First Day Of Camp Preview

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What’s the first day of camp like?  Fun, bewildering, emotional, tumultuous, exhilarating, stressful, fabulous.  Whether you’re returning for your 10th summer or arriving for your first, you are likely to be feeling a swirl of emotions.

Help minimize your camper's anxiety by talking through what she or he can expect on the first day of camp.  Many camps may have some or all of the following activities as campers arrive on opening day, also check you camp website to see what arrival may be like.

Counselor Greeting— as you arrive at camp whether in your parent’s car, a camp bus, or a van from the airport, there are likely to be counselors enthusiastically welcoming your arrival.  Counselors arrive days before the campers to help get camp ready and they are so excited to greet you and get to know you!

Health Check-in— most camps have newly arriving campers visit the camp nurse as they arrive to ensure all of your medical forms are in order and to answer any medical questions parents or campers may have.

Cabin Settling — camps have a variety of ways to introduce each camper to his or her cabin and cabin-mates. You will may have a chance to unpack a few belongings around your bunk, maybe hang up your swim towel and put a favorite stuffed animal on your bed.

Quick Goodbyes— if your parents have brought you to camp, there will be time for a quick hug and good-bye before a counselor eagerly takes you to meet other campers and join in first day activities.

Get-to-know-one-another Games — there will likely be games so you have a chance to get to know the names of some of the other campers and counselors and where places are around camp.  Some campers are very nervous that they won’t be able to find the dining hall or get back to their cabin— you needn’t worry— counselors and staff are at camp to help you make the transition and find your way around.

Refreshing Dip — if it’s a hot day your camp may have time for a dip in the lake or the pool.  All camps have important rules about behavior around the water that they will share with you.

All Camp Dinner — in general, the whole camp will gather together for dinner whether in a dining hall or outdoors, a hot meal or a casual supper.  Counselors will help you find your way and ensure you have a place to sit if you’re not certain where to go.

After Dinner Assembly or Campfire — quite often camps have an all camp gathering the first night— maybe the camp will play a game, or learn songs, or have a campfire.  Whatever the tradition at your camp the counselors and staff will be there to help you get to where you need to go and lots of returning campers will help you learn the words to camp songs and other camp traditions.

These represent the general type of activities that many camps have on opening day. Read through the material your camp has provided for details on your camp’s first day activities.

Check out Managing a Tumult of Emotions to encourage your child to talk about her feelings as well as A Smooth Camper Drop-off to help the parents on opening day. 

Visiting Summer Camp

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August is a great time to visit summer camps in Maine—visit in the next few weeks and you are likely to find the camps full of campers immersed in activities, working for honors, and playing in the water with friends. While a winter camp fair is a good place to ask the camp director lots of questions about camp (see Questions to Ask), a summer tour is more about gaining an appreciation for the pulse of the camp. Is this a place where your child would thrive in the summer?

A few tips to get the most out of your visits:

• Call ahead to let the director know you are coming. She or he will most likely be able to set aside some time to show you around or have another staff member show you camp.
• Bring your child with you!
• Ask when the best time is to visit. Right after lunch may fit your schedule best, but you may find that lunchtime at camp is later or the campers are at rest. You will likely get to know the camp best when the campers are engaged in activities.
• Find out if there is a weekly campfire or other gathering on the day you are visiting. There may be other parents who will be around camp at the same time who may be able to answer some of your questions as a parent.
• Find out if the camp has each family tour camp together or offers prospective campers a chance to interact with current campers without their parents. If so, talk to your child in advance so she isn’t surprised by the separation.
• While the staff likely is very happy to answer your questions, take the time to simply get the feeling of camp—is the energy level what you are looking for, do the campers look happy, are the variety of activities ones your child may be interested in trying?
• Finally, while summer camp can certainly help build lifelong friendships and skills, this isn’t a college tour and your child may be a bit overwhelmed to approach campers and strike up a conversation. Let your child simply absorb the place; selecting a summer camp is a decision that a parent can make.

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Summer Camp

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Now is the time to start planning for summer camp.  There are numerous camp fairs in February and March.  Check out http://www.acacamps.org/camp-fairs for a list of fairs throughout the country.   Many camps also host gatherings for current and prospective campers around the country, so check out the web sites of camps you are considering to see what gatherings they have planned.

There are many excellent overnight camps for children that are ACA accredited.  To find the right camp for your child consider both what you and your child are looking for in a summer camp experience as well as camp foundations.  Does your child have a particular interest that he or she wants to pursue—overnight hiking trips, a particular sport, an artistic interest?  How close or far from home are you willing to send your child to camp and for how long?   Are you looking for a girls camp, boys camp or a coed camp?  When evaluating the camp foundations look at the camp values, the staff to camper ratio, the tuition, returning campers and staff.

As you are considering alternative camps for your child be sure to meet the directors of prospective camps and ideally also talk with parents of current campers.  You can learn a lot about a camp from the attitude of current parents.  Following are some questions that may help you get started in a conversation.

For a conversation with camp parents

1.     Why did you send your child to this camp?

2.     Did your child have any transitional issues at camp?

3.     What were the best elements of camp for your child?

4.     What was most difficult for your child at camp?

5.     What did your child learn at camp?

6.     Did your child make any new friends at camp?

For a conversation with camp directors

1.     Are you ACA accredited?

2.     What are the camp values?

3.     How long has the camp been operating and how long have you directed the camp?

4.     What is the staff to camper ratio?

5.     How many campers and staff return year to year?

6.     How long are the camp sessions and how many sessions do most campers attend?

7.     What are your visitation policies for parents?

8.     What activities are offered?

9.     How much choice do the campers have in which activities to pursue?

What else would you want to know about a camp before sending your child?  What do you wish you had known about a camp before you sent your child?

Calling the Camp Director

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You’ve just received a distressing letter from your camper—she’s homesick, or a cabin-mate has been teasing her, or she’s never been picked to captain a team. Or you see a photo on the camp website and her hair looks like a rat’s nest—does it ever get combed? Should you call the camp? Call your camper? Write her a letter? Send an email?

With the explosion of communication between camp, camper and parents, it’s not uncommon for a parent to quickly place a phone call or send an email every time a concern is raised. Certainly it’s important to raise issues that may have gone unnoticed or unresolved. Sometimes it’s necessary simply to calm your own parental anxiety.

However, before sending that email or placing the call, put the incident in perspective. Her hair is a mess in a photo? Is it a mess in every photo? Are you usually the one who reminds her to comb her hair before school or combs out the tangles for her? Would it be beneficial if she could learn to brush her hair herself? Are there significant health or safety concerns if her hair continues to be tangled?

Perhaps your daughter has written you about being teased. Teasing can often go undetected beyond the tormentor and the target. Such a situation may well warrant a calm phone call to the director to discuss what your daughter has written as well as to listen to what the director has heard from the cabin counselors. Remember that every communication should be two-way—air your concern, but also listen to what else has occurred and how the situation may already be resolved.

This is particularly true for homesickness. A homesick incident written on a Tuesday, mailed on a Wednesday and not received by you until Friday may be entirely forgotten before the letter was even in transit. A composed phone call with the director can help calm your anxiety and offer you additional insight into how your daughter is currently faring. Most camp directors have dealt with a variety of homesick campers and have been trained in strategies to best manage each individual’s situation. Raising your concerns with the director can be helpful for you, your daughter and her counselors.

Also keep in mind that every camp has its own policy on communication between the camper and parents. Many camps work to keep camper phone calls at a minimum, if they are allowed at all, as phone calls can be disruptive to the child’s camp experience and inhibit the child’s independence and self-confidence. So more often than not, if you have a significant concern about your child’s well-being, it is far better to contact the camp office rather than your camper.

There are unquestionably times to contact the camp and the camp directors want to ensure that your daughter is experiencing the fullness of camp. On the other hand, camp is also about learning independence, self-confidence and new skills. A new skill may be learning how to shoot an arrow, or it may be how to brush your hair yourself, make your bed or get along living in close quarters with others. So when an issue arises, take a moment before calling the camp office or sending an email and put your concern in perspective.