Ready Or Not?
Helping your child feel comfortable about going away to camp
Sending your child to camp for the first time is a major milestone for a child, one that is often marked by excitement, anticipation and perhaps even some anxiety. For many kids, sleepaway camp is often the first real separation from parents they have experienced, and some have difficulty transitioning from the comforts of home to learning more independence. Homesickness, of course, is quite common, though in varying degrees. Read more
Camp Unplugged
Technology is pervasive, but Camps are one place children can escape the digital ties that bind
Electronic technology has done a lot to make life more convenient. But the seductiveness of new technology probably contributes to most Americans working longer than 40 hours per week. For many people, checking email outside of work hours is habitual. This summer, I regularly saw parents “on vacation” at the beach checking their email on handheld devices while their children splashed in the ocean. Sure, these gadgets are convenient, but they easily blur the lines between work, play, and family time. Read more
Hot on the Summer Camp Trail
Expert advice on finding the right camp for your child
1. Involve Your Child—To a Degree
“Obviously, you maybe don’t let the child pick the exact camp, because they may pick it from the pretty picture in the brochure and not based on safety or some other issue,” says Jon Malinowski, Ph.D., camping author and expert. “But the worst thing a parent can do is to just choose a camp, decide that the child is going to camp and not involve the child in the process at all. It’s a recipe for a very unhappy, very homesick child.” Read more
The First Big Step
Day camp gives children a taste of independence
It’s tough to be a kid these days. It’s tough to be a parent. In a society where the nature of the family, the workplace and the community have changed dramatically, we can no longer assume that the natural process of growing up will provide children the experiences and the resources they need to become successful, contributing adults. We are in a climate where it is harder to know what we need to survive, so drawing on experiences that give children healthy alternatives and opportunities to instill capabilities, the hallmarks of thriving, is the greatest gift you can give a young child. Read more
Camp Counsel
Seven questions to ask before sending your child to camp
By Renee Flax
So many factors go into choosing a summer camp that it’s often difficult even to know where to begin. Here, the seven most crucial camp questions parents should ask.
How do I prepare my child for overnight camp?
If you can, take your child to the camp ahead of time so that he or she can meet the people there and become familiar with the surroundings. Once you take away that feeling of it being a foreign experience, it makes the child feel a whole lot better. Read more
Happy Camper
To the Editor:
Your delightful article, “Send In Snail Mail” (May 6), jogged some wonderful memories as a camper, counselor, head counselor and finally as the “matriarch” of a reunited camp group.
I remember mail call, the glee in receiving mail from home, from my mom, my aunts, my cousins and friends. I also remember one letter from my dad (normally a non-writer) generating hysteria, thinking for sure he was alerting me to some family catastrophe. Why else would he be writing? Read more
Send It Snail Mail
Let kids unplug while they’re at summer camp
By Bethany Kandel
I just received a postcard from my son at sleepaway camp, and I’ll have to preserve it. After all, it’s going to become a relic of the past, along with hand-written love letters and thank-you notes from the days before fax machines, email and IM. Read more
A Camp That Works for Every Kid
Every kid should be able to look back on summer camp as a memorable time having fun, making friends and gaining new skills and independence. Yet, as if the process of finding the right camp isn’t baffling enough, parents of children with special needs come to the search with an additional—and often complex—set of concerns. To get at the heart of some of parents’ most important questions, we spoke with Gary Shulman of Resources for Children with Special Needs, who assures parents that, in the end, it’s worth the effort to find a program that both you and your child will love. Read more
CAMP UNPLUGGED
Electronic technology has done a lot to make life more convenient. But the seductiveness of new technology probably contributes to most Americans’ working longer than 40 hours per week. For many people, checking e-mail outside of work hours is habitual. This summer, I regularly saw parents “on vacation” at the beach checking their e-mail on handheld devices while their children splashed in the ocean. Sure, these gadgets are convenient, but they easily blur the lines between work, play, and family time.
Electronic technologies also provide a Read more
Set for Summer
Families got a head start on their children’s summer activities with the Camp Fair Series this past weekend. New York Family Magazine played host to more than 400 families and representatives of 50-plus camps who attended fairs on the Upper East and Upper West sides. The fairs featured both city day camps for younger children and beginning campers, and sleepaway camps from around the country for older children seeking a traditional camp experience. Representatives were on hand to answer questions from both parents and prospective campers, giving a complete idea of camp life. Two additional fairs will be held this weekend in downtown Manhattan and in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Read more
