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Archives for October 2013

It’s not too early to start shopping for sleep away camp!

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While most people are happy not to think about camp items right now, having just finished packing away their last duffle, Fall is when I do my best camp shopping.
Many overnight camps require some clothing with camp names/logos, usually sold by specific camp clothing providers. These camp stores often have great deals during the Fall months, with sales of 20% off or more, including basic camping gear. When these sales come I print out my camp required clothing/item lists and dig out last season’s camp clothes. I then have my campers try on one of everything, make my best estimate on how much they will grow by next summer, and place orders for the following year. Required camp clothing costs can add up and the savings can be huge!
Another thing I like to do, again depending on what my child’s sleep away camp activities require, is to start collecting costumes. Immediately after Halloween is the best time to shop for costumes. Everything is at least half off. I have found some awesome headgear for “crazy hat nights,” as well as silly dress-up clothes for when they need something fun to wear for an evening activity. This is the perfect time to stock up on items for color war! Tights, necklaces, wacky tee shirts – all on sale!
The question then becomes: What do I do with all this stuff? It’s only October! My advice is to do one of two things. For items that don’t excite my campers (what kid is going to be thrilled with a new egg crate for their mattress,  I store it in their camp duffels (along with the camp list I just printed) so I remember I have it when I start packing next summer. If it’s something I know my kid will be thrilled to have next summer, I wrap it, label it with a sticky note (to remind me what I bought in October!) and save it for the December holidays. My kids enjoy nothing more than opening camping gifts in December. It starts them dreaming about going to camp next summer!
As always, you can find great items on our website www.tipsontripsandcamps.com under Camp Store. Happy Shopping!

The Gift of Overnight Camp

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Three years ago I was forced into a life changing decision. My type 1 diabetic, 11 year old son, was ready for a “normal” overnight camp experience.

Gulp! Who will give him the same care as the diabetes camps? How can I be certain that someone will make sure his insulin and sugar needs are met?

After talking with several overnight camps I followed my motherly instincts and chose the camp that seemed best equipped. When the director asked me how independent he is with his diabetes, it was difficult for me to answer. On the one hand, I wanted to assure the director that my son was ready to be on his own but on the other hand, I wanted him to take his illness seriously. So I cautiously told him how capable my precious boy was and pleaded with he and the nurses to take good care.

So with a wing and a prayer he was off on his 4 week overnight camp experience. I stayed strong for him but behind the scenes I was the mom hitting the “refresh” button on the camp photo page and checking my email for the nurse’s updates. In the photos, I saw a smiling, happy child waterskiing for the first time, jumping high in the air for tramp ball and leading his camp friends through an intracamp tournament.

Two summers later I can look back and realize that my son’s independence could never have happened without the gift of sleep away camp. His 11 year old person was ready to cut the chord and discover who he was beyond a diabetic kid. I had been looking at him first as a blood sugar number, wondering how to take control so he could have a “normal” life. My son took control of his disease that summer and the following summer he owned it completely. I spoke with the nurses once before he left for camp and he did the rest on his own.

As a now 14 year old boy, we have reached a new “normal” in our home. When I now look at him, I first see a responsible, happy, mature person who has found a good place as a diabetic in a non-diabetic world.

 

Although most kids do not have type 1 diabetes, many of them are working through challenges that they can benefit from the gift of the right overnight camp. The gift is also to us parents as we watch them explore into the best they can be.

It’s OK to Send Your Children to Different Camps!

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I send my two daughters to different overnight summer camps, and people often ask me why I did it, since daughter No. 1 was so happy with my choice for her.  I think there are a number of reasons why a parent might want to do so. (By the way, daughter No. 2 also loves the camp I chose for her.)
Every parent with two or more children knows they are individuals, with different likes and dislikes, preferences and, above all, interests. It may be more convenient for you to send them both to the same camp, but it can shortchange one or both of them. In addition, making the extra effort to find the best overnight camp for each child can provide both of them with the happiest camping experience, and you with the best value for your camping dollar.
Some children thrive with athletics, such as baseball, soccer, or gymnastics, and water sports-related activities, like swimming, diving, boating and snorkeling/scuba, while others are less athletics-oriented and love drama, music, and graphic arts, or some other specialized non-athletic subjects.
Even placement within a family is a factor to consider. When a girl goes to the same camp her older sister goes to, or went to, she may not consider it “her” camp, and can feel she is in the shadow of her “first child” sibling. Let each child have “ownership” in something she feels belongs to her, not something she shares with her sibling.
You wouldn’t necessarily put all your children in the same extracurricular activities so don’t feel as if you need to send them to the same camps. Yes, it may be the easier choice, but is it really the best one? Dig a little deeper for each child. There is that special place for everyone. And once you have found it, then you can start figuring about how to navigate through different visiting days, which, I can tell you from experience, can be done!
We’ve  all compared our camping experiences with friends; some loved it and others are a lot less enthusiastic. Why? I believe the difference is often that the less enthusiastic ones were not fortunate enough to have found “their niche,” the right camp for their interests and their personalities. Your children will make lifelong friendships at camp and you can enhance their experience by guiding them into the camping environment best suited to who they are.
It’s well worth the effort.

How Overnight Camp Can Shape Your Future

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I have a confession. Sometimes I go out to my garage just to take in the wood smells.  You might find this strange but the comfort it evokes is incomparable.

The wood in my garage smells identically to my overnight camp art barn. This is where I first learned to solder jewelry, bake copper enamel jewelry, and silk screen a t-shirt. It’s where I learned as a young teenager, about my passion for the arts.

The opportunities for art classes at a performing arts camp stretched way beyond what I viewed was “forced” in school. It opened my eyes to a new kind of freedom of expression.

Overnight camp helped me through those confusing teenage years. I didn’t feel pigeonholed into the person I thought to be when I was home. It gave me permission to reinvent myself. I watched others do the same. I listened to a friend sing a song she had written. I watched another friend recite a monologue from a short play she had created. I shared in creating a life size human paper mache with other friends. Not only did it help me discover who I was by getting out of my comfort zone, it guided me towards my future.

Several years after camp, I returned as a camp counselor and had the honor of taking charge of that very same art barn that I loved. This was the summer after my first year at college as an art major. I was able to pass on that enthusiasm to a new generation of campers.

So, as strange as it may seem that one would enjoy the smell of their garage, it takes me to a place of discovery in my mind. It reminds me of a path that brought me to who I am today.

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