Summer Camp Prep for Special Needs
Summer camp offers the chance for new friends and experiences, and lifelong positive memories for all kids. Here are some tips on how to prep your special needs child for a great time at camp…
Discover Adventure and Friendship
Typically spanning several days or weeks these OC camps offer parents a break and their kids lasting friendships.
Editor's Picks
Make a Summer Camp Plan
A pediatric and sports medicine expert offers tips on getting the most out of summer camp for your child….
Picking the Right Summer Camp
There are several considerations to keep in mind when finding a summer camp for your kids. It’s no exaggeration to say that the one event...
Recent Articles
Summer Camp Prep for Special Needs
Summer camp offers the chance for new friends and experiences, and lifelong positive memories for all kids. Here are some tips on how to prep your special needs child for a great time at camp…
Make a Summer Camp Plan
A pediatric and sports medicine expert offers tips on getting the most out of summer camp for your child….
Camp Resilience
Courtesy of Camp James We interview the Camp James executive director about how the camp stayed open through 2020 to return this summer. Summer camps, like most of the world, were turned upside down in 2020. Despite the quick pivoting that was required when California locked down last spring, some camps managed to stay open. Among them was Camp James, Newport Dunes, which remained open with some adjustments. “While camp looked a little bit different in 2020, the majority of our campers had an amazing time,” said Executive Director Scottie Roach. “We did surveys of our families towards the end...
Picking the Right Summer Camp
There are several considerations to keep in mind when finding a summer camp for your kids. It’s no exaggeration to say that the one event kids really look forward to all year is the summer camp. But how do you choose the right one? Based on my experiences as the parent of a 15-year-old boy, as well as conversations with other parents, I’ve figured out the top six things to consider. Cost It goes without saying that cost is an important factor, especially if you have more than one kid. Summer camps can range widely in price, depending on whether...
Sleepaway Summer Camp Ready?
Q: [School Age] With summer just around the corner and camps filling up quickly, I want my kids to have a great summer packed with fun activities. How do I know if my child is ready for sleepaway camp – or better yet, how do I know if I’m ready? A: The late-night cabin talks, the songs around the campfire, the beloved cafeteria food and the adventures in the great outdoors—it’s an exciting time when your child reaches the age where he or she can attend a sleepaway camp. Here are some simple tips to help you assess if your...
Helping Children’s Anxiety with Summer Camps
Q: [School-Age] How can I help my son ease his anxiety of going to summer camp? How can I ease my own anxiousness with it? A: Going off to summer camp for a child can cause them to become real anxious – especially if they are gone for a long period of time and if it is their first time going. So what is a parent to do if a child is having anxiety about going off to camp? The Child Mind Institute offers these words of advice for parents who have children that are having anxiety about going to...
Off to Camp Checklist
As a parent, the thought of sending your little one (or not-so-little one) off to camp, whether it be day camp or a week of camp, can get your stomach all in knots. Making a checklist to follow when the process gets overwhelming can help you stay on track and not mired in an emotional spin that could raise your stress level, or even worse give your observant kiddo a sense of uneasiness. 1. Compile a list of all the camps going on in and around you area. Ask your friends, look online, visit your community center, ask the teachers...
Family Camp?
Q: [School-Aged] We are looking at camps for the summer. Some have sibling discounts, which has us wondering — is it a pro or con to send sibs to camp together? We don’t join up with other friends for camp because we like our child to branch out and make new friends and get a fresh perspective on life, but should that extend to picking different camps for our kids, too? A: The question of whether to send siblings to the same camp is an interesting one and has a variety of considerations. If your camp of choice offers a...
Why Camp is More than S’mores and Canteens
Parents spend a lot of time trying to motivate kids. We use chore charts, checklists, reminders and rewards to get them to feed the dog, clean their rooms, and complete schoolwork. But these techniques don’t change behavior long-term. Real motivation must come from within. The Psychology of Summer Camp Time at camp may be all it takes to spark a little self-determination in your kid. I know it sounds too good to be true. Your school-age slacker — the one who expects you to find his homework and pack his lunch — might start doing some things for himself. And...
Camp Worries
Q: [Parents of Campers] I have read many advice pieces on how to deal with first time camper stress…but not for the parents. Am I the only mom freaking out about my baby being away for a whole week? A: If your kids are going to sleep-away camp this summer, you may be wrestling with worries and what-ifs. What if he wets the bed? What if the other kids are cliquish or mean? Will the camp director call me if she’s miserable? Why Parents Worry You may worry that without structure kids won’t be able to handle routine tasks like...
Camp Fear
Q: [School-Aged] My daughter is about to spend her first week at Sleep away Camp. But every week, there’s a new cause for panic. What if I get bitten by a snake, what if I get stung by wasps, what if I can’t pass the swim test, what if I can’t sleep, what if I can’t remember the words to the camp fire songs…how do I help quell her anxiety and get her excited about camp? A: Going off to camp for the first time is an exciting event. There is a new type of independence, new friends, new foods,...
Going Tech-Free at Camp
Kids Unplug and Make Lifelong Connections In our world of constant connectivity, some might argue that kids shouldn’t be expected to “unplug” for weeks on end. And yet most overnight summer camps are still tech-free zones. Why? Recent studies reveal there are good reasons for taking a tech break. And seasoned camp directors are privy to a little known fact: Kids actually enjoy it. Erec Hillis, boys’ camp director at Camp Champions in Texas, says, “Many of our campers actually thank us for the opportunity to put away their phones for a while. Some of them say that it is...
De’Bunking Camp Concerns
Q: [School-Aged] My middle-schooler is getting ready to go to camp for the first time. It seems like friendships at this age are in flux, to put it mildly. Is it better to lock her into her time away with friends who might be frenemies by then, or encourage her to make new friends and branch out by signing her up solo? A: Sending your child to camp for the first time can be exciting and seen as a marker in the birth of their emerging independence of adolescence. It is understandable for parents to feel apprehensive about the unpredictability...