Girl cooking
In just a few more days, those of us with school-age children will be abruptly seeing a lot more of our kids. Summer vacation begins on Thursday and while there is certainly something to be said for getting to spend more time with the shorter members of our families, there is also something to be said for finding fun activities that will get them out of the house and keep them busy.
Luckily, Barcelona has no shortage of exciting summer programs designed for kids from the age of three and up. Most of these day camps (usually referred to as casals in Catalan) run on a weekly basis which means you can sign your kids up for just a week or two, or for several weeks at a time. You can usually choose if you want your child to go for a half-day or a full-day.
Here are a few of my favorite casals that are going on this summer:
1. Recycling. The other day my son Nico happened upon a stash of empty toilet paper rolls and within 20 minutes, he had made two rocket ships, a robot and several other less identifiable objects. As a kid, I remember my younger brother going through rolls and rolls of aluminum foil in order to create dozens (and dozens and hundreds and thousands...) of unique necklaces and bracelets for our mother. Kids are natural masters of recycling so why not let them hone their skills by sending them to fashion design and experimental art workshops run by couture designer Alexandra Navas. Email alexandranavask@gmail.com for more details.
2. Knitting. The IFIL knitting shop in Gràcia is offering week-long knitting and textile craft casals for kids in July. Children will have the opportunity to make jewelry, monsters and other handcrafts, all with a bit of wool and a lot of imagination. The camp runs daily from 9am-1pm, with a breakfast break on the patio. See their website for more details.
3. Cooking. If your child enjoys cooking, why not sign them up for a casal at La Boquería, one of Europe’s most famous food markets. Courses are offered for children (from age six) and adolescents. Kids will learn about food, shop for ingredients and prepare their own dishes (which they get to bring home and share with their families!!). The casals run from 9am-1pm for children ages 6-12, and from 10am-2pm for adolescents. Costs are €160/week for kids and €180/week for adolescents. Find out more information on their website!
In addition, the fabulously informative website, Kids in Barcelona has posted an extensive list of casals. Go check it out and then go sign those munchkins up for some fun!