Life at the Bay

Summer camp isn’t just a holiday destination for kids where they sit around campfires and make s’mores. Sugar Bay Resort, a holiday camp specifically designed for kids and teens believes that sport is a vital part of camp and should be implemented in every camping program.    Their interest in sport is evident as they recently renovated a storage area into a beautiful indoor sports hall. The sports hall at the camp is twenty-five by fifteen meters in length and can accommodate two-hundred campers. It was also fitted with marked, sprung flooring which plays an essential role in protecting the growing bodies of young children from lifelong injuries caused by the energy generated over time by participation in sports. These injuries include shin splints, fractures, an array of knee problems, tendonitis, and ankle sprains.    It is estimated that there are more than thirty million obese children in developing countries, and, since Sugar Bay is located in South Af...

The summer camp environment is very different from a schooling environment. Children usually attend summer camp during their school breaks, as a relaxing and fun retreat.  Here are 3 elements that play a major role in how children let go of their problems at summer camp:   1. Atmosphere   At summer camp, the environment is very casual; there is no pressure to wear uniforms or to be strictly guided by a set of rules, as it is in the schooling environment. This allows children to be themselves without any restrictions, hence, they do not feel pressurized to live up to any standards. This atmosphere allows them to let go of their usual tension and enjoy the liberty which they do not have at school. Most summer camps are located in natural serene settings, near lakes and lagoons which are very relaxing and calming to the body, mind, and soul. This atmosphere is certainly a break away from the hustle and bustle of the polluted urban jungles and is great to set anyone...

  Here at Sugar Bay, we love soaking up the sun and live for sunshine-filled days when we can head down to the beach and catch some waves or cool down by splashing through our waterslides.    Most of all, we love the sunshine because they light up our beautiful sun catchers!    One of our favourite crafts to make during Arts & Crafts classes are sun catchers, which is why we decided to show you how we do it, camp style.  DIY Sun Catchers   You will need: Transparent plastic sheet Black Liquid Lead Paint (All colours) Paint Brushes Method: 1. Pick an image you want to duplicate    Depending on the theme at camp, we have a variety of simple pictures printed out which campers get to choose from and decide which one they would like to turn into a sun catcher. You can search the internet for pictures or make copies from colouring books. These images need to be easy to trace....

  We kicked off the spring break in the first week of October by hosting one holiday camp with a fresh and exciting theme.    Upside Down week: 1-8 October   This week, our theme was “Upside Down” and the main focus of the theme was getting campers to see the world from another perspective, which was highlighted by an activity, implemented daily called “ Thunk of the day ”. We hosted a total of 57 campers this week and had the most fun turning everything upside down. The campers participated in and enjoyed many activities integrated around the theme, such as; Upside Down activities, Upside Down meals, Upside Down programs and Upside Down set-up. They were also taken on a themed excursion to 22 Jump Street, indoor trampoline arena in Ballito, where they had fun flipping upside down and bouncing around on the trampolines. The highlight of this week was certainly having lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch towards the middle of camp. Turning the menu ups...