Carry on camping?

5:00pm Saturday 9th August 2008

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EVERY year, around 70 per cent of American children attend a summer camp during their school holidays. In France it's about 45 per cent, while in Britain the figure is just two per cent.

It's part and parcel of a US childhood to spend anything from one to four weeks in the great outdoors, enjoying activities a-plenty and making new friends.

So why, when around 81 per cent of teenagers' time is spent "not doing much" in the holidays, are we not taking more advantage of summer camps in this country?

One suggestion is that parents are now too over-protective of their children. This is supported by a recent survey conducted by Persil which revealed that UK parents are the most over-protective in the world.

As part of their Every Child Has the Right study, Persil found that 19 per cent of Brits want to supervise their children's activities - the highest percentage globally.

The research also found that while 70 per cent of adults enjoyed most of their childhood adventures in natural outdoor environments, only 29 per cent of today's children have their adventures in similar places.

Adrian Voce, director of Play England, explained: "Parental fear for their children's safety is a big part of this over-protectiveness, but it's not quite as simple as that. There are a number of pressures on parents, and there are realistic concerns about the general safety of the outdoor world.

"There's definitely a perception that children are under greater threat than they were, say, 25 years ago.

"But the statistics don't support that - children are at no greater risk."

Child behavioural experts suggest that play without parents telling and showing children how to do things is important for a child's development. As well as keeping children fit and healthy, free play teaches children how to make their own choices, create friendships on their own terms and solve problems - all vital skills for adulthood.

Despite their low percentage of attendees compared with other countries, UK summer camps are reporting that numbers are on the increase.

PGL, the UK's largest provider of activity courses for youngsters, has 25 centres spread across Europe including Osmington Bay near Weymouth and Little Canada on the Isle of Wight.

It has been operating since 1957, but they are now seeing higher numbers than ever before.

Spokeswoman Joanne Davies told the Echo: "We are seeing growth year-on-year. Our seven night breaks are the most popular, followed by the four-night breaks, although children can stay for three to four weeks, or just come for the day if they want to.

"In America, the parents don't get much holiday, so it suits the family to send the children away for long stretches.

"In this country, people are leading increasingly hectic lifestyles so it sometimes suits everyone for the children to be away for a few days."

She believes the increase in numbers is also down to "parents wanting to give more freedom to their family, but within a safe environment".

People are also realising that summer camp increases confidence and independence, encourages team building and making new friends."

Fit for Sport, Fitness Consultants for the Ian Wright's Unfit Kids documentary on Channel 4, run Ofsted-registered summer day camps throughout the country - including at Ringwood and Lymington leisure centres.

Emily Woodrow, Fit for Sport play leader at Ringwood said: "In a usual day we will have up to 16 children aged between three and 12 years of all abilities.

"We lay on a wide range of activities that include popular sports, healthy lifestyle sessions and craft workshops within a fun environment throughout the day.

"We do have a focus on fitness, with sessions in basketball, hockey, football, rugby, netball, cricket, javelin and other field sports. Yet we also encourage caring and sharing, and the older children are really good with the younger ones.

"If the child comes on their own, they will always leave having made friends, and we see a lot of the same children return for many summers."

Emily believes there is a definite cultural divide between the UK and the United States.

"In this country, parents want to spend time with their children, while in America, a lot of children are cared for by nannies.

"Families will think nothing of sending their children away for weeks on end.

"On the other hand, British children tend to go come to summer camps because they want to, not because they have to."