How old till you send your kid to summer camp?
i have such good memories of summer camps...
Also, do they all have themes? bible camp, ranch camp, dance camp.. or are their just normal camps?
Answer:
I was a summer camp assistant director for 3 years and I worked at the same camp for 5 years before that. I was a camper from a very young age.
The worst mistake a parent can make, in my opinion, is waiting too long to send their kids to camp. A first time camper at 13 years old is going to be a tough sell, they will likely hate everything. It's really better to start them young.
Most day camps in my experience start around 5 years old (they go to camp and come home at night). Residential camps normally start around age 6 or 7. They start with shorter programs for younger kids (3 days - 7 days) and longer programs for the more seasoned campers (7 days-4 weeks).
It really depends on the child, however, the average camper does much better when they start younger.
Good luck!
Some summer camps do have themes i.e., baseball camp, and the ones you've listed. Usually, children don't go to camp until they have been in school for about a year--so they have some sense of rules, etc. Sometimes there are even scholastic camps--for advanced kids, or for kids who need help in a particular area of school. Of course, that's not all they do there.
You could check your local phone book, call the police or fire department, check the local newspaper, etc. for camps in your area. Perhaps some of the churches where you live, or the city agencies will have a list.
I can't really recall the exact age but I think it is around 10 or so. The YMCA has a daycamp they do during the summers for children ages 5 and up. My son did that from 5 to 7. It is a bit costly though, but well worth it. They do have have the theme camps. Your child's school should know of some such as dance and band camps, also check with a local church to see what kind of camps they offer as well.
Age depends on the type of camp and the sponsors of the camp. My daughter started going to Girl Scout camp when she was seven years old.
I know that the camp I worked for had the minimum age of 6, we had a few 5 year olds though whose parents told them if asked to say they were 6. But I think around 5 & 6 is a good age.
The american camping association has a great website with a huge database of camps all over north america.
I worked at a campfire camp and it was just a normal camp, we had a few cabin groups that came just for horses. Campfire camps are great, you don't have to be in campfire, and they are the stereotypical view of summer camps with singing, swimming, arts and crafts, hiking, all kinds of fun things. Thats the kind of camp I also went to when I was younger, and my mom told me to say I was 6.
I'm curious about what type of camp you are looking for. I attended sleep-away camp for 4-8 weeks, beginning when I was 8. It's expensive, but I hope to be able to do the same for my kids when they are a bit older...maybe 10 or so.
I can recommend a few in Wisconsin if you send a request via email. Check with the ACA for accredited camps in the area you're interested in.
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