I was sitting outside enjoying a fire pit with my family on New Years Eve and invariably talk turned to camp. Probably because the smell of the fire brought back so many camp memories, but each of us was reminiscing about our favorite moments. Most revolved around camp or teen programs we had experienced: camp outs, trapeze in circus, magic, tubing and waterskiing, rock walls or river rafting, SCUBA and sailing; friends we had made and tears that were shed as camp came to an end. Even the various cold wet nights and moments of discomfort had taken on a reminiscent glow of great times. We were all ready to break out in song. My greatest regret, as I looked around the fire at my children, was that I didn’t start my kids in overnight camp at an earlier age (I waited until they were 10 or 11) and that I didn’t insist that they go on longer programs. One or two weeks at camp, while fun, does not create the lifelong bonds of friendship that I have with my camp friends. Even so, I know their camp memories will last a lifetime. To this day my mother, who is in her eighties and spent eight full summers at camp as a child, cherishes her camp friends as her nearest and dearest. They stood by her at her wedding and traveled the world with her in their retirement years. The gift of camp is one that lasts a lifetime.
Summer Teen Travel – make it meaningful while they are having fun
Is your Teen too Stressed to learn? – Summer Teen Programs can be your solution
Summer teen programs allow our kids to –visit a new country; enhance their language skills; develop independence; give back. Consider sending your teen to a precollege program in another country. They can have fun, while learning the language and being exposed to the culture without the stress of a school setting. So many schools require community service hours – does your teen just log in a few hours for numerous events. Why not explore a two or three week project where they can be a part of something from start to finish – feel a sense of accomplishment, make new friends and visit a new place. There are so many great summer community service teen programs available domestically and internationally. Are you tired of asking your teen what they want to do with their lives? Let them use the summer to try out different interests, whether it be thru a classroom setting or an internship. I know that I am sick of nagging my teen, I would rather give him the opportunity to spend the summer feeling good about himself and figuring out who he ultimately wants to be – how about you?
Sleepway Camp: It’s About The Friends
I recently attended my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah. What does that have to do with camp, you ask? The answer is simple: friendship. While summer camp can seem to be about activities, instruction or facilities, it is really about the people. My brother, who will turn 50 in a few months, had five camp friends from the 70’s and early 80’s at his son’s Bar Mitzvah, one who flew from California to Boston to be there, and several who were actually at his own Bar Mitzvah in 1977. My nephew also had camp friends celebrating with him, some of whom, no doubt, will be there many years from now when he celebrates other milestones.
Camp friends become family. When advising clients I am often asked, “How do I decide among all these great camps?” “It’s about the people,” I reply. And I mean it.
What’s Your Summer Goal?
What would you like your child to accomplish in the new year? As we approach the end of the year, it’s only natural to start thinking about what the new year will have in store for us. Struggling with wanting your children to be independent, yet afraid to lose all control? Overnight summer camp may be the right answer. Besides having fun, summer camp can provide our children with the ability to make decisions, resolve conflict and try new things all in a safe, contained environment.. Summer is the perfect time for children to explore, play, learn or accomplish all three. Sleepaway camp also allows our children to make new friends from different cities or states. Who can argue with building a network at a young age? The school year has become so hectic for so many of our young children – why not consider having them go back to old fashioned outdoor, no electronic fun? Sleepaway camps have maintained their commitment to “kids being kids”. Helping you choose, is what Tips on Trips does best. Call today for a FREE consultation.
Lasting Friendships of Overnight Camp
Overnight camp is a place where children develop self-confidence and independence as a result of their time away — no matter what age they are! They make new friends and learn to make their own decisions. Camp becomes not only a learning experience but a place to make lasting friendships.
Just a few weeks ago I was reminded of how powerful a camp experience can be when I attended a friend’s wedding. Many of the guests were friends of the groom from his many years of attending a camp in Wisconsin. I stayed at the wedding until the very end, and after the band finished, I saw all the camp friends gathered around a table singing songs that even I remembered from MY camp days! It was endearing to see 20 guys and girls going through their repertoire of songs with the same spirit and excitement one finds at camp. It was that moment that reminded me how special camp is and that the bonds that are formed at camp can last a lifetime!
Summer Camp – More Than Just A Few Weeks From Home
“You can leave camp, but camp never seems to leave you.”
How true this is for me! I am now a well-established member of AARP and still look back upon my summer camp days as some of the most important times in my life. Overnight camp changed me in ways I cannot begin to express. I went from being a child who clung to her mom’s skirt to a person who found herself in leadership roles – all because of camp.
Before I went to camp, I rarely made decisions for myself. Little choices such as what activity to sign up for during free period or deciding what or even how much to eat represented the start of independent thinking. I remember running to breakfast when it was so cold I could see my breath – no one told me to bring a jacket. It was OK to listen to morning announcements with goose bumps crawling up and down my skin. I promise you – the next time the breakfast bell rang, I grabbed my sweatshirt before heading out. I do remember deciding whether I really wanted to brush my teeth at night and knew no one would know if I did or did not. I needed to as I have to keep to my teeth healthy. I decided it was the right thing to do even if no one checked on me. What an important step in growing up!
Maybe that is why I love what I do. I want to help every child who wants to go to summer camp to have the same opportunity for growth. I can state with certainty that camp helped me build confidence and independence in a safe and supportive environment.
Summer Camp Letters
Do you write letters to your children at overnight camp? I did to my children when they went away — but then, that was before emails. Today many parents have the easier option of communicating with their children who are away by email.
I thought a lot about this recently when my 26-year old daughter approached me with tears in her eyes after having read some of the letters my father wrote to my sister and me when we attended camp in the northern woods of Michigan. I decided to re-read some of these letters to see just what she was reacting to. Having lost my father at an early age, I was reminded of the genuine interest he took in the activities my sister and I were participating in: sailing, horseback riding and waterskiing — as well as the woes of my sister over her counselor duties and, most importantly, my homesickness. He knew that it was important for me to get through the experience so that I could develop the confidence and growth that comes with being at an overnight camp!
Seeing my dad’s words, in his own handwriting, was an awakening for me! Yes, I’ve read them before, but re-reading them now and seeing my daughter react to them was so touching. And I realized that what I’ve been doing for the past 11 years as a camp advisor is just what my father wanted for me — helping other children develop that same confidence. And seeing those words in a letter, with its personal touch and its permanence and his handwriting added profoundly to its meaning to me.
It’s not too early to start shopping for sleep away camp!
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
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!
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.
