Barracudas Activity Day Camps

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Working and childcare can be a huge issue. I returned to work when Emmy was 3 months old, I was a Nanny and it made sense to go back so early as most of the days Emmy came in with me, and 2 days a week my lovely Mother-in-Law looked after her. The family I worked for found a temporary replacement for me but I had been with the children for so long that I missed them and had a bond my replacement didn’t have – but their parents had to work so it was necessary. Me going back so early worked for us all.

We aren’t all as lucky to be able to afford Nannies however and if you rely on the children being in school as your childcare, then school holidays always pose a problem, as let’s face it, no one has that amount of annual leave and we don’t all have jobs where the children can come with us.

Barracudas Activity Day Camps

That’s where Barracudas Activity Day Camps come into play – they offer 47 summer holiday camps and 34 Easter holiday camps in the UK and are unrivalled for the choice of fantastic activities available, they have more Outstanding Ofsted ratings than any other comparable provider and a 5 star Trustpilot rating, making Barracudas an excellent choice for both parents and children.

Barracudas have been entertaining children between the ages of 4 ½ to 14 years for 27 years. This family-run company is a leader in the field, offering an amazing experience for children in fantastic settings.

Just think about how many times your children utter those words “I’m Bored” over the holidays, well that certainly doesn’t happen in this holiday camp setting with over 80 activities to choose from there is something to suit all ages and definitely something for everyone. AND if that weren’t enough to tempt you in, Barracudas are so confident that your child will have ‘such an amazing experience they can’t wait to come back’ that they offer a ‘money-back guarantee’ for all new bookers!

Where are these camps?

There are 47 different locations over the UK open for summer holiday camps and 34 open offering Easter holiday camps. You can find your local camp on their website here.

Activities available

All of the activities are age-appropriate. Children are grouped into age groups to ensure they are able to try out all the activities for their age ranges, all of which help them to build their self-esteem and confidence, develop social skills, gain new experiences and have plenty of fun and exercise.

Days are divided into 6 sessions, so throughout the day your child will be able to take part in 6 different activities – this gives them the chance to do something they already love, try something new or mix it up.

Activities are designed to suit the developmental stage of each age group. Children are grouped with their peers so they can enjoy activities suitable for their age in a safe and fun environment.

There are FAR too many activities to list everything so I’ve taken a closer look at what would be available for my children’s ages 7 and 10. You can find out about other age group activities by clicking on the sample timetable here.

Activities for 7 – 10 year olds

With Emmy and Harry both falling into this age range, it would make life far easier for me as they like to stay together when in camps like these. Harry is able to settle quickly and make new friends, but Emmy is very shy and likes the back up of her brother being close by.

That said, Barracudas staff all know some children can be shy and all children are different so would happily bring her out of her shell.

Each day starts with Team building – this is a great way to get to know the other children in your group, know the staff and is a chance to get used to your surroundings.

Example activities for the week:

• Bucket ball
• Dodgeball
• Making Lava
• Photo frames
• Long Ball
• Basketball
• Aerobics
• Quad bikes
• River crossing
• Swimming (depending on location)
• Archery
• Circuits
• Rounders
• Golf
• Drama
• Fencing
• Theme days

and that’s not even half of what is available.

As you can see there is something for everyone, and children can choose which activities they would like to do for each of the sessions. They could have an activity-filled day, a sports day, arts and craft themed day or mix it up and try a little of everything.

Sadly, they don’t take adults as this all sounds far more interesting and much more fun than sitting behind a computer all day.

Costs and timing

Barracudas Activity Day Camps offer both early and late pick-ups which are ideal for working parents. Normal drop off times are 8.30-9.30am in the mornings and pickups are 4.30-5.30pm, they do offer extended hours which are 8 am till 6 pm.

You can book online and they offer the option to spread costs across interest-free easy payments and even accept childcare vouchers.

For pricing, I looked into Easter clubs for my local area – the whole week currently costs £139 per child (remember Easter weeks are 4 days only due to the bank holidays), discounts are available for booking more than one child.  A single day costs £40 and early drop-offs/late pick-ups cost £4 per session. There is also the option to reduce the price further by purchasing a season ticket, depending on the number of days booked. This will reduce the £40 to as low as £34 per session.

Further information can be found on the website.

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