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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Questions for ladies who went to summer camp.
Older DD will be 6yo next summer and old enough to go to sleepover camp. I didn't go until I was around 8 so I'm a little hesitant to send her so young. I'll probably wait until the summer after first grade to send her, but I'm curious about other people's summer camp thoughts and experiences.
How old were you when you first went to camp? How long was your camp session? Where did you go to camp and did you like it?
If you're thinking about sending a child to camp, what do you believe is a good age to go for the first time?
TIA!
Re: Questions for ladies who went to summer camp.
How old were you when you first went to camp? I believe I was 9.
How long was your camp session? I went for 2 weeks, which seems long, but it went by fast as I recall. I think I was a little homesick, but my sister was at the same camp (different cabin because she was 1 year older).
Where did you go to camp and did you like it? I went to a YMCA camp that was probably 20 miles from my parents house (in Northern Illinois, near the Wisconsin border). I did like it. They had a lot of activities - trampolines (over pits in the ground - not up high, and no nets around them or covers on the springs - it was 1974, after all), horseback riding, camping out, canoeing, swimming. They had a big all-camp capture the flag game, which was the highlight of camp. A couple of my friends from school also went to the same camp, so that was fun, too. I went back the next year also, but that was the only two years I went.
If you're thinking about sending a child to camp, what do you believe is a good age to go for the first time? I think I would see if my son wanted to go, but I don't think I would even ask him until he was at least 8.
My older DD's have been going to church camps during the summer since the summer after they completed first grade. They now go to three different camps each year and they are 5-6 days each.
I was 8 when I first went to camp. It was a week long, a church camp & I loved it. Wished my parents sent me earlier so I could have had more time there. Went back every summer for 10 years. Starting at 12, I'd go for multiple weeks (though not consecutive weeks). At 15 I started going for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. By the time I was 18 I was a counselor.
As a camp counselor, I can adamently say there's no one-size-fits-all "good age" for a first time. It completely depends on the child & how independent they are. Some 6 year olds thrive when they are away from their parents for a week. Other 10 year olds are temporarily crippled with fear.
In 10 years attending a camp, I saw some good bouts of homesickness, but I never saw anyone go home because of it. The only time it was ever an issue was at bedtime.
If you think she might be ready next summer, you can start looking at camps now & see if you could do a test run this fall or in the spring. For example, this is the "sister camp" of the camp I worked at. They are having a father & child weekend retreat in November. this could give her a chance to become familiar with the environment & help y'all figure out if you're comfortable sending her there for a whole week or not.
I didn't go until I was about 10 or so and I loved it.
I don't know if I would send DD or not, it's never come up. She will be in 2nd grade in the fall. Next week she's going to be in PA with my Dad for a few weeks by herself. We'll see how I last through that to see if I could send her with people I don't know.
I'm not worried about her - she'd be fine away from me. I'm more worried about me, lol.
Collin Thayne 10.11.2010
How old were you when you first went to camp? How long was your camp session? Where did you go to camp and did you like it?
I was 8 the first year I went, that was a week for church camp and I loved it! I did the same at 9. I went to Lutherhill. My friend is now the director.
By 10 I was going to 2 camps, one church camp for a week and then 3 weeks at Camp Longhorn with friends from home.
In college, I worked for this camp. We offered a 3 day sleep away camp for those finishing 1st-3rd grade. Once you had completed 4th you could go for a full week. I see that they have changed up the programs some. A saw my fair share of homesickness, it really didn't matter how old the kids were. Some were just more prone to homesickness. I might consider sending her with a friend the first year, just to have someone familiar around her.
If you're thinking about sending a child to camp, what do you believe is a good age to go for the first time?
The camp I worked at a offers Family camps, and I plan on trying this option after kinder and then see how they respond. I think I would be ok sending them away around age 7 or 8 for a few days, I'm fine to continue family camp until they feel comfortable to go on their own. I absolutely loved going to camp and want our children to have a similar experience.
I only attended camp as a teen, once.
But I was camp staff for 3 summers at a church camp in Wisconsin.
I think the youngest we had was 8. Camp was 1 week: Sunday pm to the following Sunday AM.
I agree with PP--there isn't a magic age. Kiddos need to be semi-independent: able to take care of their personal and hygiene needs with little assistance or prompting. Homesickness really can strike anybody--and tends to be more a product of how mom & dad left versus the age of the kid.
This (addressing home sickness) http://www.wakonda.org/Camp_Wakonda/Summer_Camp_files/Homesickness.pdf
is up on the webpage of the camp I worked at--when I was there we discouraged phone calls home (because they tend to make it worse), and every kid I interacted with was over it by Wednesday--they had made friends and were into their classes and activities. Almost every kid was sad to see Sunday morning come, often making Saturday night our best night together.
Now I miss camp...
Ditto all of this, especially the bold.
IWANNAGOTOCAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the great responses. I think 7 might be the perfect age for DD (mainly because she has a June birthday, so she'd be a very young 6 if she went next summer). She wanted to go immediately when I mentioned camp to her this morning.
I loved loved loved camp also. I went to Camp Natowa (Camp Fire girls) and then later on to Presbyterian church camp. I was around 8 the first time I went and was there for a week. The summer after my freshman year in college I worked as a counselor at Camp Fern near Marshall, TX - this is the camp I'd like for DDs to attend. However the two Lutheran camps you guys linked to look very nice. Thanks very much also for the info on homesickness.
Great thread! I like reading the various perspectives offered above.
I went to summer campe from age 8-12....it was super fun! I will definitely be sending K somewhere, but I don't think she'd be ready as early as age 6. I think possibly the summer after 1st grade (7), but maybe not even til she's 8. She gets homesick even at her grandma's house after more than a day or so.
I am considering this camp: http://www.kickapookamp.com/index.html
I worked at Camp Chrysalis in college. It was right across the road from Camp Kickapoo.
The first summer I went to a sleepaway camp was the summer before 3rd grade, so 8 I guess....although I went as a non-camper earlier years with my mom since she was the camp nurse. After that first summer I was hooked. I went to various summer camps, most church or athletically focused and I'm not exaggerating when I say that being a "summer camp kid" changed my life. It made me more independent and more willing to make new friends (I was a pretty shy kiddo at first). By the time I was in high school, I would have spent the entire summer at camp if I could have.
I agree with the pp, that if she seems ready at 6, awesome...although some aren't until jr high.
You know if she could handle it. Maybe see if there is a weekend camp to try first and go from there. Also, maybe see if a girlfriend of hers might be able to go along...having at least one friend in a new place makes it a bit easier for young campers.
I agree...every time summer comes around I miss camp like crazy. Hey--wonder if I could get on as camp nurse somewhere!!
i didn't go to camp as a child, and have not sent one to camp, but just picked up my nieces from their first camp experience last friday!
they are 7 & 9yo. they went for 6 days, 5 nights to agnes arnold camp in conroe (its a girl's scout camp).
they LOVED it. the younger one said she cried a little one night bc she missed mommy but other than night, they were too busy!q