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Mom: Please Send Rocket Fuel

TRAVEL | A growing selection of SPECIALTY CAMPS cater to a wide range of kids' interests.

BIBI SCHWEITZER left the bug spray and marshmallows at home when she attended Camp Start-Up, in Wellesley, Mass., a couple of summers ago. What the camp did ask the 14-year-old to bring was a passion for starting a business. Start-Up, a girls' entrepreneurship camp, offered seminars on finance and marketing taught by women MBAs, plus networking with businesswomen at a power lunch and games that taught teamwork. The two-week session "was really different, but I liked it a lot better than an ordinary camp," says Schweitzer, of Larchmont, N.Y., who wants to become the chief executive officer of a fashion or cosmetics company.

Sports and arts and crafts still hold sway among the 8,000 summer camps in the U.S., but specialized programs such as Camp Start-Up's are booming. The reason: Kids are involved in more and varied activities, and at a younger age, than previous generations, says Nancy LaPook Diamond, co-founder of Kids' Camps.com, a Web-based directory of camps. "The whole world has become specialized."

At U.S. Space Camp (three locations, in Alabama, Florida and California; call 800-637-7223; $699 to $899 per session) children experience weightlessness, build rockets and visit a NASA facility. At Seacamp (305-872-2331; 1999 prices, $2,445 to $2,795 per session), they can spend 18 days in the Florida Keys snorkeling, collecting fish and kayaking through mangrove stands under the tutelage of marine biologists.

But the hottest program today is computer camp. One of the biggest operators is Atlanta-based American Computer Experience (800-386-4223), which began in 1994 at Stanford and MIT and is now offered at 75 universities across the country. Campers ages 7 to 16 learn programming languages, how to build a Web site and how to run software applications. The rate for a five-day session is $800, and the campers can wind down each day with a game of soccer or a swim in the campus pool. During the year, former campers can brush up on their skills through an online support service offered on ACE's Web site.

Run a city. Entrepreneurship training, like the program offered at Camp Start-Up, is another popular area. Kids age 8 and up may join Millennium Entrepreneurs, a program based at the University of San Diego. (The camp is offered at a variety of locations, ranging from a YMCA in Hawaii to Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. Call 619-476-7655; $675 to $1,575 per session.) Campers manage checking accounts for their spending money, study the stock market and marketing, and design fliers and business cards. Younger children get to run a miniature city called the Millennium Community, staffing the bank and the ATM and taking turns playing the mayor, business owners and workers.

The key to ensuring your child has a great time at camp is understanding his or her commitment. "Make sure your children want to go and that it's not just you who want them to improve their skills," says Marian Edelman Borden, author of Summer Fun: The Parents' Complete Guide to Day Camps, Overnight Camps, Specialty Camps, and Teen Tours (Checkmark Books, $14.95). The author recalls how one mother, worried that her daughter was too sedentary, sent her on a three-week bike tour. The girl spent most of that time riding in the support van and eating trail mix, and returned home even heavier.

Some specialty camps also require a certain level of maturity and independence. "To be candid, we are not a day-care business," says Jason West, sports manager at U.S. Sports Camps (800-645-3226, www.ecamps.com), which oversees about 15 types of Nike-sponsored camps nationwide. "Nike is interested in helping kids get better at their sport of choice," he says. Participants at the Nike golf camps, for example, may spend up to seven hours a day practicing their swing.

Plan ahead. Ideally, you should meet the camp director in advance and arrange an interview with your child, say experts. Camp fairs are held in the winter and spring at malls, schools, hotels and YMCAs across the country (for a listing, check out the Web site of the American Camping Association, or ACA, at www.acacamps.org). Ask about staff qualifications, the ratio of staff to campers, the percentage of kids who return each year, and what kind of safety program is in place. About a third of the nation's camps are accredited by the ACA (check the Web site, or call 765-342-8456).

For more help in finding a camp, see Peterson's Summer Opportunities for Kids & Teenagers, a $30 phone-book-size directory of listings that is very comprehensive (an abridged version, Summer Fun: Traditional & Specialty Camps, is available for $10).

A number of Web sites, including Kids' Camps.com, the ACA and Frost's Summer Camp Guide, feature search functions that let you pick a camp by interest (including special needs), gender, session length and region. Remember to book early, both to ensure that you get a spot and because many camps offer early-booking discounts.