Summer camp recommendations?

[Nascia]

Since I was home sick all day, I started looking into summer camps for DS11. I'm looking for an overnight camp, preferably 2 weeks and secular, trying to stay under 3k in the PA, OH, NY WV and VA area. I've found a few online, but am not sure what I should be looking in the camp? Any tips or suggestions are appreciated.

BTW DS is interested in outdoorsy activities and sports.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I didn't look in depth at it, but this website looks neat:

http://www.campparents.org/

http://find.acacamps.org/finding_a_camp.php

 

[Nascia]

Thanks. I will check those out.

 

[scottishduffy]

I have heard great things about falling creek in NC

http://www.fallingcreek.com/about-camp/

This is a camp seach engine to find ACA accredited camps. You can search by state, price range, lenght of stay, gender. Whatever you want!

Things to ask:
How long has the camp been around? If it has been around a while does it have 2nd or 3rd generation campers? (You want to see family loyalty)

What is the return rate of campers each year?

What is staff return rate? How much of the staff are former campers? (once again, good camps have people who come back for years. I went to my camp for 10 yrs)

Living conditions? (Central bath or in within the cabins? Cabins or tents? Counselors in the cabin? how many boys grouped together? How grouped? How are disputes between cabin mates handled?)

Classes Offered? (What does he want? Water sports? Land activities? Mix of both? Can he pick his own schedule or will the camp decide what the Boys must take)

Co-ed (Totally shared, classes and meals together)? Brother/ sister camps (camps across the lake from one another who see each other for big activities but do NOT share classes, meals, or close living quarters)? All Boy?


Fun Optional activities? ( Lake to swim? Out of camp overnight trips? camp parties?)

Communication with home? (Most camps will not allow you to e-mail or call, though *some* do. Can you send packages?)

What if a camper gets sick? (Is there a nurse on staff)

Any thing you will be required to buy? (Some camps have a uniform)

D Do the campers mingle among different age groups or are they kept exclusively with their cabin? (I prefer mingling, younger boys benefit from older guidance, older boys like being teachers, you make more friends)

Anyway. have fun searching.

 

[newMrs.Robinson]

camp north star maine. My brother is 13 and has been going here since he was 10. There are tons of activities they can sign up for and what is always fun is once they are there they can still change their minds and do other things. There are ropes courses, rapelling, lobster boating, whale watching, art, theater, lacrosse, soccer, etc. Trust me your son would love it. If you have questions feel free to pm me.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

My DDs go to Makemie Woods in Barhamsville, VA. The camp is fairly old and in some need of repair, but the kids love it. My oldest DD will be on her 3rd year this summer and youngest DD will be on her 2nd year. It is run by the Presbyterian and Methodist churches. There are several others in the area as well. There is a 4H camp at Jamestown, and the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center has summer camps as well.

 

[barkley]

the seventh day adventist owned and run summer camps are fantastic. awsome facilities-incredible variety of programs/activities-and very highly trained staff (the jobs are incredibly competative to get among education majors in college so they tend to get realy top quality counselors). the fees are very low as compared to what i've seen other parents post they pay for a week of sleep away. only thing ya need to know as compared to other camps-only vegetarian food served (but i'm not a vegetarian and did a week of family camp with dd the year before i let her attend-it was great stuff).

do a search under sda summer camps and the particular states you're looking for and you should come up with some info (if you were looking at california or idaho i'de know right off which ones to reccommend).

OH MY GOSH-i just reread your post. are there realy camps that charge as much as 3K for 2 weeks??????? when i say the camps dd has gone to are cheap, i mean as in only a few hundred per week-all inclusive (and the one she went to last year as well as this is located on a lake that is dotted with multi million dollar homes and is considered a high end water sports destination).

 

[Nascia]

Thanks for all the advice. Scottishduffy, that list of questions is great.

I have found very few camps around here that run under 1k for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the camps which are in a reasonable driving range bring in a lot of kids from NYC, Philly and the Baltimore/ DC. upper VA area and in turn come with an NYC price tag.

 

[Green Tea]

For an outdoorsy kid, I don't think you can find a better camp than http://www.wilderness-adventure.com

The staff is wonderful, very outdoory themselves. You son will spend 2 weeks in trees, on rock walls, slithering through caves, finding little islands in the river. Just a fantastic place for kids with a love of outdoors.

 

[ilisao]

the seventh day adventist owned and run summer camps are fantastic. awsome facilities-incredible variety of programs/activities-and very highly trained staff (the jobs are incredibly competative to get among education majors in college so they tend to get realy top quality counselors). the fees are very low as compared to what i've seen other parents post they pay for a week of sleep away. only thing ya need to know as compared to other camps-only vegetarian food served (but i'm not a vegetarian and did a week of family camp with dd the year before i let her attend-it was great stuff).

do a search under sda summer camps and the particular states you're looking for and you should come up with some info (if you were looking at california or idaho i'de know right off which ones to reccommend).

OH MY GOSH-i just reread your post. are there realy camps that charge as much as 3K for 2 weeks??????? when i say the camps dd has gone to are cheap, i mean as in only a few hundred per week-all inclusive (and the one she went to last year as well as this is located on a lake that is dotted with multi million dollar homes and is considered a high end water sports destination).

I went to a prestigious theater camp in the Catskills (there have been movies made about this camp). They run 3, 3 week sessions. You can go as little as 3 weeks in the summer, or as many as 9 weeks. Now, one three week session is $4695. The entire summer is now $11,095. And the thing is, it will be completely sold out by the time summer starts. Oh, and no, it most certainly didn't cost that much when I was a teen!

 

[scottishduffy]

Scottishduffy, that list of questions is great.

I have found very few camps around here that run under 1k for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the camps which are in a reasonable driving range bring in a lot of kids from NYC, Philly and the Baltimore/ DC. upper VA area and in turn come with an NYC price tag.

You're welcome for the list! I know those are really the sorts of things that help to determine a camper's experience. When my camp would meet up with other camps it was obvious which ones were great camps with great loyalty and which ones were not-so-good.

Any camp can build lovely facilities, but you wanna try to get a feel for the over all atmosphere of the place. One other thing I thought when looking at your last comment. Ask about geographic diversity. Do all the kids tend to come from 2-3 states, or attend schools together (and hence may be more clique-ish) or do they get campers from many states (everyone is from far away and on equal footing)?

I may also reccomend that once your get a couple camps you are comfortable with, get the information and let your son actually make the final decision. I know my first year at a far away sleep away camp (I live in FL, my camp was in VA) this really helped to ease my fears. I watched all the videos and picked which camp I thought looked the most fun for me. So it wasn't as if I was being 'shipped away', I actually picked my camp. From experience as a counselor, kids who have a say in choosing a camp seemed be a bit less homesick and more willing to fully participate (of course I had 8 yr olds).

Last tip... once he does go to camp. Start mailing letters out to his camp about 4 days before he leaves so he will have mail arrive during the first days of camp when adjustment and homesickness can be at its worst! Nothing makes your day more than a letter on the bed at rest hour.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Green Tea, that looks like an awesome camp! Thak you for the recommendation!

 

[Green Tea]

Green Tea, that looks like an awesome camp! Thak you for the recommendation!

It is AMAZING! I actually participated in some of the activities as an adult during a day long adventure. It was a mixed age of youth and adults. I was blown away by the skill and commitment of the staff. They knew exactly how to encourage everyone, from sixth grade, to 60 years. Beautiful setting, not difficult to get to.