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Five (MORE) Reasons Great Parents Send Their Kids to Camp

There are so many reasons great parents choose to send their kids to summer camp. Two years ago, I shared five of them on the most popular post I’ve ever published. But now I have more to share. Consider this the second installment in a series with others to follow, because the list of ways…

10 Surprising Things Kids Learn at Camp

I would not be the person I am today without camp. -15-year-old camper My three decades of camp experience, coupled with my own and others’ research, have shaped my long-held opinion that camp experiences benefit children in profound ways. Yet even I was astounded by the revelations shared at our closing campfires last summer for…

Secondary Homesickness: When Your Camper doesn’t want to go BACK to Camp

“I don’t want to go back!” Two or three times each year, I get a call from a returning camper’s parent who is baffled that their once-happy camper is now saying she doesn’t want to return to camp. From what the parent saw and heard last summer, camp was a great experience. So why is…

The Greatest Internship: 6 Critical Skills Counselors Develop at Camp

This week I’m featuring a guest post by Alison “Bean” Moeschberger, an experienced camp director whose passion is training and guiding counselors to be outstanding at camp and in life. I still cringe every time I hear a counselor tell me that they’re not returning to camp next summer because they have to get an internship to prepare…

Three Character Traits Kids Develop at Camp

While it’s easy to think of ways to teach our kids to do laundry or solve math problems, finding a way to instill important character traits isn’t so simple. The way we model traits we want our children to exhibit has a powerful influence on them, and some traits (kindness, gratitude, and generosity) they learn…

10 Social Skills Kids Learn at Camp

At one of my son’s soccer games this fall, a mom on our team offered her son $50 for each goal he scored. He had the highest scoring game of his life, and his mom had to fork over enough cash for a new iPhone. This anecdote illustrates something I have long felt to be…

Should I Make my Kid go to Camp?

I get asked this question frequently, so I’ve created a grid to help you make the decision. Just see what box you and your child fall in, the grid will tell you “yes,” or “no,” and your camp decision is made. Simple as that! Okay, it’s really not that simple. For some families, the camp…

What’s the Best Age for Camp?

You probably want a number here. If you’re only going to read these first two sentences, then I’ll pick the age of nine. But my real answer is a bit more complex. When to start sending your child to sleep-away camp is a decision that depends on you, your parenting style, and your child’s temperament.…

4 Parenting Challenges and How Camp Can Help

In today’s digital, fast-moving, ultra-competitive world, raising kids who grow into happy, independent adults has become more challenging for parents. Quality summer camp programs offer an experience that many parents have found to benefit their child’s development of important life skills. Independence, perseverance, and social skills are just a few of the skills that campers learn…

Parking Your Helicopter

“The study, released Feb. 12, found that behaviors associated with helicopter parenting have a negative impact on the college-aged adult’s feelings of autonomy, competency, and their relationship with their parents. Conventional wisdom in the field of psychology suggests that these three characteristics are necessary for healthy emergence into adulthood.” -Andrew Averill, The Christian Science Monitor…

Good Gifts

The best thing you can give your children, next to good habits, are good memories. -Sydney Harris Our home is overrun with more electronic gadgets than there are people. And, with our kids beyond the age where they ask for small toys, it’s difficult to think of a gift that is remotely needed other than…

Homesickness Help

Homesickness is an emotion that most campers feel to some degree at camp. Fortunately, in most cases, the fun and excitement of camp far outweigh any sad feelings. If this is your child’s first experience away from you for a significant period of time, we encourage you to read through the following recommendations. Homesickness Dos…

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