Share The Experience Of A Lifetime At Curaçao Kids Camp
By Carolyn Pascal-Guarino

My 8-year-old daughter Melissa has been traveling with me since she was an infant, and I can honestly say that the Kids Sea Camp in Curacao was the most rewarding trip that we have shared.

The children ''clicked'' on the very first day and somehow knew that this was all about them; the camp was not just a babysitting service that allowed the parents to go off without them.

To ensure that each child would have a pleasant learning experience, the camp separated the kids by age groups. Once the educational activities ended, however, they all could have fun together.

The older children (8 to 10 years old) took great pride in assisting the youngsters (4 to 6 years old) at the kids' lunch tables and at the beach or pool during the leisurely afternoons.

To me, those leisurely afternoons offered the perfect balance to the camp's structured morning programs at the Sea Aquarium, which featured self-contained pool areas where the kids could observe and feed sharks, sea lions and flamingos. It also had an animal-enounter lagoon, where the campers discovered different types of marine life in a calm, controlled setting while snorkeling or using SASY.

Each morning session's snorkeling or SASY activities included fish ID cards, and camp photographers captured the thrill of the experience. During those morning hours, parents were free to do boat dives, a shore dive or simply enjoy the luxury of some quiet time.

After connecting for a poolside lunch, the afternoon could be as ambitious or as laid-back as desired. We enjoyed a few outside excursions to an ostrich farm and to quaint shopping areas, but mostly we lingered near the water... we couldn't coax the kids out of it!

The weather in Curacao was predictably perfect, and we already knew by the second day (and second pina colada) that this Sea Camp idea was a wonderful one.

We have been eagerly anticipating the next annual Curacao Kids Sea Camp all year. Melissa is looking forward to reconnecting with some of the same counselors and friends at this year's Kids Sea Camp, and I am looking forward to once again sharing my love for the sea with my daughter while she is still young enough to want me hanging around!