Sleep Away Camp - Santa Barbara,CA

My daughter went to Girl Scout Camp for the first time when she was 9. Nine wasn't a magical pre-determined age; it was just the first time she expressed interest.

I went to the same camp for about 15 years, was a camper, CIT, and staff. My son went away to sleep away camp for the first time last year at the age of 7, however I knew the director and executive director of the camp personally as I used to work with them. Some of my former campers are also staff. My son is going for two weeks this year. Every kid is different as to when they will be ready. Some camps have short stays 2-3 nights to try it out. To look for a camp check to make sure they are ACA Accredited and get recommendations from other parents in your area. The ACA has certain guidelines that the camp must adhere to for safety and standards. Overnight camp is a wonderful experience for children.

I did my first sleepover camp at age 10. It was one week. My son went last year for the first time - he was 13. My daughter who's now almost 18 has never gone. different kids, different age of rediness. My daughter wanted to climb back in my womb until about age 14 - she's a home-body and that's OK. (Although she's going 8.5 hours away to college!)

But a bunch of my son's friends were going last year - it's a Christian camp in the mountains of upstate NY. They hiked & slept out under the stars one night, they shot at a gun range, used a bow & arrow at the archery range, they spent hours upon hours in the water (high platform, big bounce cushion in the lake), they kayaked, canoed, stay up late and pulled pranks on each other - my family's ideals were reincofrced (respect for others, treating women well, teamwork, etc.) and he came home tired but talking for weeks / months about different things that happened, etc. He's going again this year for a week. I wish I could afford to send him for longer.

I think it's a great experience for kids. If your child is younger than 12 I'd suggest one week for the first time - and if he likes it next year you can plan more time. Definitely arrange it with one of his buddies. They come home with a friendship that's become much more deep.

I think you're rigth about avoiding a sports camp. Camp is a good opportunity to kids to explore new interests and to just chill. Make sure it's an unplugged camp - the last thing you want to do is spend $500+ for a week for him to be staring at a tiny screen for the whole time.

I was in the 4th grade when my parents finally let me go to a sleepover summer camp for one week, it was a Girl Scout camp and I absolutely loved it! The following summer I went for 2 weeks and from there after went for a month every summer. I grew up in a city and so getting to go to a camp on a lake surrounded by nature was heaven to me. I was always a very independent child- I think partly due to my experience of getting to go away every summer.

Start slowly. A lot of kids find the idea appealing, but then don't fare well. Our son did great but he had terrific preparation. He was 10 and went for 3.5 weeks. But he had slept away from home on many occasions before that.

I'd start with an overnight or weekend experience, perhaps through scouts (if that's acceptable to you - a lot of people in our area won't do boy scouts but will do girl scouts because of inclusion), or church, or other intro-to-camping programs. Short durations are good for starters.

Make sure your child is social, gets along with people he's just met, has a reasonable palate when it comes to food, and has the ability to connect with counselors. Make sure he's flexible and doesn't require a specific routine before getting to sleep, for example. Camp is about "going with the flow" in many cases, being able to use free time but also following the schedule.

I agree that a highly focused activity camp can be a problem unless a kid is totally devoted to one thing. I think the purpose of camp is for a child to experience a lot of things - different sports, yes, but also water sports, swim lessons, canoeing, crafts, music and so on. We also wanted something with required swim lessons but options on other things. We liked "assigned chores" in the bunk too - they mixed it up every week so different kids had sweeping, bathroom cleaning and other chores. (Makes them appreciate what parents do at home!)

Also look into the policies re contact with home. Some camps have regular phone calls, but others really want the kids to settle in and bond with the group. Our son's camp had incentives to writing letters home (if you wrote a letter, you got some special treats at the canteen). The first year there were scheduled phone calls but they were phased out because the scheduling was a nightmare.

Our son went to a camp connected with our synagogue movement - because we're such a minority, we wanted him to have a bonding experience. He didn't have a lot of friends there, and that's okay. He knew a few older kids and we knew others who had been to similar camps in the past. Sometimes having a specific "buddy" can be good, and other times it's bad because if the 2 kids have a falling-out, they feel alone!

But we had a sense of the supervision and the values, and we "knew people who knew people who ran it" so there was some sense of trust there. I think referrals are the best way to go. Every camp is going to have a nice website and pretty ads and nice brochures - so what? It proves nothing. Accreditation helps but isn't the only factor.

So I'd start with something age appropriate, short duration, and definitely within driving distance of home. Otherwise the packing is a nightmare.

Our son did sleep away camp several years in a row. It was a Lutheran camp in Seymour IN. You see more in Seymour! hahaha

He loved it! We started in 4th grade. Normally one week. That's about all he could do.

I started going to sleep away camp when I was nine for one week each summer. When I was a teen I started to go for longer camps, Three weeks, four weeks and then six weeks. When I was a teen the camps were out of province and I went by plane.

My boys started going to one week sleep away camp at eight and nine. They both went with friends the first year. The furthest they have gone for camp has been a four hour drive.

We also go for a week at family camp each summer. Our favourite camp is a YMCA camp.

The age at which they are ready for sleep away camp really varies with the kid, the length of time and the type of camp. My oldest did his first sleepover camp right after he turned 13. It was a church camp a couple of hours away and it was for one week. He was very ready and did great. He never expressed interest in a sleepover camp prior to that.

Our youngest started with short weekends at a younger age because he was in Scouts. He also attended the same church camp for two nights when he was in 4th grade. Those were fine. However, his first one week sleepover Scout camp at age 11-12 was a disaster. He was very homesick and the leaders and other students were not empathetic. He hated the food and he had a very difficult tent situation--three boys and all of their stuff crammed into a tent designed for two. It was one of the reasons he ended up quitting Scouts. A year later, at age almost 13, he attended the church camp for a week and had a great time. No homesickness. I think it was in part the extra year of maturity and the better camp conditions.

One of my younger son's friends is going to a sleep away camp for 5 weeks this summer. He is 14. My son would never want to be away from home for that length of time.

My kids' sleepover camps have always been within driving distance (2-3 hours).

My oldest went away to sleep-away camp starting at 7 (almost 8 - September birthday). That was for 2 weeks. The next year, she went for 3 weeks, and has gone for 3 weeks since then. My youngest had just turned 8 when she first went to sleep-away camp. My girls have always gone to Summer at Santa Catalina (in Monterey), and it is absolutely wonderful! However, it's only for girls. :)

My kids started going to camp around 6th grade. Son was 11, (end of 6th grade), daughter was 10 (summer before 6th grade) when she started 2 years after him.

They go to a Lutheran church camp in NC. In our local congregation it is only open to kids who have been through Confirmation, but other congregations have different requirements. It is a small, pastor run/led camp, that our former Pastor and some of his translating Pastor contemporaries decided would be fun and good for the kids. The basically rent out a camp for a week, and they run the entire program, and the camp provides the meals. It's a full week--they depart for NC on Sunday morning (have services Sunday night after everyone arrives) and they leave for home on Saturday morning.

The pastors have a schedule and rotate through pleniary sessions with groups of kids, teaching on various subjects, and they rotate the liturgical services as well. Each morning begins with Matins before breakfast. After some class time, they head out for activities.. they are in the mountains of NC, so there is plenty to do. After dinner, they end each day with Vespers. Then the kids have some "free" time before lights out. They often engage in "friendly" games of Capture the Flag (with flashlights) and some of the pastors have been known to get rather competitive in their strategizing...

One year, my son stepped on a fawn in the grass, while they were playing this game. He still talks about that.
This year, he is old enough to be part of the service project, and rather than some of the classroom sessions, the older kids will help work on some clean up and remodel stuff the camp needs done.
They also do water/rock slides, have a rope swing out over the river, a huge lake with canoes, a pool, and many other activities. They usually have Campfire at least one night (around a huge fire-pit at the top of a hill on the property).
My husband went with them one year as a chaperone, and had the best time. He would love to go back, but his vacation schedule doesn't permit it this year. :(

They do not allow the kids any electronics once they disembark at the camp. So the kids actually talk with each other, and get to know each other and make friends. My son is still friends (keeps up on FB) with some of the kids he met his first year there. And when we go to visit family, one of the pastors at the camp is the pastor of a church near our family, and we go there. The kids really enjoy going to that church and hearing his preaching, and seeing some of the kids from camp as well. :)

Son was great from the start. Had no issues whatsoever. Daughter did great as well, but she asked for a cabin reassignment last year, as most of the girls in her original cabin were "snooty" (her words). She also didn't care for the line of flat irons, blowdryers, and makeup bags in the bathroom. She doesn't care about that stuff and I think she may have felt a little awkward... .so she and another girl switched to a different cabin, and everything was dandy.

They love it. If they didn't, I wouldn't send them.