The summer holidays can be long for working parents.
But there is a way to get your children off the sofa and away from their games consoles – and they might just discover a life-long passion, too.
Here are six of the best summer camps for assorted interests, ages and budgets.
Camp fires and theatre skills: Oppidan Education’s small camps – on working farms in the countryside of Wiltshire and Hampshire – offer acting classes, plus outdoor adventures
Taste of the great outdoors
Camp Wilderness runs safari-style two, three and five-day bushcraft camps in private woodlands for ‘tribes’ of children aged six to 15. Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire and Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire are the most atmospheric of the four venues.
Children sleep in large bell tents and relish taking risks (after lessons in First Aid, and how to safely light fires and whittle with knives). The field cook prepares all meals outdoors, while children have fun building shelters and swimming in lakes.
Many come back year after year, drawn by the cosy night-time story-telling, toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate round the campfire.
GOOD TO KNOW: Smartphones and iPads are banned.
DETAILS: Camp Wilderness (campwilderness.co.uk, 03332 004 469) offers five-day camps for £395; three-day camps for £237. Special deals for siblings.
Go-karts or arts and crafts
Camp Beaumont’s flexible programmes at 12 well-equipped schools in the London area have been around since 1980. Youngsters from three to 16 choose from a bewildering range of activities: educational, sporty, artistic or adventurous.
Little ’uns enjoy face-painting and archery with mini bows and arrows. Big ’uns try climbing and cheerleading with friends.
Extras are on offer for a supplement including horse-riding, football club and ‘Starmaker’ performing arts.
GOOD TO KNOW: Door-to-door transport can be arranged.
DETAILS: Camp Beaumont’s (campbeaumont.co.uk, 01603 851000) non-residential camps are for three to 16-year-olds. From single days to multiple weeks, 8.30am to 5.30pm. Up to £240 per week, £47 a day.
Turning teens into top chefs: Family-run Orchards Cookery School, near Evesham, has the perfect residential course for sixth-formers keen to stave off starvation at university
Camp fires and theatre skills
Fancy learning drama technique from a professional actor? Oppidan Education’s small camps on working farms in Wiltshire and Hampshire offer acting classes plus outdoor adventure.
Run by rising thesp Henry Faber (currently filming ITV’s Victoria), children aged eight to 14 sleep in bell tents and build confidence with performance and creative writing workshops each morning.
Afternoons bring Boy’s Own-style fun, from changing a tyre to using torches to catch ‘escapees’ in the woods. Everyone makes camp fires and flips pancakes.
GOOD TO KNOW: Perfect for honing interview techniques.
DETAILS: Oppidan Education (oppidaneducation.com, 020 3409 3359) £650 per child for a three-day camp. Includes workshops, food and travel from the London area.
Who’s for tennis – or rowing?
Warwick Boat Club, on the Avon beside Warwick Castle, runs non-residential tennis and rowing camps. Wimbledon ‘giant-killer’ Marcus Willis and doubles partner Gavin Henderson are among the coaches.
Everyone loves taking on the ball machine and trying to beat the coach, amid a mix of banter and advice. Each day ends with a light-hearted tournament.
The five-day rowing camps get novices on the water within hours. Teens learn on a rowing machine and static sculling rig, then graduate to training boats and informal races in ‘fours’, all in a Wind In The Willows setting.
GOOD TO KNOW: Rackets and life jackets provided.
DETAILS: Warwick Boat Club Tennis and Rowing Camps: (warwickbc.summercamps@gmail.com, 07787 568642)
Tennis: four-day camps, £25 a day, July 17 to late August. 9am to 2pm. Ages seven to 15. Beginners to club standard. Wear trainers/sports clothes.
Rowing: five-day camps, £320 a week. Courses start July 24 and 31, and Aug 7, 9am-2pm. Ages 14-18. Participants must be able to swim 50 metres in light clothing.
Taste of the great outdoors: Camp Wilderness runs safari-style two-, three- and five-day bushcraft camps in private woodlands for ‘tribes’ of children aged six to 15
Turning teens into top chefs
Family-run Orchards Cookery School, near Evesham, Worcestershire, has the perfect residential course for sixth-formers keen to stave off starvation at uni.
It’s not just for Sloanes, despite its nightly home-cooked dinner parties and boarding school atmosphere.
The 48 students make 100 dishes over the five-day course, from souffles and roasts to fajitas and sushi.
The school is based in an old farmhouse with six kitchens. Students stay in converted outbuildings, enjoying badminton or country walks during breaks.
GOOD TO KNOW: All ingredients provided. Book early.
DETAILS: Orchards Cookery School (orchardscookery.co.uk, 01789 490259), from £795 including accommodation. Daily Mail readers get half price on the Off To University course, June 19, now £347.50.
Sport and big-name stars
Nuts about netball or crazy about cricket? For those seeking high-level training in their chosen pursuit (athletics, netball, hockey, dance, rugby, cricket), check out Academies Of Sport, with its three or four-day camps for children aged seven to 16, at 11 well-equipped venues, such as King Edward VI High School (KEHS), Birmingham.
Each sport features star players, such as decathlon legend Dean Macey. Sophie Masterson, KEHS’s head of netball and a former international player, makes it fun for the youngsters. Enjoy non-stop activity, outstanding skills coaching and a bit of friendly competition.
GOOD TO KNOW: They run masterclasses for ages 13 to 16.
DETAILS: Academies Of Sport (academiesofsport.co.uk, 0330 111 9077), three days £164, four days £219. Elite-level sports coaching at multiple venues.