Sleep away camps

I LOVED summer camp! I went several summers to a nearby camp, for a week at a time. I’d go 3 times each summer. Usually it was there for a week, home for a week, camp for a week, etc. they didn’t offer more than 1 week sessions.

My kids also went to camp, and loved it. Same thing, they went multiple times each summer.

I think Camp is great for kids. Freedom, new experience, new rules, dirt, staying up late, just having fun. Of course not every kid would like it, but I did, and mine did. I still love being outside, hiking, fishing, camping (tent).

My daughter did a sleepaway camp for a week every summer from age 8-12 (or 13). We found the camp for her and signed her up. It wasn't an idea she had on her own, but she didn't resist going either. She is quiet and takes a while to warm up to people and situations. She did fine, especially the first year when I don't think she realized what a week away from home really meant.

I am all for expanding her experiences and nudging her out of comfort zones, any way possible. She has a friend who would never try anything new, never agree to anything she found uncomfortable or challenging, and her parents went along with that. She's a terribly unadjusted 17 year old now going into her senior year of high school and really struggling making decisions and planning for life after graduation.

My daughter still prefers her quiet comfort zone. That didn't change. But she gained independence, perspective (meeting and getting to know girls from different families and who didn't all look like her and live like her), and learned to face and manage herself, her emotions, and her behavior in new situations without her parents around. She just spent a month in Spain this summer as an immersion exchange student with a family who spoke no English. She's looking at colleges across the country and in other countries. Not all because of a week away in the summer as a child, but that was a good way to start.

ETA - I never went as a child and wish I could have had that experience. 
ETA - It was also important to us because she's an only child and sharing a cabin and a bathroom with a dozen other girls should be something everyone lives through!

No, i never went to sleepaway camp and I dont know anyone who did.

I went to Girl Scout camp every summer from 10-16 for 2-3 weeks and then I was a counselor the summer I was 17.

DS did a week at Catholic camp when he was 13-15 and a week (with his troop) at Boy Scout camp from 14-17.

DD19 did a week at Girl Scout camp every summer from 12-15 and DD12 has recently returned from her 4th summer of Girl Scout Camp (one week sessions)

It's expenisve but my kids love/loved it. My mum didn't have the opportunity to go to GS camp so it was important to her that I have that opportunity and DH wasn't able to go with his Boy Scout troop as a child for financial reasons so it was important to him to give our kids the chance

I never did - didn't have the means and there weren't as many programs to help kids like us in those days (or my parents didn't know about them).

Kids went to sleepaway camp from 8ish to 13ish. They loved it! Not plane ride away, but hours away.

I went to camp as a kid and hated it. I went for 2 summers, 3 weeks each summer. Once when I was 12 and once when i was 13. Then I told my parents I didn’t want to go anymore. My sister went every year and was a huge camper so my parents were surprised but wouldn’t force me.

My older dd started going to camp at age 8. She started with one week, the next year for 2 weeks, the next year 4 weeks and she has been at 4 weeks for the last 4 years. Next year she will go for 6 weeks as part of the counsellor in training program. She loves camp. My younger dd started with 2 weeks at age 7 and 8. Then she did 4 weeks at age 9 and now at 10 she’s there for 4 weeks.

Both of my girls have been there since June 30. They come home on Sunday. Can’t wait to see them. Their letters and pics are great. Both are happy. They are at the same faith based camp I went to when I was a kid. My niece and nephew are also there with them as are many of their friends. They come home with more independence, confidence and resourcefulness. They really learn how to get along with others (not that they didn’t know how before). It’s also great to be away from cars, TV, phones, tablets for 4 straight weeks. They come home very hyper aware of noise and electronics. They’ll find the city noisy. They’ll be sun kissed, happy and exhausted. Last year older dd came home and slept for 6 hours. Then she started her countdown to next summer.

For us the camp is a 5.5 hr bus ride away. My niece and nephew have a 3 hr plane ride.

ETA: we sign up first week of October for next summer. I agree, when the kids were younger it felt too early to sign up. The kids mature so much over the year that a kid could easily change their mind. Because camp fills up quickly parents would sign up and then drop out / loose deposit if their child changed their mind. It was better than no space. We never had an issue. It was always easy for us to project what the kids would want. Also, we often did what the friends were doing. Parents would discuss ahead.



And Dh and I got to travel to Greece for 2 weeks.

I never went to a camp, but my kids both did. It was their choice -- Boy Scout camp, GS camp, and a few others. They always went with friends (or their troop) and had a wonderful time. The camps were always within a three hour drive, so no plane rides to get there. It was overall an excellent experience for them.

I never went to one as a child. I don’t know many people who did. It was not a big deal here.

My children would never want to go, which is good because I would never send them.

I went to GS camp for a week one year around age 9, and my best friend was there too, so it was pretty easy for me, since I was a shy kid. I enjoyed it, but then I like the outdoors--and goats. Our camp had two resident goats, LOL!

We did not send DS to sleep away camp but we did put him in multiple day camp activities through our town park and rec. He pretty much hated every minute of it, but I didn't find this out until he was in HS. He is neither an outdoorsy nor a sporty kid, so it just wasn't his thing.

Even if he had complained at the time, I would have still enrolled him in these activities, mainly since we don't have neighborhoods around here where we live where he could have played outside with friends. I didn't want him just sitting around playing video games. The downside was that he aged out of these camps in 6th grade, so there were a couple of summers where he was too young to work, not involved in band camp yet, but too old for activities. That was rough.

This to me would be the advantage of sleep-away camp--you can attend as a camper when you're young and then return as a counselor when you're old enough, something a couple of my friend's kids are doing this summer.

I know it’s something of a tradition in some areas but it’s not something that appealed to me when my kids were young. I would not send a child younger than 10. I was a teacher and my husband was a school guidance counselors so we used the summers to travel with the kids, and share different experiences with them. We also did things with their cousins.  I understand why working parents would do this but in our case I welcomed the time to do things with our kids. While building independence is good, so is building fun memories as a family.

Mine have done scout type camps and one is signed up for a two week horse camp. I don’t make them do it, they decide who wants to go where.

I did all kinds of camps as a kid and it was great. 4-H camp in elementary school, then arts camps and Governors School which was my favorite.

I went to a one week sleepaway camp every summer. It was seriously the highlight of my summers growing up!

Up until about 2 years ago my 17yo ds went to sleepaway camps. He's been to adventure camps (fishing, kayaking, etc) and also to sea camp. He loved them!

I love summer camp and I feels it has great value for most children but not all. I would start with a local camp.. a Ymca camp or faith camp or a GS camp. for GS camp, you do not need to be a girl scout and they have camperships to help if needed. I would give it a try for a short camp.. like 5 days. I loved camp so much, I worked at camps 4 yrs after high school, and majored in environmental education .. and took a class in camp administration!!! 

a child can gain so many skills of independence and problem solving.  and they learn to live without tech.  

Camp Fire camp for me too! Wo He Lo!