Happy Campers

Making special summer memories

Summer camps are all about adventure, fun, and making life-long friends. (Vasilyev Alexandr/Shutterstock)

With summer on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about summer camp. Summer camp is as American as apple pie and serves as a rite of passage for many children. And even better, there are many to choose from.

If your child loves the water, look for a camp that offers supervised swimming, canoeing, and water skiing activities. (Brocreative/Shutterstock)

Choose Your Adventure

In addition to being a great way to keep the kids busy making new friends, there are specialty camps where they can learn wilderness skills, become immersed in science or math, build acting skills, or hone their musical talents. For many parents, another large appeal of summer camp is the fact they provide an environment in which children are separated from phones and the internet.

Children interact with other campers, counselors, and instructors as they spend time in group activities, take meals, and bond with other members of their cabin, both indoors and in the great outdoors. The kids breathe fresh air and get a lot of exercise.

Many summer camps have “screen-free” policies; campers aren't allowed to use phones, computers, or tablets to access the internet or social media. (stockphotoatinat/Shutterstock)

Summer camps have been an ideal place to practice and perfect interactive social skills since long before there was an internet. For introverts, time spent at summer camp might be the event that allows them to open up, and for extroverts, it’s nirvana.

Summer camp essentials include sturdy hiking boots and a canteen, a hat for sun protection, and their favorite towel. (Africa Studio/Shutterstock)

There are two main categories of summer camps: sleepaway and day camp. Many day camps are operated by schools, using their campus facilities to conduct arts and crafts classes, swimming, basketball, and many other activities.

A big plus to a day camp is that the child is home with parents and pets, eating dinner and sleeping in their own bed every night, while spending the day at a facility near home. This can be reassuring to the child and the parents, especially if the child has rarely or never spent a night away from home.

However, the best way for children to get the full “camper experience” is to attend a sleepaway camp. There are plenty of traditional sleepaway camps from which to choose, most of which offer staple activities such as archery, canoeing, s’mores around the campfire, arts and crafts, horseback riding, and more, while others have more unusual agendas.

If your camper will be participating in overnight hikes, make sure to equip them with all the required gear. (FeelGoodLuck/Shutterstock)

A Camp for Every Kid

There are traditional sleepaway camps all across the United States, with Camp North Star serving as an excellent example of the genre. Located on 200 acres of wilderness in Maine, North Star could be the setting for a summer camp movie. Activities include water skiing, rock climbing, making s’mores over a campfire, hiking, sailing, and much more.

The camp maintains a “screen-free” environment: No phones, computers, tablets, or electronic games are allowed. For many parents, having their kids spend the summer without seeing a screen is a big plus. Because the campers spend the summer “unplugged,” social skills such as actual face-to-face interactions and conversations are often improved.

Traditional summer camps get kids outside, where they can enjoy fresh air, explore nature, and get some fun, healthy exercise.(Jacob Lund/Shutterstock)

For an alternative to the traditional sleepaway camp experience, consider Teton Valley Ranch Camp, near Dubois, Wyoming, where campers aged 11 to 16 spend time in the great outdoors on backpacking expeditions and riding the 2,300-acre ranch’s horses. The camp’s Western lifestyle activities include fly fishing in mountain streams, learning how to throw a lasso, and competing in Sunday rodeos.

The camp is bordered by national forests, with easy access to the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone wilderness areas. As the camp has been in operation since 1939, some of the kids represent second or third generations of TVRC campers.

For teens who are resistant to going away to a “normal” sleepaway camp, there is SOCAPA. The School of Creative and Performing Arts operates five summer campuses: one in Los Angeles, two in New York City, and two in Vermont. Instead of archery and campfire singalongs, SOCAPA campers from 14 to 18 years old learn how to conduct fashion shoots, act in films, or dance in music videos, working with industry professionals.

Some of the most treasured summer camp memories are created around a campfire, singing and making s’mores. (dotshock/Shutterstock)

Any discussion of summer camps eventually turns to band camps, and there are plenty to choose from, ranging in focus from rock music to orchestra. Some operate as local day camps, and others are sleepaway during spring or summer breaks.

Camps such as the Gatorland Band Camps held on the University of Florida’s campus in Gainesville offer an array of musical experiences, while others are committed to preparing high school-age campers for pre-professional or collegiate music programs.

There are even summer camps for adults who either missed out on going to camp as a kid or are eager to relive the experience. At Camp No Counselors, adults experience campfires, canoeing, kickball, and more, with the bonus of fine meals and unlimited drinks after the sun goes down.