Question about sending kids to camp

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traininvain · #1 Post by **traininvain** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:53 pm

Just wondering any of you out there send your kids to camp during the summer. My wife makes jewelry camp necklaces as part of her jewelry line, but they only seem to sell in the Metro New York area, so I was just wondering if out there across the US and Canada kids go to sleep away camp?

I'm editing this to point out that it's sleep away camp where the kids are there for two months. My wife said that I wasn't clear enough about it in my original post.

I never went to camp myself so it's foreign to me.

kayrharris · #2 Post by **kayrharris** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:12 pm

Summer camp is very popular here in Alabama. There is a waiting list if you don't register a year in advance. It's usually a one or two week camp.

I know there are also Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps as well as a lot of church affiliated summer camps.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #3 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:19 pm

We, as a family, went to UCLA camp for three years. Jeff's brother's family goes to Berkeley's family camp.

Maddie went to Girl Scout camp for three years and even got on the cover of a brochure one year.

I know of kids who go to Jewish camp as well, though my kids do not.

a1mamacat · #4 Post by **a1mamacat** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:38 pm

traininvain wrote:Just wondering any of you out there send your kids to camp during the summer. My wife makes jewelry camp necklaces as part of her jewelry line, but they only seem to sell in the Metro New York area, so I was just wondering if out there across the US and Canada kids go to sleep away camp?
I never went to camp myself so it's foreign to me.

Yes.

Sleepaway

As often as I can afford to LOLOLOL

Ritterskoop · #5 Post by **Ritterskoop** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:01 am

I went to church camp for several years, and then worked there a couple of summers. It's partly subsidized by the church conference. I bet there are lots of those all over.

peacock2121 · #6 Post by **peacock2121** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:45 am

"Specialty" camps are big in these parts. I think it is because we really live in ' the country'. Pealette went to gymnastic camp (in the Berkshires) for one summer. She hated it.

traininvain · #7 Post by **traininvain** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:20 am

Thanks for the responses, I edited my original post to point out that it's sleep away camp that I was talking about, not sure if that is what goes on in the other parts of the country. As Pea pointed out there are many camps up in her neck of the woods, she livin' in da 'country' and all. I was suprised as to how many parents really look forward to shipping their kids off for the summer, well maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

silvercamaro · #8 Post by **silvercamaro** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:30 am

traininvain wrote: I edited my original post to point out that it's sleep away camp that I was talking about, not sure if that is what goes on in the other parts of the country.

To me, it's not camp if the kids don't have beds in a tent, cabin or dorm and three meals a day in a mess hall. Day camps are rarely more than child care under another name.

kayrharris · #9 Post by **kayrharris** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:41 am

All the camps I referred to were overnight camps of a minimum of one week and usually two weeks.

None of my girls liked camp, but my son loved it. He only went for one week each summer, but it was filled with lots of outdoor activities and fun stuff. Usually by the time they're in junior high it's not a option, especially if they have school activities that require their time during the summer.

a1mamacat · #10 Post by **a1mamacat** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:56 am

Big J attends a church based camp. It is a watersports themed, so they are sailing, swimming, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing and more.

When he comes home, he is almost buff LOL, which says a lot for a textbook CouchPotato kid. Of course, now that he has a new 'friend' who does lots of sports, he may just pick up the pace. She swims and skates and runs.

#11 Post by **Bob78164** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:11 pm

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:We, as a family, went to UCLA camp for three years.

Why did you stop? That's something (going to Bruin Camp) I think about every year when I get the brochure inviting us. --Bob

Catfish · #12 Post by **Catfish** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:46 pm

I grew up in New Jersey, and my sister and I went to a Catholic girls' camp in the Poconos for 8 weeks every summer starting the year I was in 6th grade and she was in 5th and ending my sophomore and her freshman year in high school. The following summer I was an assitant counselor.

It's where we learned to swear.

The summer before we started at that camp, I went to Girl Scout camp for 2 weeks, and my brothers (2nd and 3rd grade) went to their camp in Pennsylvania for 8 weeks. They continued at that camp for as long as my sister and I went to our camp.

The two sisters following those two brothers went to our camp for one summer.

The following summer my parents bought a lot and built a summer house in the Poconos, so the next two kids never went to camp. We liked spending the summers at the Poconos house because it was like

camp.

Catfish · #13 Post by **Catfish** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:52 pm

traininvain wrote:I was suprised as to how many parents really look forward to shipping their kids off for the summer

My sweet baby boy just informed me that he wants to be a CIT at Boy Scout camp this summer. Despite the fact that I went away for 8 weeks every summer when I was a kid, I can't bear the thought of his being away so long.

kayrharris · #14 Post by **kayrharris** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:43 pm

Eight weeks at camp? Wow! The two week camps around here are incredibly expensive. I can't imagine how much eight weeks would cost, although as far as I know, there aren't any eight week camps around here anyway.

Catfish · #15 Post by **Catfish** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:07 pm

kayrharris wrote:Eight weeks at camp? Wow! The two week camps around here are incredibly expensive. I can't imagine how much eight weeks would cost, although as far as I know, there aren't any eight week camps around here anyway.

My dad went to 8-week camp when he was a kid and believed it made a man out of him, so he thought it would be good for us. I think it took the summer with 6 of us at camp to convice him it would be cheaper to build the house.

We couldn't have 8-week camp now either because school starts in mid August. When we went, it was from late June till almost Labor Day. My son's CIT experience this summer will go from early June till mid July.

kayrharris · #16 Post by **kayrharris** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:28 pm

Summers have gotten shorter and shorter, haven't they. I know it's almost impossible to work out the two week camps they have here. We have kids from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi and they're all on different school schedules. Our schools get out in mid-May, but they're back in session in early August. A lot of schools aren't out until June and don't go back until after Labor Day.

PlacentiaSoccerMom · #17 Post by **PlacentiaSoccerMom** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:34 pm

Bob78164 wrote:
PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:We, as a family, went to UCLA camp for three years.
Why did you stop? That's something (going to Bruin Camp) I think about every year when I get the brochure inviting us. --Bob

Each of the weeks have different atmospheres. The guests from week 3 were the drunkards, week 5 was hyper-competitive, and our week, week 6, was apparently the nicest bunch, though I am sure that they say that to all of the guests.

If you think that you want to go to Bruinwoods, get on the waiting list. From what I understand, it usually takes 7 years to get in, though we got in right away because it was after fires and the level of the lake was low.

There were many reasons why we stopped going.

We wanted to go do other things on our vacation. Instead of going to Bruinwoods, we went rafting, biking, and spelunking in Northern California.

Emma broke her arm and didn't want to go back.

There was new management and things just weren't the same.

The kids programs are fabulous, but after three years it got boring for the kids.

The food wasn't as impressive as it was in the beginning. It was still good, just not special. (The first year, I gained 7 pounds, despite doing things constantly, the last year I lost five pounds.)

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