An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest. There are popular overnight summer camps in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada; there are camps in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and just about every country in the world. There are camps with activities as traditional as model rocketry and riflery, to those nontraditional as aviation, computers, language studies, golf, martial arts or community service.
The camp you choose for your child will provide a lifetime of good memories and will be truly rewarding. Beyond the traditional sports - baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, football, and more - there are camps for outdoor enthusiasts that can offer horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and even rappelling. Many kid campers are enrolled in summer camp by their parents early in the year, thus camps fill up quickly.
The variety of camps available today is almost innumerable, meaning there will be some specialized camps that may have availability left even into the summer. There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy's camps, girl's camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities. Overnight summer camp is also known as a sleepaway camp when campers spend their nights at the camp; some camps do allow both daytime and overnight campers.
Some camps are often called adventure camps - having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience; usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty. Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor.
There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests. Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. Consider these industry-recommended guidelines - for smaller children ages 7 and 8, there should be one counselor for every six campers; by age 15, there should be one counselor for every 10 campers.
Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Children or teens could typically explore subjects new to them like marine science, photography, creative writing, community service, drama, magic, scuba diving, video production, comic book design, crime scene forensics, cooking, yoga, rappelling, etc.
Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break. At camp would it benefit your child more if he or she interacted more with the opposite gender? Do you think, if you have more than one child, they would they benefit from attending the same summer camp together?
If you think there's a possibility you might have to cancel an overnight summer camp reservation, camper's insurance would be a good idea. The summer is a key time to visit overnight summer camps or sleepaway camps because you can ascertain whether they'll be the right fit for your child, children or family while the camp is in full operation. If you think your child may not be ready for a sleepaway or overnight summer camp, choose a local camp in case you end up having to make a late night pickup in the event he or she gets homesick. Look over and evaluate the brochures and promotional materials; read the fine print.
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