I am excited to introduce the Summer Haven 2023 – English camp which will be held in Tuscany at the end of June. I have been organising FunLab events in English and summer camps for over 10 years. Over the years I have been asked by parents to organise a sleepover camp in English. The moment has finally arrived! We have put together two sessions of a week long camp dedicated to learning English following our philosophy of learning by living the experience. From making jam to art lessons in historic Florence, we will keep our campers busy having fun and learning!
The only thing missing was the location. Since this year is the first edition of the project, I wanted to make sure we started it in a special place. I have to give you a little history about myself in order to explain our selection of the first “haven” for our sleepaway English summer camp. I first travelled to Italy with my little sister in 1995. We stayed in a magical place nestled in the olive groves and vineyards of Chianti – Podere Santellero. When I was brainstorming about where we could hold the camp in Italy, this jewel of a location seemed like a perfect place for the nurturing family style camp that I had in mind.
Summer Haven 2023 – the Tuscany edition
Let me take a minute to introduce the podere. The main building is a beautiful stone country house near San Casciano. Located in a panoramic setting and surrounded by magnificent views, the estate is totally immersed in peaceful nature. The definition of a “haven”. The owner, Clementina Caruso, has tastefully decorated and comfortably furnished the buildings with antiques, leaving the original terracotta floors, beamed ceilings and fireplaces. The lovely garden even has many varieties of antique roses! The large “infinity” pool is perfectly positioned next to the villa and offers a gorgeous view over unspoilt valleys.
All the meals will be prepared onsite using fresh kilometre zero products! The Tuscan cuisine will be the only Italian part of the camp. We will introduce many American delights including homemade cookies and cakes!
Great activities!
We have put together an assortment of fun activities to keep the young guests busy while having fun in English. Here are a few examples of what we have in store during the camp:
- a day trip to Sienna
- painting lesson in historic Florence
- Arts and crafts
- Cooking lessons
- Gardening
- Nature walks – picnic
- Boardgames in English (Monopoly, Otrio, Double and Uno)
- Movie night with popcorn (in English, of course!)
- Fun sports afternoon with prizes (egg and spoon race, sack race, three-legged race, tug
of war, apple bobbing) - lazy afternoons spent in the sparkling pool
The main house has all the offerings of cozy family home. The common areas are perfect for creating the feeling of an English family. All bedrooms have a king or queen bed to be shared by two campers. Look at one of the beautiful rooms which will host our young campers!
Camp Dates:
We have organised two week long sessions. Make you sure you block a post as soon as possible. Our Summer Haven camp – Tuscany edition will only have a place for 9 children.
25 June – 1 July 2023
2-8 July 2023
Prices:
€1.000/child/week*
*Prices include room, board and activities for the week. Campers need to be dropped after 15,30 on Sunday and picked up by 11 on the following Saturday. FunLab will organise transportation to and from the Summer Haven 2023 English Camp on request.
*Location Podere Santellero: Via San Vito di Sopra 3, San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Toscana, Italy 50020.
*Food intolerances or special diet requirements can be accommodated. Please indicate when writing to us!
From breakfast to bed-time all in English!
The campers will have the opportunity to live and absorb English as if they were staying in the United Kingdom or America all without having to travel outside of Italy! Our staff will be composed of 3 adults for a group of 9 children in order to guarantee lots of one on one conversation time. Our goal is to create an English family feeling, living different moments of the day together all in ENGLISH.
If you are interesting in learning more you can download the Summer Haven English camp brochure below or write to funlabworkshop@gmail.com. If you are ready to sign up, click here!
Alison and the FunLab team
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