We’ve talked to a handful of Hatch parents in order to learn more about their experiences. In this post we talk to Paz, a mother of 12 year old triplets who all come to Hatch.

Tell us a little bit about your triplets!
Well, their names are Sofia, Victoria and Benjamin. We came to Canada from Argentina when I was still pregnant with them. We wanted to name them something that would sound the same in Spanish or English so they would keep their Spanish roots.

How did your children get started with Hatch?
Ben did a two hour free trial experience and he really liked it, so he wanted to do a week of summer camp after that. He loved it and we signed him up for the whole year. Sofia and Victoria did Hatch as well, but have recently shown more interest in offline activities, like soccer and arts. There are so many activities for your kids to do that you have to listen to what their interests are and not decide for them.

Why did you decide on Hatch?
We always want to give our kids the opportunity to try new things, especially now that they are young. Coding now is like learning to type when I was younger. I went to after-school typing program 30 years ago, and now my son is going to an after-school coding program. Of course, as much as I think coding is important, I will only send my kids if they’re interested and excited about it. If they like it, why not give them an edge? This is a skill-set that will do that.

How do your kids enjoy learning to code?
Ben loves it. He’s going into grade 7, he is a fast learner and despite the fact that he seems a bit lazy about a lot of things that he is doing, he really likes his after-school Hatch classes. He is very enthusiast about going every week. You don’t want to compare children because they all have different interests, strengths and weaknesses. Maybe the girls will want to try it again someday – the door is open now!

What are the children up to now?
Ben is now moving to a private school where he will get more opportunities for his interests. He’s very excited about it. More opportunities are always good when it comes to children.

What other hobbies do your children have?
They play a lot of sports, nothing competitive, but they enjoy them. We all ski in the winter; they play volleyball and soccer. They often play sports together, that’s the advantage of having triplets (we have a volleyball net in our backyard and they can spend hours, or on our trampoline!). That’ll keep changing as they get older and develop their own interests, like Ben with Hatch. Ben used to play hockey, but he’s not interested now. Actually, they were doing water sports for the first time right before this phone call!

What else made Hatch stand out to you?
Hatch happened to be three blocks away from us. They were offering a free trial and I love freebies! Being free got us in the door. Why not give them a shot? It was two hours for free and we’ll see how the kids like it. They came home excited

What would you tell parents who are thinking of sending their kids to Hatch?
I’ve referred a lot of parents to Hatch. There is little risk when kids can try it out before making a big commitment. I would say go try it. Most of the  kids are already in front of screens, so at least Hatch is fun, and they’re learning something new and useful for their future.

What is the best thing about Hatch?
The best thing is that they spend time in front of a screen learning something new and they feel accomplished after finishing a project that they can see the finished product. Another great thing about it is when Hatch takes them to a real related workplace at the end of the camp, or when they go to spend a day at Google offices.

Working and having a job means very little until they go see these workplaces. Even adults would say: “Checking out Google offices would be a dream,” and our kids get to go do it. It’s amazing.

As Paz mentioned, Hatch lays the groundwork for challenging your kids and helping them develop new interests. It’s more than a summer camp – it’s a place where your kids can learn more about themselves and the opportunities for their future. Learn more about camps, weekly classes and after-school programs and SIGN UP TODAY!

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