Hey, Camp Families!

All parents want their children to get the most out of the camp experience when they send them off for the summer. And choosing the right camp has a lot to do with it. With no shortage of camps to look into, it may be difficult to know where to jump in. A good way to start is to consider what location will be best. Where do you want to send your camper?—geographically speaking. You’ll need to sit down with your child to go over the choices and gauge which option seems preferable.

It pretty much breaks down into two choices: Attend a summer camp that’s close to home or travel to one that’s far away? And, if it’s a viable option for your family, you can also present the choice of attending a camp that’s far from home but in the same area as close relatives. Each of these choices has their own benefits. Consider the aspects of these options when you talk about it with your kid. And keep in mind that homesickness can be an issue whether your camp is 20 miles from home or 2000. It’s not about the distance; it’s about being away.

Camping Close
• You’ll have an easier (and cheaper) time traveling for evaluations and Visiting Days, as well as Opening and Closing Day.
• If your camp isn’t too far, you might be able to find parents you know who have experience with this camp.
• You may be able to apply for an in-state tuition discount.
• Maybe cabin mates will be neighborhood friends (which can be a good or bad thing—see how your kid feels about the idea).
• Mail will only take a couple days to get to camp.

Sending your child to a nearby summer camp can give you a feeling of security, but don’t let your relief be the deciding factor unless your camper feels the same way. It’s best to simply ask, “Do you want to travel far for camp or would you rather go somewhere that’s closer to home?” It’s probably a smart idea to sit down with a map when you talk to your kid; you may discover that your kid’s definition of ‘far’ doesn’t even leave the state.

Traveling Far
• Your list of camps to choose from grows incredibly bigger (once again, this can be a good or bad thing—it depends on how you are at decision-making).
• A long trip builds anticipation and can add to the sense of adventure for kids—especially teenagers.
• A distant camp might expose your camper to a new environment where they can see mountains, lakes, snow, warm temperatures, an ocean—if your finances permit, maybe even a whole different country!
• A distant location might inspire a fun family vacation when you go to pick up your camper on Closing Day.

Traveling Far with Nearby Family
Attending a camp that’s far from home but near grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, or any other close relative is another option for you and your kid. Of course, you’ll need to confirm that these relatives would be so kind to help your camper out in some emergency situation or even just arranging to pick your camper up and drop them off at an airport or greyhound station. This option accommodates the wishes of both you and your camper if your kid wants to travel but you’re concerned about them being all alone in a faraway place.

Aside from how far you travel for summer camp, you should also take into account the geographic features that certain areas have to offer over others. For instance, the east and west coasts are perfect for snorkeling and SCUBA diving. And you’ll want to check out the Rocky Mountains if your camper’s mainly interested in skiing or snowboarding. Think about the climate, landscape, and bodies of water necessary for your camper to do the activities they’re passionate about. Enjoy figuring out what locations will be best with your camper and narrow down where they’ll be going next summer.

As always, thanks for reading, Folks!

- John

Hey, Camp Parents!

There are tons of reasons kids go to summer camp. The most obvious one kids will tell you is because camp is awesome! On top of that, kids will share a myriad of reasons on why they enjoy the summer camp experience. However, while summer campers can give you a million and one reasons on why they go, all their reasons can fit under one of these five definitive and all-encompassing reasons to go to summer camp.

Have fun
Camps are founded on having fun so this reason is the frontrunner. Having fun is the first priority for every kid as well as any good camp. Cabin leaders are typically considered experts of fun—able to derive it from even the most mundane activities like cleaning up around the cabin or gathering firewood. But, while camp staff may be able to create fun from nothing, your camp likely provides an abundance of fun activities, equipment, and facilities (not to mention a bunch of other kids). Go to camp and just TRY to not have fun!

Improve athletic, aesthetic, and intellectual skills
Every parent wants their camper to get the most out of the summer camp experience. Campers are sure to mature in skills of athleticism, intellectualism, and artistry while they’re away. But it’s not all up to your camper. Here are three helpful things you can do to see that your kid doesn’t miss out on any cool learning opportunities at camp.

1) Improvements in these skills take time. Overnight camps are immersive—campers eat, sleep, and breathe camp. Day camps, however, end every day, interrupting the learning process. 2) Make sure the staffers at your camp are good teachers—observe their behavior, like if they set a good example or lose their temper easily. 3) Kids tend to stick to things they know. A camper who likes archery is likely to head straightway to the archery targets. Talk to your camper about trying new things at camp.

Gain Independence
Being away from home is the most influential part of gaining independence. Without parents around, kids become more outgoing and take healthy risks which they otherwise wouldn’t do. Camp gives kids a taste of responsibility which creates an awareness and understanding within the camp community of what needs to be done. This understanding means that campers will do what they need to do without being told to do it and spawns independence.

Make Friends and Develop Social Skills
Camp gives kids a boost of confidence to just be themselves which, in turn, helps make it easy for them to make friends. Some campers may be on the quieter side and find the idea of meeting lots of people to be a stressful situation. But at camp, it’s not hard to make friends. It just happens! The summer camp environment presents campers with a neutral ground to meet one another and, there, they are encouraged to show respect for each other. Getting along with others is essential to summer camp and continues to be a part of your life into adulthood.

Experience a New Natural Environment
There are a lot of things about summer camp that have changed in the last 100 years or so. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the focus on the natural environment. After all—it’s summer camp! Getting out into the wilderness is what draws such popularity to camp in the first place. Parents who live in the city often want their kids to experience the wholesome lifestyle in a rural area. While I’m sure we would all agree that advancements in technology have greatly benefited our society, it does seem to reduce kids’ contact with the natural world. Summer camp fixes that!

These are the awesome things summer camp has to offer your kid. Make sure your child is adequately packed and prepared in order for them to reap as much as possible from the summer camp experience. And, as always, thanks for reading, Camp Parents!

- John

Hey, Camp Parents!

Deciding on the best summer camp program for your child is a difficult one. You want to choose a program that is of the highest quality, well-maintained and provides a safe and healthy environment. One of the best ways to do that is to choose a summer camp that is an ACA-Accredited Camp.

What does that mean? It means the camp has completed a review of more than 300 standards, including staff qualifications, training and emergency management. American Camp Association Accreditation also goes beyond state licensing requirements. Each state will ultimately have different licensing requirements for camps. However, with ACA-Accreditation, the standards are uniform and they are recognized as the standards that all camp communities should meet.

Some of those standards include:

• Having an appropriate staff-to-camper ratio. This number will differ according to age groups with younger ones having more staff available.
• Providing goals for camp activities that are developmentally based. The expectations for campers shouldn’t be age or gender based.
• Having emergency transportation available 24/7. You don’t want your child at a sleep away camp where access to the nearest medical facility is hours away.
• Having a top notch first-aid facility along with a staff that is trained in life-saving techniques such as CPR.
• Implementing a staff-screening process.

If you want to find out if the summer camp that you have in mind for your child is ACA-accredited, then you should visit the ACA’s website. You can also find out by telephoning 1-800-428-CAMP. If the camp that you have in mind is not accredited, then you may want to find out why they decided not to go through the accreditation process.

Another important point to keep in mind is that the American Camp Association works in conjunction with the American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the American Red Cross and other youth-service organizations to keep the ACA-Accreditation standards up to date. Their primary goal is to ensure that ACA-Accredited camps:

• Provide healthy, developmentally appropriate activities and educational experiences
• Employ a competent, caring and educated staff
• Allow for learning through discovery

As with anything regarding your child, information is vital. So make sure to research your child’s camp before signing on. Word of mouth and recommendations are always helpful, but it’s also important to take the research further and explore accreditation. And, as always, thanks for reading, Parents.

- John

 Hey, Camp Families!

We’re more than just camping gear here at Everything Summer Camp. Our goal is to provide you with everything your camper needs in order to get the most out of the summer camp experience. That means providing you with more than just camping gear. After all, we can’t sell you a healthy relationship with your kid or an immunization to homesickness.

But what we can do is give you tips and advice about how to achieve these desired intangibles.

We’ve teamed up with Dr. Chris Thurber, child psychologist and summer camp expert, to help us weigh in on ways to help your child feel comfortable about camp. Dr. Thurber—a father (and former summer camper/cabin leader) himself—imparts brilliant parenting tips to reinforce a genuine understanding between you and your child.

Alongside Mark Sieglaff, friend to Chris and Vice President of Everything Summer Camp, the two of them host the ‘Wiser Cracks’ webinar series which is co-produced by Everything Summer Camp as well as Expert Online Training, a company co-founded by Chris that imparts an excellent education to youth leaders.

Tune in on scheduled evenings for these engaging 30-minute discussions of realistic practical parenting tactics. These webinars teach you to read between the lines and see what your kid is really saying when they’re speaking the code. You’ll also learn valuable responses that soothe upset feelings and strengthen your connection.

Glean positive and practical advice on how to communicate with your kid when you check out all the previous installments for this smart series. Click on any of the links right here to watch older sessions of the ‘Wiser Cracks’ series like How to Talk to Kids About Tough Topics, Rules were made to be positive, Cracking Kids Secret Code, Better Ways to Deal With Bullies, and Top 10 Camp Prep Tips.

Be sure to register and attend upcoming ‘Wiser Cracks’ webinars like, ‘More Camp Prep Tips’, ‘Conducting Family Meetings’, and ‘Helping Awkward Kids Fit In’ and you could win some awesome prizes from Everything Summer Camp! Enjoy developing a better communication with your child and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Parents!

Are you planning on sending your kid off to their rookie year at overnight camp next summer? Or maybe you’re just looking to change things up for your experienced camper. Either way, you’ve got to select a summer camp. And, believe or not, whether you want it to be or not, there’s no better time than the present.

Starting your summer camp search in the middle of autumn may seem a little too far in advance, but this is certainly the ideal season to start researching camps and narrowing your choices. After all, most summer camps fill up their available spots several months before they open.

There’s also a lot to do on your end before camp starts like scheduling a physical exam, obtaining everything on your camp’s packing list, preparing your camper and yourself against home/childsickness. Not to mention, how busy you are with the rest of your life, the fall season is the best time to find a camp of the finest quality.

If you wait until June to sign your kid up, the remaining spots available are sure to be at summer camps of second rate quality. You want the best you can manage for your kid, no doubt. So don’t procrastinate. It’s pretty much never too early in the year to start thinking about which camp to send your camper to.

Speed up your search by looking for camps whose directors have a long tenure, whose staff is comprised of mostly former campers, and whose camper return rate is above 75%. Still, while speeding up the process, be sure to appreciate the time you spend with your kid—including them in the process every step of the way.

For more great tips and words of advice about when, where, why, and how to send your kid off to camp, check out ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’, written by summer camp experts, Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski—available right here on our summer camp for all your camping gear needs. Enjoy getting your head start on the search for your summer camp and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John