Transcript of our interview with Pooja, Snapology of Halton-Mississauga: Parent Interview with Pooja Singh

How did you know Snapology was the right fit?

It was pretty simple for me because I lived like five minutes away from the camp. So I was looking for something very nearby because I had to make sure it was workable for me, where, you know, I can drop her off and my spouse can pick my daughter up. So it was more about the convenience, like where, you know, we don't need to drive like 15 minutes or 20 minutes to drop the child off and then go pick her up again because we all are working.

And another big factor was when I went on Snapology's website, I was looking at the information that they share, like what actually they are doing during the camps. So each day they had a different activity; for example, one was regarding Minecraft, another one was regarding video gaming or something. And then one day was just dedicated to LEGO, right? So that also caught my eye, right? That's like they're forcing kids to think, not just sit there and have fun. It's like you are developing critical thinking. So I loved that fact as well when I was making the decision.

What’s unique about Snapology of Halton-Mississauga?

STEM-based, right? So they are actually teaching something, right? It's not just the social activity compared to other camps where I sent my daughter as well. It was mainly focused on, you know, other regular activities, like, okay, you're playing outside in the sand with other kids, that's socialization for you, right? Or you're doing the coloring, right?

Here they were building everything. They were given an opportunity to socialize. They were taking kids to the park as well, right? They had, what do you call it, ice cream day. On top of that, each day they were teaching something. Like, for example, each day my daughter was bringing home something, like the craft that she built, which was based on that particular topic that they covered for the day, right? For example, if it was something related to Minecraft or something where they had a spider character or something like that, she was making something and she was bringing it home. So that, I think, made it different from other camps where they were just mainly focused on the social activities rather than learning something.

I like the fact that they were developing critical thinking in the kids. That made a huge difference for me.

Was there any personal growth you saw in your child?

Yeah, LEGO. My daughter was not playing with LEGO, but by the time she came out of Snapology, she was into it. So that was the biggest gain from there.

Earlier, when I tried to get her into LEGO, she was not much interested, maybe because she's the only child, right? So there's nobody else to play. And with other kids, I think she was more curious. So now she is into that.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of this experience?

Most of the kids these days, what I have seen, are into something related to technology. Like, it's really hard to take the phone from them, for example, right? Or even TV or something, right? So, you know, because there were other options as well when I was making that decision, right? And I was letting my daughter take a look at it as well. Like, you want to do this or you want to do that? Like, what do you feel like doing, right? And my daughter was more into Snapology stuff.

Like, her brain was already a little bit more analytical than, you know, like dance camp or something like that. Even though she goes to dance classes and everything, but when it came down to camping, right, when she thought about all those five, six hours, she picked something which attracted her more towards building stuff rather than just going and dancing to music or something like that.

What would you tell other parents about the overall value of sending kids to Snapology?

The team members at Snapology are great. They are good with the kids. You can see the kids become their friends, kind of friends, right? The kids are learning. Kids are socializing. What else do you want for your kids? You want, you know, somebody actually paying attention to your child.

And the camp size is also not too big. That's another thing that I noticed, it's not too big, right? So it's like in one session they have about two or three teammates working with about 20, 25 kids or whatever, right? So it's a good ratio. They are paying more attention to the kids.

And another thing is, whenever they took kids to a park nearby, a couple of times I went to drop my daughter when we were late, and I stayed there and watched the activities and all that as well. So they were paying attention to kids. So it was not like the team members are just chit-chatting with each other and ignoring the kids. They are actually keeping an eye on the kids.

Because my biggest fear was that when, in a camp or anywhere, they're taking the kids out, right? In today's world, you know, we don't know who's nearby, sitting, doing what, what intention they have, right? So I was paying attention if they are looking or they're just focusing on each other. I am that kind of mother. So I was sitting in the car and observing everything. Whether they're looking at the children or they're busy entertaining themselves, because that was the biggest factor for me.

That was the first time I was sending my child to a camp. So that was another reason that I was wearing my observing mode cap and looking at everything. So in those terms, you can feel secure when you are sending your kids there, that, yeah, they are not in the hands of people who are negligent.

What does your child say about Snapology of Halton-Mississauga?

If she wants to go back, it means it's positive. Because even this year, when I'm making my decision, I still need to sign her up, though. But I'm questioning my daughter again and again because she went to another camp as well.

This is how I actually ended up at Snapology because I initially booked somewhere else, but I didn't get all the weeks. And I work full time, so I wanted to keep her busy as well, not attached to the TV all day. So I was like, okay, let me find something nearby. This is how I ended up at Snapology.

And this year I'm just asking, I'm reminding her, you went to this place, you went to this place, out of these two, where do you want to go? And she herself picked Snapology, so that speaks a lot.

Any final thoughts on Snapology?

Shipra is the showrunner, so she's really great, and she tries to accommodate as much as she can, and is very reachable. Like, there were incidents, for example, when I was running 15 minutes late from work to pick my daughter up, my husband was not at home.

So all I had to do was call Shipra that I'm running 15 minutes late; please make sure somebody's there. So she said, “Oh, don't worry, you know, don't worry, they're not just gonna leave her alone or anything, don't worry about that,” right?

Another thing is, even a couple of times I caught her in the park when they were out in the park; she was with the team. And you rarely see that. Like, somebody who's on the management level usually is busy, you know, targeting more clients or making more money rather than being there with the actual kids and the team. So I love that part as well. So I really like that she's very, very easy to reach.