Outdoor Summer Camps

"My idea of camping is the Holiday Inn without room service!"

Let's face it, camping isn't for everyone. While some people thrive on the outdoors, the sleeping bags and camp fires, others would rather have a root canal than sleep in a cabin or tent! However most children enjoy camping - it's the adults who have a harder time adapting.

Before sending your kids to summer camp make sure you examine the camp closely to determine if it will suit your child. It will be vitally important that you know what to expect. You need to prepare your child mentally as well as ensure you pack all the needed items.

While camp is a fun, enriching event, it may not be well suited for your child.Not every child is an outdoorsy type able to cope with more sporty, rugged activities. It's perfectly fine if you have a child who prefers the inside.  Does your precious angel scream at every creepy crawly bug or dislike being dirty? If your creature of comfort is pretty particular about sleeping arrangements, camp will be quite an awakening.

Consider your child's health. Most doctors will concur that no matter what the ailment, exercise and fresh air are always healthy. Every camp is staffed with a nurse. Nonetheless, if your child has numerous allergies or difficulty with asthma, perhaps sleeping and playing outside might not be the best idea. Some children are only allergic to a particular tree or type of grass. Visit the campground to see if there are any irritants. Notify the kitchen staff of any food allergies.

Depending on the geographic location, the weather can be a gamble. Since a majority of the campers' time will be spent outdoors you need to be prepared for any and all weather conditions. You can never have too many warm clothes. More often than not you'll need more jeans and sweatshirts than you do shorts and t-shirts. The trees keep many campgrounds well shaded, even on warm sunny days. 

In the fortunate event it is a beautiful sunny week, you'll want to have sunscreen on hand. Don't forget to pack the swimsuit, two suits are better, water shoes, and sunglasses. A sunburned camper is not a happy camper.

Bug spray needs to be a staple in your child's suitcase. All too often the parent is the one who usually sprays or rubs bug repellant on the child. The child gets to camp and suddenly realizes they've never applied it before.  It should be a no brainer, but take nothing for granted. Brief your child that both sunscreen and bug repellant needs to be applied to ears, neck, and tops of hands. If forgotten, those locations will be first on a mosquitoes' list. 

Don't send an umbrella with your child to summer camp. That is simply not practical. Rain ponchos or jackets will be much more appropriate. At the very least you'll want to send along a hat of some sort to protect the noggin from both sun and rain.

Although packing lightly for summer camp can be challenging, find the balance between only what your child needs, but enough to be prepared no matter what the weather. Packing for Camp Getugoomie is much different than packing for the Holiday Inn – leave the curling iron at home!