Sending your kids to camp is a good way to offer them a structured summer vacation, help them develop new skills and self-confidence, and allow them to form new friendships.
But all summer camps are not created equal, and it's important to know what types of camps are out there, and what types of experience would be best for your children, before making a commitment to a camp program.
Saul Rowen has been the owner and Executive Director of Cali-Camp, a summer day camp in Topanga, California, for the past 44 years. Rowen has served terms as President of both the National and Western Associations of Independent Camps, and has gained respect and honor in the camping business through his leadership on industry committees, as well as his participation in lectures, seminar presentations, and television and radio talk shows.
Here he offers a basic guide to the different categories of summer camp:
• Talk to your kids. According to Rowen, the first step is to talk to your kids about exactly what they want, and expect, out of a summer camp. The most important choice to focus on is whether a child wants to attend a sleep away camp or a day camp.
• Day camps for young children. A day camp is appropriate for children from three up to about fourteen. They'll be picked up by a bus, brought to the campsite where they'll participate in activities, and then come home at the end of the day.
• Sleep away camps for older kids. With sleep away (a.k.a. overnight) camp, your child will leave home and be gone for a period of a week up to eight weeks. Kids can start at sleep away camp at about age eight, and continue to about age seventeen. In general, a sleep away camp will offer a wider variety of activities than will a day camp.
• Consider specialized camps. Another thing to consider is sending your child to a camp that specializes in a particular activity. These days there are camps offered for just about anything a kid could be interested in, from tennis, hiking and horseback riding to music, drama, and computers.
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