For Camp Parents

For Camp Parents

Our unique summer camp resource for parents and families - providing expert advice from camp professionals on camp history, selection, child and teen development, and many other issues of importance to families.



Sending your child to summer camp can be nerve wracking if your child has a severe allergy. However, if you know how many camps are addressing allergies, then you may feel better about your child's camp experience. Below are some of the ways that camps accommodate campers with severe allergies.

While you are at camp there will likely be several new things for you to try. You may get to participate in new activities, adventure sports, or simply try new foods. While you may be hesitant to try new things at first, there are several reasons why you should push yourself to try new things while you are at camp.

When you are first trying to decide what type of summer camp to send your child to, you may be torn between an academic camp or an adventure camp. Educational camps can help your child get ahead in school while adventure camps can keep your child healthy and active. Which one is best for your kid? Here are some things to keep in mind before you decide.

When you think of a summer camp what comes to mind? Most people will name activities such as campfires, hiking, swimming and being outdoors. This is a good description of a traditional summer camp. In fact, summer camps have been providing a woodsy, outdoor focus since the first camps were started in the 1880's.

Summer camps are constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of campers and their families. This coming year 2016, whether you are new to the world of summer camp or a lifelong veteran, keep an eye out for six exciting trends.

The 2015 camp season begins! Here are the top 5 summer camp trends you will see across the nation:

The Internet has made finding summer camps a lot easier, but relying on a Google search to locate the perfect camp has its downsides as well. A website or directory can't show you what the atmosphere is like, whether the staff are friendly, or how smoothly the program is run.

Summer camp offers priceless memories and invaluable experiences, but that doesn't mean it comes without a cost. Although the social skills, personal development, friendships, and fun acquired at camp are worth the price, some families simply cannot afford the tuition.

You hear it in the news, from teachers, and from fellow parents: Children today are facing more and more health problems. Sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise, and over-consumption of fatty foods and sugary drinks are destroying kids’ health. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control, 17% of kids and teens are obese, but only one-third of high school students go to P.E. class every day. Parenting.com reports that children are exposed to eight hours of media daily, including three hours of TV.

Does your child have a resume? Increasingly, students in high school and even middle school are discovering that their experience, accomplishments, and skills will open up exciting opportunities for them, from college admissions and competitive scholarships to part-time jobs and internships.

It’s a scenario every camp parent fears. You drop off your kids for summer camp, and although you’ll miss them, you also hope they’ll make friends, play games, and have a blast. Then, only a few days later, you get this phone call: "Mom, Dad, can you come pick me up?"

In many ways, summer camp offers a practice environment for the "real world". The atmosphere and activities of camp teach life skills, such as teamwork and motivation, that help kids in school, in social situations, and in their future careers. As you browse through potential summer programs, pay attention to whether the camp’s structure, games, and events encourage competition or cooperation.

Summer break gives families a well-deserved rest from the busy school year, and as a parent, you want your children to enjoy their time off from tests and homework. However, you might also worry about the long hours they spend watching TV or playing video games. In the absence of regular schedules, PE class, recess, and school sports teams, making sure your kids lead a healthy and active lifestyle becomes a top priority.

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. 

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