't go to a live website. While we'd love to go somewhere with her, we both work and can't afford much time off...anyone have recommendations for good programs for a teen - either fun, local learning programs or something that involves travel? Thanks in advance!

Our 14 year old daughter fractured her wrist last week, and is now sidelined from her beloved sports team, and had to cancel plans to ski over the upcoming break. She is devastated. It's her right arm, so she is having trouble writing , typing and drawing. 

Does anyone have suggestions for activities over break for a kid in this predicament? 

We are on a tight budget, too, Which adds to the challenge.

thanks for any ideas.