Fun With Finance and Career Building at Summer Camp

When most parents plan their child's summer vacation, they tend to choose camps based on the outdoor activities they offer -- soccer, archery, s'mores... But just as not all kids excel in those sports, not all summer camps make you choose between canoeing and sailing. There are programs that teach children about more mentally stimulating skills such as money management and conflict resolution or will introduce them to career prospects while they socialize with kids their age. So, if your child is taking more of an interest in taxes than tennis or perhaps has an entrepreneurial bent, here are some camps that may be of interest to you:

1. Camp Millionaire
Do you have a tiny titan on your hands? Send her to Camp Millionaire where she can further her knowledge about the world of money. The program offers "engaging, effective and entertaining" financial literacy training for 10-17 year olds.
Campers are taught such tasks as how to prepare a financial statement or how to start a savings program as well as teamwork and public speaking skills. Now, tell this to a kid and his eyes will glaze over but the catch is these skills are taught through games and fun activities like "Compound Tag" where everyone who is tagged can tag other people. Camp Millionaire is held at Seneca and Appleby Colleges in the Toronto area.

2. Leadership and Lifestyle Programs
Get your child thinking towards not just working for a company but leading one. The University of British Columbia offers a Junior Leadership program for 15-18 year olds that focuses on conflict resolution, goal setting and coaching methods. The "junior leaders" volunteer to help lead a camp program at UBC and will also learn about different leadership styles. For younger kids, UBC offers lifestyle programs that focus on healthy eating through nutrition-based activities as well as ways to reduce stress levels and maintain positive relationships.

3. Career Sampler Classes
In our nation's capital, your child can have an early postsecondary educational experience. Algonquin College in Ottawa offers a "Career Samplers for Youth" program for ages 12-17 where your little wizard will be exposed to a variety of work possibilities in such areas as electronics, graphic design, movie making and robotics. If you don't reside in the Ottawa area, check out your local colleges for similar opportunities.

4. Science Camp
If you're living with a suppressed scientist who needs to get out and explore fission versus fusion (and you'd rather he not do it in your kitchen), check out the summer programs your city offers. The City of Calgary has a Science Sprouts Camp (ages 5-6) that involves simple experiments as well as science, space and nature exploration through songs and games. For the budding paleontologist, Dinosaur Daze camp introduces tots to the prehistoric age through digging for fossils and games like pin the horn on the Triceratops.

5. Arts Camp
Introduce your triple threat to the possibility of a vocation in the arts this summer - there are programs in singing, filmmaking, acting, creative writing and fine art. The Centauri Summer Arts program in the Niagara Region is an overnight camp that provides training in all facets of the arts (ages 8-18). Or check out your local drama school or art gallery for day camps and classes.