As a camp counselor there are a few items I consistently
notice are missing from camper’s trunks when they arrive at camp. Whether your child is going away for a
week or seven weeks, the following essentials will likely be as valuable to you
as to your child’s camping experience.
Laundry Bag: Your
young child, whether daughter or son, is unlikely to care whether she or he
wears the same underwear, socks and shorts every day. And without a laundry bag, one of two events will likely
occur. Either she is neat and every night she will return her clothes to her
trunk and pull them out again the next day resulting in returning home with a
trunk full of clean, unworn clothes which makes laundry a breeze, but may not
be the outcome you desired.
Alternatively, she is the not too meticulous with her belongings and her
clothing will be scattered across the cabin floor and under her cot where she
may pick it up to put it back on in the morning or the errant sock or shirt
will drift into the cabin trash or another trunk as it gets pushed beneath her
neighbors bunk. Again, you won’t
have much laundry to do upon her return home, but then again you won’t have
many of her clothes either.
A laundry bag is indispensible in helping to avoid both of
these outcomes. Hang it up near
her cot, and hopefully most of her dirty clothing will find its way into the
bag rather than back into her trunk or under her neighbor’s cot. A laundry bag is certainly no guarantee
that she will find clean socks each morning or return with most of her
clothing, but it will certainly raise the odds.
No laundry bag on hand? Threading a shoelace through the hem of an old pillowcase
can make a simple one.
Pre-addressed and
stamped envelopes: This is a second item that may be more valuable for you
than for your child. Even a child
with clear handwriting can run out of time addressing the neatly penned letter
he just wrote during rest hour.
Once the bugle blows your camper is more likely to run down to the lake
for a dip than to stop and address and stamp a letter. And even if he does try to quickly
address the envelope, it’s pretty easy to leave off the zip code when in a
hurry, or forget that postage to Grandma in Alberta is more than Uncle Herb in
Arkansas.
Closed-Toed Water
Shoes: Many camps disallow flip-flops as they lead to lots of stub toes and
lost toenails when running around camp.
Yet having footwear to quickly throw on when your camper is heading to
the pool is essential to maximize her time in the water. So along with a sturdy pair of
sneakers, find some closed-toed water shoes that also have some type of heel
strap.
While you don’t have to
spend a great deal to purchase footwear, remember that ill-fitting water shoes—especially
plastic shoes—can quickly lead to blisters and cuts as they are worn without
socks. Find a pair that is
comfortable and quick to slip on.
Water Bottle: Whether
he is heading out on a hike or just likes to have water by his bunk at night, a
water bottle is exceedingly convenient.
Most reusable water bottles aren’t the easiest to keep clean, so you
might want to take a few minutes showing him how to rinse it out between uses
and remind him to pour out old water before refilling it fresh.
