For Camp Parents

Helping your children pack for overnight camp can sometimes feel like shipping them off to a foreign country. We all take for granted common items that our family uses everyday, and as a parent, you might have plenty of questions. Do the cabins provide towels and linens? Should I pack games or snacks? Knowing what and how much to pack for your individual child takes careful thought and planning. The guidelines below can give you peace of mind and ensure that your kids have everything they need for the summer.

Movies, television and pop culture have painted a uniform picture of summer camp: Typically, a group of boys and girls close together in age spend a week or two living in cabins. They hike through the woods every morning, swim in the lake or craft bracelets every afternoon and gather around the bonfire to tell stories every night.

It’s a warm June day. School let out only a week ago, but already your son or daughter is complaining of boredom. You have collected a dozen brochures for different summer camps in the area, each promising a fun and unique experience, from horseback riding and archery to music, writing or science, and you wonder if your child would benefit from a week or two away from home. Summer camp can offer much more than bonfires and canoe races. The structure, learning opportunities and diverse social environment help campers develop important life skills that are not emphasized in a school setting. If you are considering sending your son or daughter to a summer camp, keep in mind the following points.

Sending your child to summer camp for the first time can be a difficult experience; from asking about camp size to camp cafeteria food, the first action you need to take is asking questions to determine the right summer camp for your child. After all, according to the American Camp Association, ACA accredited camps have shown a 90 percent growth in the past decade. Since parents have determined that children need to undergo further developmental education even when school is out, the numbers are still rising. Proper research on a camp will alleviate many of your fears, and most importantly, it will help you decide if your child will be happy attending this camp. Each child is an individual who wants different things. Find answers for your child by asking the right questions about a potential summer camp.

Thousands of summer camps exist in the United States; with hundreds of specialties and variations that are geared towards making a child's camp experience memorable, it can often be difficult to find a camp that is the right fit for a child. According to the American Camp Association, the number of camps continues to grow at a steady rate, with 12,000 summer camps that are currently accredited by the association. In order to properly choose the right camp for your child, it is essential that you have knowledge of the different types of camps that are available. This article will discuss the many variations of summer camps and the benefit that each can possibly offer to a child.

Summer camps have been directly impacting the lives of American children for several decades, becoming increasingly more popular with families for the life lessons that they offer. According to the National Camp Association, more than six million children across the United States attend overnight camps and day camps each summer. In day camps, children are exposed to unique social activities and they are given frequent opportunities to build lasting friendships and a sense of confidence. In overnight summer camps, children are even more immersed into a sense of independence and a nurturing environment that encourages personal success, allowing them to lodge with other children and experience the thrill of safe separation from their parents and guardians. In a study conducted by the American Camp Association, 92 percent of the 5,000 campers surveyed stated that camp helped them feel more positive about themselves.

Summer camps for children have gained so much status in United States over the years, it is now equally important to year-round enrichment choices, and often, more important than formal schooling for children's social development.  However, camps in America have had a longstanding reputation of being coveted places for children to attend since before the turn of the twentieth century. As the booming cities at the center of United States culture began to develop during the late 1800s, more families began to recognize the importance of 'fresh air' and the outdoors for their children's health. Parents of the time were intent on providing their children with an escape from their "unclean" urban lives. Cities were overcrowded, with high instances of diseases like TB and lots of factories emissions. Camps were in the "mountains," with fresh air and shade.