Hey, Camp Fans!

Involving your soon-to-be-summer with preparatory shopping, packing, and general preparations is certain to put a positive spin on their summer camp stay. Learn from summer camp expert and co-author of ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’, Dr. Chris Thurber, about methods you can put to good use to get your child involved in summer camp preparation. Check out the invaluable material by clicking here.

Young people at overnight camp make many adjustments, but none as new as shifting how they keep in touch with their parents. Are you sitting down? The 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation report on media use among 8-18-year-olds revealed that camper-age boys and girls send an average of 118 texts per day. That’s about 90 minutes of thumb punching on top of more than 30 minutes of (quaintly retro) talking. If that surprises you, check your cell phone bill. If you don’t like what you see, consider setting some limits. Only 14% of boys and girls say their parents limit texting. But I digress.

Add the two hours of cell time to the (ready for this?) average of 7½ hours of media exposure per day—much of it multitasking—and you’ll start to appreciate the magnitude of the relational paradigm shift you and your child are in for. What will it be like to not text or talk on the phone for two weeks? An even more powerful question: What will your son or daughter do with those 80+ hours of non-media time?

Don’t panic. Families have been keeping in touch during camp for nearly 150 years. You have some elegant historical traditions to take the place of texting. OK, you don’t need papyrus, octopus ink and a feather, but you should prepare an inexpensive stationery kit. Start with a zipped freezer bag and pack it with pre-stamped, pre-addressed envelopes and postcards, paper, and a few #2 pencils. The plastic bag will protect everything from the humidity, but if you want to splurge, buy self-sealing envelopes rather than the lick-and-stick kind. The easier you make it for your son or daughter to correspond with you, the more likely it is they will.

As a bonus, consider this: Writing whole paragraphs rather than truncated sentences will encourage the creation of narrative. And narrative has a special power to advance self-understanding. When your son or daughter writes stories to you about their camp experience, they’re promoting their own cognitive growth and emotional adjustment. Sure, you’ll keep some of the best letters to read aloud during a wedding toast, but the real beauty of old-fashioned letter writing is for the sender. And rest assured: Waiting for your newsy, upbeat reply forces a healthy delay of gratification, something which is increasingly difficult for a generation that grew up with high-speed wireless.

So about those 118 average texts per day. I’m willing to bet that you’re on the receiving end of about half of those. In other words, you’ve got an adjustment to make yourself. Temporarily severing the digital umbilical is healthy but challenging for parents as well as for children. My advice? Arrange some practice time away from home for your son or daughter. A long weekend at a friend’s house is a good start. And during those two or three days, take a complete break from cell phones. Commit to writing one substantive letter and have your son or daughter do the same. The challenge is worth the risk: You’ll both get more out of the upcoming camp experience.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Hey, Camp Preppers!

Are you as excited as we are for the coming camp season? In preparation, you may be looking for the right backpack for your camper; in doing so, you may be finding it confusing to know what kind of backpack will be best what with how many different types of backpacks there are.

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. We even planned on posting about the different types to make it easier for you—that’s how confusing it can be. So read on and use this post as a guide to helping you narrow your sights on the backpack you want for camp.

First of all, we have School Backpacks. These are your all-purpose bags. The benefit to this bag is that it’s versatile. Use it for camp, school, vacationing, whatever you want! Ironically, the bag’s strongpoint is also its drawback. Its versatility makes it generic and basic. School Backpacks are not adequate packs for the avid hiker.

Next are the Daypacks. These guys make great kids backpacks for any single-day activity or even a quick overnighter. These packs are only meant for light loads (10-15 lbs.). Any good Daypack should have a waist belt for proper weight distribution.

We carry excellent Hydration Packs from CamelBak here at Everything Summer Camp. Hydration Packs are smart for long hikes through rough terrain. These packs hold a water bag inside and attached to that bag is a tube with a leak-proof valve for drinking. Sip a hands-free drink any time you need with a hydration pack!

Lastly, you should know the differences between Internal Frame and External Frame Backpacks. Internal Frame Backpacks keep their framework hidden inside the pack behind the shoulder harness. They fit to the camper’s form much better than external framework. Hikers have more freedom and movement and better stability.

Unafraid to show their bones, External Frame Backpacks have their metal framework on the outside. They can hold a lot. They’re less expensive than Internal Frame Packs and allow for better ventilation in the heat. They have a million exterior pockets for easy access. The frame of these backpacks don’t hug the body, so they can have the tendency to pull your child backwards a little; external frames are not good for uneven terrain.

Use this as a guideline to figuring out which type of backpack will be best for you. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

…but here are six pillars of good camp health.

 Rotavirus, whooping cough, chicken pox and the H1N1 flu have all swept through summer camps at various times. Much more common are: Indigestion from eating too many s’mores, headaches from dehydration and various bumps and bruises from, well, being an active kid at camp. Big or small, illnesses and injuries are no fun to have at camp, especially when everyone else is out having fun.

That said, most camp health centers are well-equipped to handle routine maladies. Nurses and doctors also know when to refer more serious ailments to the local hospital. And rest assured: If your son or daughter experiences any serious affliction, the camp nurse or doctor will be giving you a call. Remember: No news is good news. You can, however, help your child—and the rest of the young people at camp—stay healthy. Here’s how:

(1) Complete the camp’s health form thoroughly. Whatever information you omit handicaps the camp health care staff. By being candid and complete, you put the staff in the best possible position to support your child. Fully disclose your son or daughter’s current diagnoses, allergies and medications, as well as any recent injuries and illnesses.

(2) Be sure your child’s immunizations are up-to-date. Choosing not to immunize your child or letting his or her immunizations lapse places an unfair health burden on the rest of the camp community. Parents who choose not to immunize are relying on “herd immunity”—the hope that their child will not get ill because everyone else is immunized. Naturally, if everyone adopts this attitude, no one is immune. Do your part and complete your child’s immunizations.

(3) Review elements of good personal hygiene with your child. This includes the basics, such as proper hand washing technique and the practice of coughing and sneezing in one’s elbow. It also includes proper bathing technique (using soap and warm water everywhere), daily flossing and keeping fingernails and toenails clean and neatly trimmed.

(4) Review healthy table manners with your child, including the use of serving utensils to dish out food; the use of napkins to wipe hands and mouth; and observing the rule of “you touch it, you take it.” You should also remind your son or daughter not to share towels or pillows with camp friends. One of the best ways to acquire germs is to put your face on a surface where someone else has wiped their own face.

(5) Review any daily or prophylactic medications with your child. Be sure he or she knows how to self-administer any rescue medications, including inhalers and EpiPens. Send your child to camp with two of every rescue medication, each clearly labeled with his or her name. (One stays in the health center; the other is for your child to keep with him.)

(6) Be sure your child is healthy in the days leading up to camp. Viruses and bacterial illnesses do not spring up spontaneously at camp. Bugs are brought to camp by children whose parents think their child is no longer contagious, who ignore signs of serious illness or who brush them off as pre-camp jitters. Rather than rolling the dice and risk infecting the entire camp community, keep your child home until a qualified medical professional has given him or her a clean bill of health.

Parents share the responsibility to keep their child—and all of the other children at camp—healthy. Your commitment to preparation makes an invaluable contribution to the overall health of the summer camp community. And, of course, healthy kids are happy kids. Following the six steps above ensures that your camp tuition dollars are spent on cool activities rather than convalescence.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

Append Your Camper’s Health Form...

It’s not as bad as your income tax form, but most summer camp health forms are pretty detailed. Beyond the basic demographics, there’s immunization and illness history, allergies, medications, permission to treat, and data from your son or daughter’s most recent physical. And now I’m suggestion you add a sheet of information? That’s right. You know your child better than anyone. Indeed, there are things about him or her that have taken you (and maybe a pediatrician, nurse, or psychiatrist) years to figure out. Without your help, your child’s surrogate caregivers—his counselors or cabin leaders—don’t stand a chance at figuring all that out in just a few weeks.

“But wait,” you protest, “I don’t want my child to be labeled. I don’t want him known throughout camp as The ADD Kid or The IEP Kid or The Prozac Kid.” These are valid concerns. If the camp’s staff isn’t properly trained on parameters of confidentiality and child development, there’s a chance the information you provide on the health form will be disrespected, over-shared, or communicated out of context. Thankfully, more and more staff receive proper training on handling children’s private health information. If the camp doesn’t tell you how they’ll treat confidential information, be sure to ask.

Once assured the camp will respect your son or daughter’s privacy, your next objection might be, “Isn’t camp a purely recreational experience? Why would my child need to continue taking medication at a place that’s just about fun?” The simplest answer to that question is: If the medication is helpful in one setting, it’s likely to be helpful in another. Yes, camp is fun, but it’s also socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively demanding. In good ways. Camp is a powerful accelerator of positive youth development. And that development is a byproduct of all kinds of healthy risks and challenges, each of which depend on young people’s social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children not take medication holidays while at camp. However, if you’re considering that option, be sure to discuss it with your child’s prescribing physician and your camp. Keeping camp in the dark about recent medication changes is both unethical and unfair—to your child, her new caregivers, and the camp’s health care team.

So you see, it’s important to complete the camp’s health form honestly and thoroughly. Simply put, your candor and completeness put the camp staff in the best possible position to care for your child. But the health form is generic; your child is a custom entity. For that reason, I urge you to type a paragraph or two describing your son or daughter. Share details about his or her temperament, routines, personal strengths and weaknesses, and social, learning, and coping styles.

The more camp staff understand about what makes your child tick, the better they can meet your child’s needs…and the better experience your child is likely to have. Camp health care professionals and front-line staff are tremendously grateful to read parents’ insightful reflections on the nature of their child. It’s the perfect prerequisite to putting your child in nature.

Enjoy the summer!

Dr. Christopher Thurber

For additional parent resources, visit: SummerCampHandbook.com