Demming

Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country. There are four basic types of camps to choose from for your child: day programs, sleepaway or overnight summer camp, day programs with trips, and special needs camps. 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.

Choosing an overnight summer camp for your child, teen or other children deserves a great deal of consideration and attention to even the smallest details. 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. Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment.

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. Camps are divided by gender - girls only, boys only, or co-ed and again by age group. Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others.

The reputation of an overnight summer camp can also be determined by asking what percentage of counselors returned from the previous year. The best overnight summer sports camps do much more than just improve a camper's soccer, tennis, lacrosse, or wrestling skills - they help each child become a more skillful athlete, a more gracious competitor, a more committed team player, and a more confident person. Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor.

Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in? Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break. 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.

There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests. 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. Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great overnight summer camp experience.

Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer. Non-profit camps often range from $1200 to $3000 for four weeks and $2500 to $5000 for eight weeks. Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed.

Overnight summer camp is often the first time that most children spend a long period of time away from home. Choosing a camp close to home will save a lot of money on airfare and possible hotel or motel overnight stays for a parent, or other transportation costs; this is especially true if your child might get a case of homesickness and want to come home early from the overnight summer camp. Look over and evaluate the brochures and promotional materials; read the fine print. Care packages sent with children or teens, by their families, can help any homesickness subside.