It’s the first week of actual summer! Your day campers are possibly already muddy, bug bitten and sleeping like logs at night – wahoo! If your child is headed to an overnight camp, it’s time to prepare for the experience!
In a perfect world, it’s best to promote independence throughout the year. This can be done through chores, encouraging independent hygiene and providing shorter periods of separation, like sleepovers. If these natural self-sufficiency builders haven’t been possible, now is the time to start rehearsing! Part of the wonder of camp is that everything from location to routine is different. Some kids love this vacation-feel but the variation sends some kids for a loop (like me, the 8-year-old who didn’t understand why anyone would brush their teeth before breakfast and stated my objection to my counselor…loudly).
If you have a routine-lover, the camp schedule will help them feel secure but may cause anxiety in other ways. You can avoid this homesickness trigger by anticipating and preparing your child for the differences. Have your child find the bathroom with a flashlight one evening. Put all their items to get ready for the day in a suitcase and have them do a “trial run” of getting ready on their own. Expecting the differences and doing some practicing will make the change from home seem fun – even if their orange juice doesn’t jive with their toothpaste.
It’s not all practice and preparation though. At some point, you have to pack. I recommend following the camp’s guidelines – whether it be a packing list or just a list of things NOT to send. The camp staff knows their camp best; if they recommend water shoes, send them. If they say to leave flashlights at home, do so. Pack with your child so that they know where and what items are in their bag.
Here are some general guidelines by age group:
Ages 6-10: Pack with your camper by using the list and letting them cross things off. Make sure all items are labeled. If you’re feeling ambitious, put everything a child needs for Monday in a bag labeled Monday, etc. This preparation makes getting ready a breeze and might help avoid the “You wore the same shirt all week?” conversation later.
Ages 11+: Hand over the camp’s packing list and set them loose. Make sure all items are labeled. Thoroughly double-check the bag to be sure they have all the necessary items and have left all the prohibited items (ahem…cell phones) behind.
We’ll talk about the “H-word” (homesickness) next week, but when it comes to packing, I recommend that your child chooses one special item from home to take along for comfort. Send something meaningful, but no so important that it can’t be lost without a meltdown.
Do some “mental packing” as well. I remember a counselor who used to wake us up by singing, “PMA! PMA! Boy, I feel so good today! Happy! Happy! Happy!” What does PMA stand for? Positive Mental Attitude! Remember that your attitude is mirrored by your kiddos, so be positive and encourage your child to pack a good attitude, their willing spirit and sense of adventure. These things take up the least amount of room and make the biggest impact on how much they enjoy camp!
Fear of the unknown can make a camper anxious as well. After all the packing, prepping and practicing is done, peek into camp life with a movie night. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown (G), Camp Nowhere (PG), Meatballs (PG), Heavy Weights (PG) and The Parent Trap (PG) all give (Hollywood) glimpses at camp life and may help to ease worries. (Just be sure to clarify fiction from reality for young campers!) For parents, I recommend checking out the 2006 documentary Summercamp! which gives an insider look at camp and the thoughts of campers age 6 to 15.
I hope you found this helpful as you prepare your little ones for their big adventure! Those of you who are summer camp veterans, how do you prepare for camp, any suggestions for our other readers? What do you think are must-have items in the mental suitcase? And, for those of you who are new to summer camp, what are your biggest worries and concerns, what are you most excited about?
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{ 14 comments }
We helped a little bit with our younger kid – starter list and double-checking what she came up with, but she mostly got ready for her last campout by herself. The list she made was pretty good, she pulled out the gear, packed it, and loaded it into the car. She was pretty happy to do so, too. Only thing we did at one point was swap sleeping bags so we could use hers as a liner. Now she wants to keep mine.
Oh, and what you pack completely depends on the type of camp and the length you're staying. I was in a cooler environment for the whole summer so packed a bit heavier with trunks, more permanent bedding, and so on. When we went on campouts, I would follow the BSA guidelines for the most part, adjusting for weather and personal taste. Sometimes we'd share the load for food, cooking supplies, and such.
For overnight camps, get a good flashlight, maybe a lantern. Bring along a book or two. Rain gear if appropriate, maybe mosquito netting for comfort. DON'T STORE FOOD IN YOUR TENT! I totally agree about some small item to remind them of home, but not so important that it can't be lost. If there will be a campfire, sometimes bringing some props can be helpful if you plan to do a skit. People forget about things like that.
This is completely true, Peter! I'm sorry I forgot to mention it! I'm a Midwesterner, so I'm used to the warmth, but in the mountains or Southwest, everything changes! Your input is so valuable – THANK YOU!
Isn't Peter great?! I always love his comments!
Thanks for this great post Cari. I have an 11 year old who is a camp veteran, and I just packed up my 8 year for her first sleepaway camp adventure this week.
One suggestion I would add is to mail at least one letter to your camper a few days BEFORE he or she even leaves. That way, there will be mail from you waiting on the first day. Keep it up-beat ( no saying "I miss you") and fun. It's always great to get mail, and getting it on the first day feels almost magical.
Happy camping!
Carol, that's true too. The first day at mail time can be a little bleak – 8 year olds don't always understand that the mail takes a couple of days! Happy camping to you and your littles!
+1 to this idea for anyone who's reading. Getting a letter or package from home early on makes for a nice week. I'll have to remember this myself if/when my kid goes to camp on her own.
What great ideas! Carol I think Im going to have to tweet this one to the rest of our users if you don't mind!
Worked at a Scout camp for several summers. Invariably, someone would think that their trunk / container was good enough (Rubbermaid, wood, whatever) and they would be shocked to find that a raccoon had completely destroyed their container of choice and (partially) eaten their goodies while destroying their clothes and such. Also had one kid wake up with some animal getting warm in his sleeping bag, but that was a one time deal.
That was definitely not fun for the camper, but made for good stories.
These are great ideas! I will look back at this when we go camping!
ekieuuu@gmail.com
These are some great ideas!!!
chocolatedoggy12@aol.com
I love these ideas!
artqueen100@gmail.com
Great ideas for those who do do camping.
When our niece went to camp last month, her mom emailed the extended family about three weeks before and asked us to email letters that could be sent to camp with Brittnee. She specifically asked that any of us who had been to camp ourselves write to Britt about our experiences. It was a fun way to extend some support and remind her of the fun that was ahead (“learn some camp songs and you can teach us when you get home”).