Deciding to send your child to summer camp is easy. Finding the right camp can be more challenging. Think about your child’s interests and personality. Consider the activities that he or she enjoys most. The right camp may be a specialty camp that caters to a particular hobby or interest or a more traditional camp.

Lots of Options
There are day and residential kids summer camps that offer great sports programs like basketball, football, tennis and soccer. If your child is a dancer or an artist, there are camps that offer excellent courses. Some children prefer academic pursuits like computers, math, science or history. Others may love nature and want to study flora and fauna in a wilderness environment. Some may just like to play with other children and prefer the activities of more traditional camp environment. Chose you child’s camp with their interests in mind. Read the rest of this entry

For younger children the prospect of spending a night away from home can be frightening. Before sending you child to an overnight summer camp program you should prepare and reassure the child. Some children may even think that they are being sent away for good. Talk to them about camp and how long they will be there and how much you will miss them.

If you are fortunate, your child may have spent a few nights away from home at grandparents’ or friends’ homes. If not, you should arrange for some sleepovers before sending them to overnight camp. If they feel assured that it is alright to spend the night away from mom and dad, and that mom and dad will pick them up when they say they will, they should have no problems dealing with overnight summer camp. Read the rest of this entry

Most summer camps provide a packing list for campers and their families. This list usually contains items that may come in handy during a camping session. Although the list varies from camp to camp, some things are always needed like clothes and toiletries. Some things are not permitted because of safety issues, others because they may be disruptive. Most camps Most camps prefer campers to leave valuable items home to prevent loss and heartache. Read the rest of this entry

Going to summer camp is only fun when you have everything you need with you when you arrive. Not all camping organizations come with fully-equipped facilities for all participants to use. It is always best to be ready with all the things that may come in helpful when attending your very first summer camp. In order to help you through the process of packing for summer camp, here is a step-by-step guide that will get you ready in no time. Read the rest of this entry

Far too many of us take the decision of where to send our child for summer camp too lightly. 

Actually, this is a decision that is going to shape our child in many ways for years and perhaps the rest of their lives.  Did you spend any time in a summer camp whenever you were a child?  You probably either remember it as being some of the more enjoyable times that you ever spent or you remember it with unpleasant feelings. 

Regardless of how you spent your summers as a child, however, finding the best summer camp for your child is going to make a large difference in how well they will enjoy it or not.

The first thing that you really need to consider is what your child wants to do a camp.  Although you are going to have the final say as far as that is concerned, it is always helpful and beneficial if you take your child’s opinion into consideration.  Your idea of what the best summer camp is may differ greatly from what your son or daughter’s image of  the ideal camp.  It is not always necessary for you to bend to the point of breaking in this regard but it certainly wouldn’t hurt for you to meet them in the middle somewhere.

You should also keep the camp philosophy in mind as you research various possibilities.  Since your child is going to be molded to a certain extent by the camp program, you want to make sure that the camp’s philosophy of education, sportmanship, and child development are a good match for your own. There’s no point in confusing your child by teaching them one thing at home and then exposing  them to a radically different set of standards whenever they are away at summer camp.

Of course, there are a number of other things that you need  to consider  when choosing from the best summer camp for your family. 

• Day or overnight camp
• Traditional or specialized camp
• Single sex or co-ed camp
• Cost per child and per session
• Location and distance from home
• Size of the camp grounds
• Number of children attending a typical session
• Age range of campers
• Experience of camp staff

 You should also look for a list of references that would let you know how other parents felt about the camp once their children were finished attending it for the summer session.