Summer Camp Handbook

Welcome!

You've arrived at the Web's best source of summer camp information for parents and kids.  Whether you're in the process of picking a camp, preparing a child for camp, or packing for camp, this site has it all: Finding the right camp, preventing homesickness, packing like a pro, and getting the most out of the powerful developmental growth experience that is camp.

 

The Summer Camp Handbook has been the premier preparatory resource for new camper familes since its debut in 2000.  Co-authors Dr. Christopher Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski--both longtime campers and youth development professionals--have shared The Summer Camp Handbook with millions of parents just like you on the Today Show, Martha Stewart, CBS This Morning, and Fox News.  The winner of a Parenting Press Gold Award, The Summer Camp Handbook is now available to everyone for free online. So what are you waiting for?  Get started now by clicking on any section of the book in the left column.  For newcomers to our site, we recommend you look first at the Table of Contents and the Quick Start Guide.


Also:

1) Please spread the word about this site. If you're a camp director, please consider sending the link to your parents or adding a link to The Summer Camp Handbook--Online Edition to your camp's website.

2) If you'd like to advertise on the site, please click here.  New camper families are eager to learn about your camp.  Vendors are also welcome to showcase their products and services.  A variety of advertising options are available.

3) Please bookmark us and check back regularly. Going live online means that The Summer Camp Handbook is not only the premier preparatory resource, it's also best the place to find the latest camp prep tips and the liveliest discussions on summer camp issues.

 

REVIEW: Camp Talk

I always chuckle a bit at camp directors who try to sell their camp based on giant iceberg floats in the bay or paintball or other gimmicks. A good camp is not about the grounds or the facilities or the activities. A good camp is based on relationships between campers and leaders, among campers, and among staff. I've seen great facilities that host mediocre camps because the staff didn't take the time to build a community.

For this reason, I love Camp Talk by AroundtheTableGames.com. The product is 50 small cards attached to a cool carabiner with a small LED flashlight (perfect for finding the bathroom at night). Each card has a question designed to spark conversations among kids at camp, such as "What would your friends say that they like most about you?" This is what camp should be about, and I highly recommend that camp directors buy sets of these inexpensive discussion starters for their counselors. Parents, consider getting one before your son or daughter heads off to camp, or include it in a care package during their stay. If you have questions, contact Beth at Around the Table Games. She's super nice. Rating: A

Top Ten Summer Camp Prep Tips

Part 1: Part 2:

January: A Critical Month for Summer Camp Parents

January is the month that many summer camps open registration, so if you're thinking about sending your child to camp for the first time, don't wait. Many of the best camps fill fast, so you may already be behind the power curve to secure a slot at many top programs.

NPR / CBC Interview on Homesickness

Listen to a fun interview about homesickness with Dr. Chris Thurber on the NPR/CBC radio show "Definitely Not The Opera" or "DNTO."  Click here to listen.  Or download this podcast: http://www.cbc.ca/dnto/podcast.html?10#ref10

Or you can download a fancier podcast with chaptering (for itunes) here: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=331561048

Summer Camp Sex

In the course of my 20-year career as an adult camp professional, I've had many moms and dads confess that their first romance occurred at camp.  Typically, these stories are about a first kiss under the moonlight after the dance in the main lodge.  The stories--indeed the events themselves--have an idyllic charm.

Less charming (and far less common, thank goodness) are the confessions of camp directors who hear from outraged parents in November that one of their teen campers contracted a sexually transmitted disease or became pregnant at camp.  Equally, if not more upsetting, are horror stories from campers that they were physically or sexually abused at camp.  Nothing could be more upsetting to children, parents, and camp professionals.  Camp is supposed to be a sanctuary from the outside world.

Although extremely rare, unwanted or unsafe sexual or physical contact between campers or between campers and camp staff can be avoided.  Here are the essential steps all parents should take:

1. Have frank, frequent, and age-appropriate discussions with your son or daughter about the privacy and protection of his or her body.  Teach them to emphatically refuse unwanted touch.  Teach them to report unwanted touch and inappropriate intimate behavior until someone listens.  Teach them that no matter what a peer or adult perpetrator might tell them, they will never get in trouble for reporting unwelcome or unsafe touch.
2. Check with the camp's director that all staff undergo appropriate background checks and reference checks.  At a minimum, each staff member should pass a criminal background check and the camp director should hire someone only after checking at least three reputable references who have known that person for at least three years and witnessed his or her work with children.  In addition, all staff should receive pre-season training on appropriate touch with children.  More and more camps train their staff with Expert Online Training, which includes a video training module on safe touch and safe talk.
3. Discuss your values with your son or daughter.  Without lecturing, candidly discuss scenarios such as dates, school and camp dances, co-ed recreational activities, and the kind of physical intimacy that you believe is healthy in those different circumstances.  A handshake?  A kiss?  Making out?  The more explicit you can be, the better able your son or daughter will be in living up to your expectations.  Also, review with your son or daughter how to assertively refuse an unwelcome romantic advance from a peer.
4. Put appropriate physical intimacy in context.  Hugs, kisses, and more intimate physical contact are healthiest when they occur in the context of a mutually fulfilling, kind, and developmentally appropriate relationship.  Too often, young people are exposed to decontextualized sexual messages.  The sex that happens in video games, movies, and other media is shown largely outside the parameters of a loving, committed relationship.  Without your guidance, this can easily lead to a distorted concept of the role that physical intimacy plays in a relationship.
5. Keep the lines of communication open.  Despite the eye rolling and the "Aw, Mom!" and "Aw, Dad" comments, your children actually want to discuss sex and relationships with you.  They may outwardly dismiss your counsel as old-fashioned, but they're internalizing it, piece by piece.

Children and adults are sexual beings, to be sure.  However, most camp professionals and parents agree that while romance may blossom at summer camp, sexual activity is best postponed.  And all adults and young people agree on the importance of physical and emotional safety.  To help ensure your child's safety and healthy development, both in and out of camp, I encourage you to follow the steps above.  Research has confirmed that summer camp accelerates children's growth in self-esteem, sense of adventure, independence, and social skills.  Your active involvement is necessary to keep that accelerated growth on the right track.

For more information on protecting your children and educating your them about the parameters of safe touch, we recommend "Inoculating Your Children Against Sexual Abuse: What Every Parent Should Know," by Norman Friedman.

Chris Interviewed in the Boston Globe

Co-Author Chris Thurber is quoted in a great little homesickness article that appeared in the Boston Globe on August 3rd! You can read it here. Hope you're having a great summer!

Welcome Boston Globe Readers

We received a nice mention on the Boston Globe Website yesterday, so welcome to all the Globe readers. Both authors are New Englanders, so we're happy that the Globe linked to us. You can find the Table of Contents and chapter listings in the left margin. Have a great summer!

10 Things to Do NOW to Prepare your Child for Summer Camp

You're still a few weeks, a month,or even two months away from sending your son or daughter to summer camp, but it's not too early to start preparing. The last week before your child leaves will be chaotic and stressful, so the more you can do now, both mentally and physically, will help make the process easier later.  Here's a list of 1o things you can be doing now to prepare your child for camp:

1) Read our packing chapter here and our physical and medical prep chapter here. (Obviously, all physical and medical issues should be discussed with a family physician or pediatrician.)

2) Teach your child about safe and unsafe touch.

3) Talk to your child about homesickness. We recommend this DVD in addition to the free information in our book.

4) Go to the pharmacy or local store and spend 10 minutes in the travel accessories area looking for small sizes of items your child might need at camp. You might not need 1000 cotton swabs for a week of camp...

5) Pick up some freezer or lunch bags to begin packing small items. Get some permanent markers to label the bags. In one bag, make a postage kit of pre-addressed labels or envelopes and some stamps. Get envelopes and stamps that have a no-lick, peel-off adhesive. Muggy summer camp cabins are the death of regular stamps and envelopes.

6) Buy some labels to label your child's clothes. Just type "camp labels" in this search box and you'll find several companies:

7) Start teaching your son or daughter to regularly use sunscreen according to the label of your favorite brand.

8) Consider trip insurance.

9) Is your footlocker or luggage going to make it through the summer? This company makes excellent products and is having a shipping sale. If you decide to buy a trunk locally, make sure you can stand on it. Footlockers are furniture in most summer camp cabins.

10) Talk, talk, talk with your children about camp. Only through communication will you find about their concerns and goals for the summer.

Good luck and check back often. Also, please tell your friends, blog about us, or twitter your parents club about us. Thanks!

New ACA Promo

The American Camp Association (ACA), which is the primary accrediting body of summer camps in the United States, just launched a great new campaign called Because of Camp...™. Chris & Jon, the authors of The Summer Camp Handbook have done a great deal of volunteer work for the ACA and are strong supporters of its mission. Check it out:

It's Not Too Late to Find a Summer Camp

I've been noticing a flood of news articles about summer camp programs that are just now opening registration or that are announcing special programs or sessions. So, if you think it's too late to find a bunk space for this summer, it's not! Normally, we would recommend that you already had a camp by now, but with the economy, everything is running a bit behind schedule.

Here are some tips for finding a camp if you're still looking for this summer:

1) Read the appropriate chapters here. Our Table of Contents will help you narrow your reading.

2) Go to CampParents.org, a part of the American Camp Association (ACA), and use their search engine to narrow your search. The ACA has regional offices that can help you as well. Many great camps in a variety of price ranges still have openings for this summer. Rates range from less than $100 a week to over $1000 a week, so contact many camps if necessary.

3) Go to your local newspaper's website and search for "summer camp" and "camp fair" to find recent articles in your area. You can also use Google News and search for something like "summer camp Boston" or "day camp Long Island" to find both newspaper articles and blog posts.

Good luck! Check back here for more news and advice.