KUWAIT: The summer heat is raging in Kuwait and many people have left for a break abroad. For those who cannot do so for one reason or the other, many schools and institutions are holding summer activities for children. Kids and teens can participate and make their summer break productive by enrolling in these camps. The charges per child range from as low as KD 25 to as much as KD 1,000.

Religious institutions sometimes organize summer activities free of charge, like the summer camp for children organized recently by the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait. This annual event was held over six days for the price of just the uniforms and the transportation fee.

The Little Gym offers summer camps with a flexible schedule, where participants can choose the days they want. The camps run from June till early September, with sessions from 9 am to noon and 4 pm to 7 pm. Every three-hour session has one hour in the gym, one hour in the swimming pool and one in the classroom. Snacks are provided. Children aged 1 1/2 years to 12 years are put into age-appropriate groups.

Kids Play Group in Farwaniya accepts enrollees in age groups of 4-7, 8-12 and 13-16 years. A variety of summer activities have been planned for each age group including arts and crafts, painting, indoor games, karate, swimming, excursions and much more.

"We organize this summer camp every year. The objective is to provide valuable activities for kids during their summer holidays. It's very difficult to be outdoors with the kind of weather we have in Kuwait. We feel that summer camps are a great avenue for kids to have fun, learn and at the same time keep themselves busy and productive," said Farhana, the summer camp director.

Kids and teens alike are encouraged to experience the activities mostly held at an indoor location. "We carefully plan various activities to cater to the needs of children. We want it to be pleasurable for kids, yet dynamic, and can help stimulate their young minds to let them learn various concepts without feeling they are in a school studying in a class," she said.

By Ben Garcia