Life at the Bay

No other topic could create a catastrophe of opinions, judgements, beliefs and arguments as parenting. Add technology in the mix and you've created world war 3. According to a survey conducted by internet security company AVG in the US, 92% of children have an online presence by the time they are 2 years old. These days children learn to swipe a screen before they are able to hold crayons. The digital revolution of the past 2 decades has induced a moral panic in parenting. When a child goes on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, parents have certain unanswered questions such as: Are our kids aware of the privacy settings on social networking sites? Do they adhere to them? What kind of online games are our kids playing? Are they playing the right ones or ones that are not suitable for their age/ taste/ social-cultural backgrounds? How much digital engagement is enough and how much is too much? Though a child's online presence allows young people ac...

Are you ready for magical adventures and a swashbuckling good time? This festive season we'll  be delighting in a world where imagination and animation take over Sugar Bay these upcoming holidays! Devouring in a land of mystical creatures on our DreamWorks week and Jack Sparrow visiting us on Pirates of the Caribbean week, don't get caught missing out on the magic! DreamWorks week: 7 - 14 December 2018  DreamWorks week promises to be magical with creativity and mythical creatures coming to life! Join us as we explore alien life and monsters under our beds.  Highlights Movie-making / drama classes.  DreamWorks bingo. V.I.P tuckshop session.  Monster treasure hunt.  DreamWorks show night.  Monsters vs. Aliens auction.  How much does it cost for a trip into outer space?   Book now for a trip to Mars.   Pirates of the Caribbean week: 14 - 21 December 2018  Sugar Bay will be turning into a dead sea a...

Spring is here and we're on the brink of another school holiday. We have one holiday camp for the upcoming October holidays and we're feeling the need for speed! With a discount of R1900, don't get left behind as we race our way into a week of drifting and car mania. Need For Speed week: 30 September - 7 October 2018  With camp turning into Ventura Bay, we're unlocking all the summertime fun with horsepower and Formula1 knowledge! Don't get caught missing out on being number 1. Highlights :  Soapbox derby (campers build and race their own go-carts). Senior boat cruise. Wacky races evening program. Formula 1 quiz night. Trump card classes and Pitt crew games throughout the week. How much does it cost to become Sean “Mac” McAlister?  Book now to unlock your potential. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to view our holiday camp highlights , alternatively check out our   Facebook Events  to stay updated on what we have planned...

These August holidays, we're exploring Greek mythology on Mount Olympus, breaking it down for our Step Up tournament and James Bond will show us his poker face during Casino Royale week. The holiday season will end on a sweet note, as we celebrate our 17th birthday with S'mores galore! With a discount of R1900 on our first three camps and a whopping R2200 saving on our birthday celebration, you have every reason to join us for our August holiday camps! Mount Olympus week: 5-12 August 2018 Who's ready to become a Greek God? As we hang out with Zeus and Poseidon, come enjoy a week of bravery and legacies. Highlights:  Mount Olympus quiz night. Camp half blood (campers will learn how to be warriors).  Shaka land excursion or camp in. Camp will be hosting it's very own Olympics.  Explore classes in honour of Odysseus.  How much will it cost to become a Greek God? Book now to conquer Mount Olympus with us! Step Up Week: 12 - 19 Augus...

Camp counselors have the most important role and are undoubtedly one of the most valuable assets to any summer camp. Their crazy, caring, fun and loving personalities are what campers keep coming back to camp for. However, their overly exciting and jam-packed schedules often leaving them smelling a little funky every now and then. Here are 5 things camp counselors smell like: 1. Sunscreen Due to campers being out and about in the exposure of the sun all day long, sun protection is a priority at summer camps. This means that counselors are responsible for applying and ensuring that all their campers are covered in sunblock. Sunblock isn’t particularly the best smelling type of lotion. It’s also rather sticky and is spread easily from one person to the next through body contact, which is why, through all the hugging and fun games, counselors end up smelling like a bottle of sunscreen. 2. Bug Spray You can’t expect to be in harmony with the bugs when you are invading their natural habitat...

The Easter bunny is getting the eggs out his basket and Sugar Bay is also rewarding you with a R2900 discount off all our upcoming April holiday camps. Are you ready to start you’re your school vacation in splendour and have an epic end to the summer? We certainly are! Dungeons and dragons week – 1-8 April Come in your armor as we prepare to participate in the ultimate medieval battle for Dungeons and Dragons week at Sugar Bay. We’re going to have fire-breathing fun all week long. You’d better get your game on, you wouldn’t want to end up in the dungeon. Highlights: Journey to the dragons cave (themed camp out) Character building classes (campers will get to design their own characters using different art materials) Each day is themed and has its own events (example; Day of treasure - We will host a treasure hunt around the whole of camp) Campers will complete challenges in order to earn keys throughout the week which they will use at the end of the week in order to escape the dun...

  We love recycling at Sugar Bay, and if there’s one thing we keep collecting over the years, its empty baby food glass jars. These cute, little glass jars gave us the perfect opportunity to turn them into recycled gel candles.   Here’s how we recycle these jars to create Gel candles: You will need: Candle Gel Baby Food Glass Jar Zinc wicks 2 Pencils Glue Thermometer Essential oil for fragrance Liquid color dye Embeds (Anything non-flammable, such as glitter, sand, sea shells, pebbles, etc. Method: Place a little bit of glue in the center of the bottom of the glass jar. Stick the wick in it and let the glue set. Cut the gel into small pieces so it melts faster and more evenly. Melt it in a stainless steel pot over a medium heat at 100 Degrees Celsius. Remember to keep the temperature constant, since overheated gel loses its clarity. The gel should melt and become smooth, like syrup. Add color dye to the melted gel, little by little, until you get...

There’s nothing more our campers love at Sugar Bay than creating crafts during Arts and Crafts classes. Especially, when we decide to get lit and create wax glitter candles.   Light up the room and add sparkle to any occasion with these wax glitter candles: You will need: Candle-making wax Wax crayon in desired colour Large candle wicks Fragrance oil Spatula Baking Mold in desired shape Heat-resistant container Double boiler Thermometer 2 Pencils Method: Step 1: Measure the wax - Measure out how much wax you would need to fill your container by filling up the container. Always use two measures. That’s how much of wax you will need to melt. Step 2: Grate your wax crayon - After selecting the colour which you would like the candle to be, begin grating the crayon and add to the wax measure. Step 3: Melt the wax - Pour the wax into your double boiler and allow to melt for 10 to 15 minutes, whilst stirring frequently. Step 4: Add fragrance oils...

Children are spending an increasing amount of time indoors due to all the technology that can be easily accessed inside their homes. The internet, television, mobile phones, gaming consoles and tablets have replaced traditional outdoor games, such as hopscotch, hide and go seek, tag and field sports. Outdoor play offers social, mental and physical benefits for children. Outdoor play is an essential part of summer camps, where technology isn’t allowed and children can overcome their “nature deficit disorder”. Here are five reasons why you should send your kids to summer camp for them to indulge in outdoor play:    1. Combat Obesity Due to technology turning our kids into couch potatoes, lack of exercise is the main reason why kids are becoming obese. Children should be active for at least an hour a day, which means they should be running, climbing and jumping in the outdoors. Summer camp programs have kids active in the outdoors all day long whilst still having ...

The reality is; not all kids are born water babies, swimming lessons don’t come cheap, not all of us can afford to maintain pools in our homes or a gym membership whereby you get access to a pool, and, most of us as parents are mortified about letting our children get in touch with water.    We really do have every right to be concerned about water safety, since all children care about is the amount of fun they’re having. Their own safety is not even a thought that crosses their mind, which makes it our responsibility as parents to ensure that they’re safe.    Most children come to Sugar Bay Resort, a holiday camp for kids and teens without the knowledge of what a beach is and leave having adapted expert skills in at least one type of water sport.   The camp, which is located on the dolphin coast of KwaZulu-Natal, has private access to the local lagoon and beach. The locations warm climate makes water temperatures great for swimming and variou...

Ever experienced those moments when you had to patiently wait for something without being bored? We all have those moments, especially at camp. Some things can go a little off-schedule like the time lunch is served or how long we may have to wait before the excursion bus arrives. This is why, the Sugar Bay Shoe Game is the perfect game to get campers energized and pass time with lots of fun. You can play this game by following these 5 simple steps: Step 1: Line up 4 chairs to form a plus sign with a two meter space between each pair. Step 2: Place a water bottle in the middle of the plus sign. Step 3: Place a shoe on each of the chairs. Step 4: Divide the campers into 4 equal groups. Each group would have to represent 1 chair. Give each camper a number according to the number of participants in each group. Step 5: Call up each number individually. These participants representing the numbers would have to hop onto their chair and use the shoe to try and knock over the bott...

  Life at Sugar Bay is just as the name describes it, sweet and sunshine filled all by the sea. We love creating camp crafts and tasty treats as part of our Arts & Crafts program run almost daily at camp.    One of our favourite DIY camp tasty treats has to be Sherbet Straws. They’re so simple to create and will give you a quick pop of sweetness whenever you’re feeling a little down.    Here’s how to create: Sugar Bay Sherbet Straws You will need: Ingredients: Candle, Matches or Lighter Plastic straws Sheet of paper Tablespoon Small round empty jar Citric acid (for sour sherbet) Icing sugar (for sweet sherbet) Super C candy Method: Step 1: Seal one end of your straw   Light up your candle using matches under adult supervision. Place a sheet of paper on a hard surface to avoid making a mess and make cleaning up easy. Heat up the tablespoon by placing it over the candle. Use the heated spoon to seal one end of the stra...