“Memories that shape you come from experiences such as these,” beamed Lynda Rolph, Head of Community of Traidhos Three Generation Community for Learning which includes Prem International School, from her corner office with spectacular views out onto the campus’s leafy green campus as she points to photographs on her wall of children planting trees, cruising on a teak barge and investigating streams.
“One little impactful moment at this age can shape your whole life. It can lead to your preferred subject choices in school which in turn can lead to your university selection which then lends itself to a career which could potentially change the world and help the planet. Kids who get to attend our summer camps are often privileged and potentially will grow up into people who can influence the future. These are very impressionable times and their minds are like sponges with a need to learn and explore. We give them that opportunity.”
Rolph, who has been with the Three Generations Community since its inception nearly three decades ago, runs all school-adjacent visiting school and camp programmes, which see thousands of children from around the world attend each year.
“We have around 2,000 students from visiting schools come to our campus each and every year,” she explained. “They come from as far away as Sudan and Belgium, though most are from international schools in Bangkok or HongKong or Singapore. Our summer camps alone attract a further 1,000 students, which include three to five day programmes for Thai school visitors. Then we have our long-standing Barge Programme which started with its own wooden barge on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, which educates students at UNESCO and other cultural locations, teaching them about climate change through experiences along the river, which attracts around 4,000 students per year. As you can see, we have a vast wealth of experience in these types of extra-curricular programmes beloved by both kids and their parents.”
The Traidhos Campus is one of the finest in South East Asia, a sprawling modern campus surrounded by mature trees, and large enough to house a multitude of stand-alone programmes from Artist Residency to Tennis Academy; Farming and Compost Centre to Music School. Traidhos also has a full time staff who work with children throughout the year who also continue their works through school holidays on a variety of visiting school programmes. Trained to be aware of safety at all times, staff also have first aid certifications and background checks, ensuring excellent care for all children. That, combined with a great number of dormitories and apartments, suitable for not just students, but visiting teachers and parents, makes Traidhos the perfect destination to host and house a great number of summer camps—many which can happily run concurrently.
“So many kids today aren’t really connected to nature anymore,” continued Lynda. “It’s clear that when they are, kids become calmer and more curious. We believe it is vitally important for kids to feel that connection in order to realise nature’s value and depth. There is so much to be learned from nature. Our hope is that maybe that little seed we planted during camp will come to life and is something which sets them on their life journey.
“Our summer camps will run from mid-June until the end of August in a series of week-long programmes. We will also be offering English summer camps for students wanting to develop their language skills along the way. These 14 day programmes will feature half day classrooms with intensive English skills training while afternoons are open to other activities such as kayaking, hiking, visiting a waterfall, an elephant camp or an insect zoo — all the usual fun things. These camps are designed for 9-14 year olds, the optimum age to enjoy and appreciate these types of activities. The kids all stay on campus, which is very exciting for kids who don’t board. I love seeing how the children grow over a period of just one week. There are often tears on the first night. But by the end they are all hugging their new friends tightly in farewell and eagerly sharing with their parents all that they have learned and experienced. It truly is rewarding for everyone involved, not just the kids.”
This year’s Summer Camp has a special premise. Programmes will encourage children to find a figure in history or contemporary life to aspire to. For instance, we can look towards Greta Thunburg or Earnest Shackleton while discussing issues such as air quality or food supply chains. Florence Nightingale can inspire a first aid course or community service activities. Whatever the inspiration there will be a plethora of activities from making soaps to planting trees, gardening to cooking and crafts, with regular day trips to facilitate not just fun, but learning. It is all about exposing children to global issues at a personal level.
“We send photos to parents every day keeping them posted as to what their children are up to. We put together a little video every week as well as keep a line of communication open at all times, to reassure parents. Our kitchen caters to children year round, so we know how to feed kids healthily and well and we also have a resident nurse who is always available. Unlike many pop up summer camps, we are more than well equipped to take care of your children, offering them a safe and healthy environment from which to learn not just about the environment, society and the world at large, but also helping them to grow in terms of how they collaborate and communicate with one another through a number of projects and activities. This is a great opportunity for kids to learn to become independent.”
Traidhos Camps offer diverse and emerging camps for children between the ages of 9 and 14 including English, sports, STEM, art, educator and family camps. Private group camps are also available upon request.
Traidhos Three Generation Community
234 Moo 3 Huay Sai, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai 50180, Thailand
Tel : 053-301500, 085-6959031 (Mon-Fri: 8:00–17:00)
Email : enquiry@ptis.ac.th
FB : https://www.facebook.com/PTISschool
