Tips on Trips and Camps

Experts on Overnight Camps & Trips for Kids and Teens

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SUMMER 2021 IS FULL OF SURPRISES!

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Kudos to the many overnight camps that are successfully giving kids the chance to be kids this summer. None of us will likely take for granted again the simplicity of unplugging from devices and having good old-fashioned, in-person fun. As parents we understand how the uncertainty of the past year and a half has made many decisions harder and more complicated than ever before, but we’re so glad that many parents had the confidence to send their kids to summer programs.

We can report that our sleep away camps got off to a great start! They tested kids for Covid, created “safe zones,” and, when quarantine finished, let campers play freely without masks to the delight of all. Many of our families told us that while the transition for both parents and kids to camp was more challenging this year, once camp was in full swing, there was a welcomed sense of calm, normalcy, and routine. Campers and parents both relaxed into their experience and, in all the most important ways, it has been a typical summer at camp.

Around this time in the overnight camp season, in a normal year, there would have been much preparation and planning by camps and parents for visiting day.  Most camps decided not to have an in person visiting day due to Covid related concerns. Many chose FaceTime sessions so that kids and parents can have a chance for face-to-face communication, albeit virtual. They put together special treats for the campers and live streamed events around camp for parents to watch. The feedback we have gotten is that it was a good decision and a huge success.  While Moms and Dads are only getting virtual hugs, camp bubbles remain intact and after the call, campers are able to jump back in and enjoy their home away from home.

Summer 2021 camp season is full of surprises. The Tips Team hope that summer experiences will leave you and your children re-charged and ready for the fall. We’re looking forward to hearing all about your child’s summer.

 

The Tips on Trips and Camps 2020 Gift Guide is Back!

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While we eagerly await the end of 2020 and cross our fingers for the return to normalcy in 2021, the holiday season is upon us, pandemic or not.  We’ve got gift ideas for your camper, traveler and student, and even a treat just for you!  These gifts are guaranteed to keep your family screen-free and enjoying time together until summer adventures return.

Camp swag is always a big hit at the holidays – check out this fuzzy fleece camp blanket by LoveKess Clothing that can be personalized for your child’s camp.  Trick out your cabin or dorm with LED lights that stick to bunks or walls or these fairy lights that could be used in a camp talent show or dress up lunch.  And nothing says camp like tie dye!  How about these great tie dye socks and customizable sweatshirts

Travelers will love these colorful passport cases and essential packing cubes, and check out this duffle bag from Out of the Box NY – a great idea for the hard-to-shop-for men and boys in your house! For adventure seekers heading out on a wilderness trip in 2021, this ENO hammock is a must-have, as is this backpack rain cover for rainy days on the trail.

Get everyone off the couch with some fun indoor and outdoor games: pickle ball, spike ball, knee hockey, mini basketball, lacrosse mini sticks – and many of these can be packed to go to camp next summer! Sports enthusiasts will love these one-of-a-kind customized cleats and other sports items from Kicks by Carly.

If being stuck at home has your kids dreaming about camp, check out these s’mores kits that are great for getting the perfect golden roast.  Crafters can hone their friendship bracelet skills and send gifts to camp friends around the world.  Do your kids wish they could play gaga ball year-round?  We found a fantastic source for building your own gaga pit at home.

 

 

Don we now our plague apparel…we are still in a pandemic, so check out these great finds: fabulous Chainz Boca mask chains and a deliciously scented, moisturizing hand sanitizer by LimeLife!

And finally, how about a gift for YOU?  Raise a glass to the end of 2020 and gift yourself a bottle or two of our favorite clean wine, Avaline. Transparently produced, vegan-friendly and made with organic grapes.

We wish you a healthy, happy holiday season, in whatever form it takes!  Bring on 2021!

 

How Do You Know When Your Child Is Ready For Camp?

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Sending a child to camp is exciting for any family, but how does a parent know that that their child is ready to take the plunge?

AGE: There is no singular age that is the “right” age. Some sleep-away programs take children as young as 7 but it is more common for a first experience to be at 8 or 9. Children are often ready to attend overnight camp well before the parent is ready to part with them. There are summer camps for first time campers at every age. There are traditional camps for younger kids, teen camps that start at 12 for middle school students, and broader experiences for high school students.

SHOWS INTEREST: If your child starts talking about camp, this is often a sign they are ready to start the process.  Trepidation is normal. This is a new experience as they do not know what to expect.

HYGIENE: Any child going to camp must have some idea of how attend to basic personal needs. This includes showering (not bathing), able to wash their own hair, brushing teeth, etc. Bed wetting is not an uncommon issue and it is best to speak to a director to see how they handle the situation.

FOLLOWS INSTRUCTIONS: All camps have structure and all and all campers must abide by rules. This includes waking up at reveille, getting to activities, doing chores, etc. Kids do not have to be perfect but basic compliance and cooperation is needed.

ADAPTABILITY: An excellent indicator of being ready is If your child can adjust to new situations or speak to new people somewhat easily.

Once your child shows the signs of being ready, we can help you choose the right match for your family and your child’s interests. This new experience will help every child, every age, grow and develop.

 

HAPPY CAMPING!

 

Seeing our children for who they are

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We all want what’s best for our children, but what is that? How’s a thoughtful parent to balance their concerns and priorities with their child’s individual needs? A recent New York Times article says what children need most is to feel seen and understood. The article says, “You just have to show up, allowing your kids to feel that you get them and that you’ll be there for them, no matter what.”

The process of selecting a sleepaway camp or an overnight summer program is a great way to show your child that you see them. Talking together about their interests, involving them in the selection, respecting their concerns, and appreciating their likes and dislikes are all ways of showing a child that you see them for who they are. Families can find exactly what they want and need when they work with a camp advisor. We are experts on the programming, facilities, and overall feeling of the summer experiences we represent, so if a child doesn’t play sports, then we will recommend camps where their interests are the main events. If they don’t want to stay in a tent, then we’ll suggest summer travel programs with indoor sleeping arrangements. If they don’t want to swim in a lake, we will recommend sleepaway camps with pools. If they want to improve their Spanish but aren’t interested in a homestay, then we’ll look at language immersion programs with other instruction methods. You can give your child the opportunity to grow through an independent summer experience, while at the same time seeing them for exactly who they are. Let us help you find just the right program.

Choosing the Best Summer Camp

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Every season we hear from parents who want to know about the best overnight camps. And we often hear about the camps a neighbor/cousin/school friend attends. But after almost 50 years in business, Tips on Trips and Camps advisors understand that selecting a sleep away camp that will work well for a child is not just choosing from a list of the “best” camps. It’s all about finding the best camp for each child, and that’s where we are experts.

We spend a lot of time discussing the ins and outs of choosing a camp with our families. We talk about how factors that define each camp may affect whether it’s a good fit for the child. Considerations like single-sex or co-ed, size of the camp, the type of activities offered, and activities by choice or by bunk are just some of the topics we discuss with our clients. We help parents consider how a variety of factors may affect how well a camp fits a child’s needs. We ask about how children make friends, participate in activities, and whether they like to try new things to help us choose camps that play to a child’s strengths and also gives them the opportunity to build new skills. We also ask about the location, transportation, session length, and price. And then we put all of that together to create a list that fits the child and the family – that’s the best list!

When Do I Begin The Search For Sleepaway Camp?

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You have already decided your child is ready for his first sleepaway camp experience. So when is the best time to begin the search? I am often asked., “Am I too early?” or “Am I too late?”

The answer is it is never too early or too late to begin to explore the world of camps. If you know you will be enrolling for 2021, Winter or Spring are great times to begin to explore options and plan tours of camps for Summer 2020. But if you are like most parents, planning that far ahead is not how you operate, so you will begin the search for 2020 whenever you have time between now and Spring. Here are some answers to the questions I am asked most often about timing:

 

  • Will the “best” camps already be full?

In a word, NO! Just because a camp fills sooner or later does not determine whether that camp is “better.”  When a camp fills depends on a number of factors including size, types of sessions and numbers of returning campers, to name a few.

 

  • Should I be visiting the camp before enrolling?

A visit is NOT a prerequisite to finding the right fit. If you have the foresight to begin a search a full year or more ahead, you will want to visit, but most families do not. In fact, many camp directors will come to your home if you ask them. And if this does not happen, don’t worry; an extensive phone call with the director and/or a skype or facetime can work just as well.  A visit in the “off” season can sometimes be a turn off as campers are not there, and many of the facilities are shut down.

 

  • Is Spring too late to look for camps?

NO! While ideally you will begin your search the previous Fall or Winter, many wonderful camps still have space in certain age groups or sessions well into Spring. It will help if you are flexible with which sessions/dates your child attends.

 

Holiday time is the perfect time to think Summer. Beginning a camp search over the Winter break is a wonderful gift to your child.

 

Sailing, Soccer, and Soft-Skills

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A recent Forbes article discussed how overnight camps do a great job teaching kids the soft skills they need to flourish as adults. Sleepaway camp is a multi-layered experience that prepares children for college and beyond.

Teamwork, conflict resolution, problem-solving, leadership and communication skills, resilience, decision-making, empathy, and friendship building are just some of the ways children can grow when children attend camp. Each camp day provides so many opportunities for growth – setting a goal, learning a new skill, trying a new activity, navigating friendships, being a team captain, earning a reward for a job well done, comforting a bunkmate, completing a chore, and more.

I see how sleepaway camp helped with the development of soft-skills in my own house. Once our children have exposure to all these skills at camp, then it’s easy for us to continue herding them toward independence when they return home. My oldest child started college this fall, and he has done a great job transitioning to an independent life. From self-care to advocating for himself, I can see how his camp experience provided a kind and stable base for him to learn and try out all the skills he needs to create a joyful and purposeful life. I am thankful for his camp experiences and it is part of the reason I enjoy helping other families find the best camps and programs for their children. Please let us know how we can help your family.

 

Camper’s Best Friend

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As camp advisors, we are so lucky to visit camps each summer. In addition to meeting loads of happy campers and connecting with directors, we also meet many four-legged friends.  At so many of our favorite summer places, the camp dog is an integral part of camp life!

 

The happiest dogs are camp dogs!  Who wouldn’t love endless scratches and belly rubs, plenty of room to roam, and so many kids to meet?  Many camp directors understand the positive impact a dog can have on the camp community.

 

Though some children are understandably afraid, many kids love animals, and dogs in particular. It’s a different matter that some kids might be afraid because of allergies.  A friendly, tail-wagging dog can be the perfect remedy for homesickness, providing a spirit boost to a child who may need it.  The dog can be the glue that helps bond friendships and can assist a shy kid in making a new friend.  And, a dog can make camp feel like home.

 

Dogs embody the values that are front and center in the camp community.  They love unconditionally, they don’t care what you look like or what you are wearing, they are inclusive and accepting, and they don’t judge.  Tails up for the camp dog!

What I did on my summer vacation

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Every Tips on Trips and Camps advisor spends part of their summer checking in with several of the camps we represent. I spent a week in New Hampshire and Vermont this past July visiting some of our camps, including a few that are new to us for 2020. We share our findings, so we all have the most up to date information possible. Together our advisors visited about 100 camps this summer, and we are so excited to tell you about the ones that just right for your child!

I’m not sure my fellow advisors agree with me, but I love eating at the camps I visit. I have food allergies, and it’s great to experience how well the camps care for children that have dietary preferences or restrictions. I’ve found that most camps have terrific tasting healthy food and have a lot of pride in the efforts of their kitchen staff. Every camp is aware of the many different ways people today, and they happily work with families to make sure they meet every camper’s needs.

I also really enjoy peeking into the bunks. Generally, camp directors bring us into tidy bunks, but occasionally we catch sight of a bunk that looks like a tornado went through, and you can imagine how the kids were in such a hurry to get to their next amazing activity. I swear you can feel the excitement they left behind in the chaos.

I’m already keeping my list of where I’ll visit next summer. Can’t wait!

IS SOCIAL MEDIA KILLING YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL SKILLS?

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IS SOCIAL MEDIA KILLING YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL SKILLS?

Snapchat, Insta, Fortnite, Houseparty, FaceTime, Facebook, other on-line gaming and app’s present countless and easy ways of socializing. Connections and communities at our kids’ fingertips; literally and virtually.

Depending on which communities and with whom your child is connecting, many on-line groups provide an exciting and excellent place for our kids to develop friendships albeit, virtually. Texting, snapping, scrolling, emoji’s, screen shots, selfie’s, posting, poking, liking, streaks, your story, tweeting, memes, GIF’s, may actually be used, by middle schoolers and teens, more often in a typical day than the actual spoken word. A connection, for sure. Communities, yes. The question is; are these connections and communities, as constant as they are, offering our kids that basic human need of actual connection, true friendship and a sense of real belonging within a group?

Find that balance in Summer Camp!

Overnight camps are a place where kids are totally Tech Free. No phones, computers, app’s, IPAD’s, IPOD’s, video games, screens, keyboards, chargers. No heads tilted downward. Instead of on-line connections and communities, camp gives kids the perfect environment to connect and find unity within the camp community. Without tech, kids talk to one another, they use words, expressions, voice intonations, they touch, and they are in the moment. Friendships are made and bonds are built in reality. There is nothing virtual about camp.

The best thing is, there is still space in many of the over 600+ vetted camps and programs we work with. We would love to connect with you. We are here to listen, discuss and research summer opportunities that are especially geared to YOUR child. Not virtually, but in reality, many can be life changing!

To be part of our ‘camp community’, please follow us on Insta, like us on Facebook and check out other blogs like this one on our website; www.Tipsontripsandcamps.com.

 

 

Experts On Overnight Camps & Trips For Ages 7-18+

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Tips on Trips and Camps has always been and continues to be committed to equality for all. The advice we give endorses inclusion, awareness, sensitivity to others, equality and support to families and their children including but not limited to individuals of varying abilities, cultures, genders, races and religions.