Sleepaway Camp Blog | Summer Camps For Teenagers

Summer Camps and Teen Trips, What’s New for 2023

November 3, 2022 by Eve Leave a Comment

The Tips Team gathered last week for 3 days to review last summer and learn about what’s new for 2023. Our team visited 66 camps and programs this summer! It was wonderful to see so many happy kids enjoying their summer experiences. They were unplugged, engaged and spending time learning new skills. Over 95% of our reviews from summer experiences were good or excellent!

For summer 2023, some of the teen programs will be returning to destinations they had suspended during Covid. Japan is back on the list, as well as Africa, Thailand, New Zealand and Fiji. For younger campers, there are a number of new sports-oriented camps where over two or three weeks a camper can choose to focus on one or two sports with skills, drills and game play. Many camps have been offering early enrollment discounts, which will end soon. Camps are experiencing higher re-enrollment rates than in previous years, so families should reach out now to plan for next summer.

We are ready and waiting to help!

THE TIPS TEAM IS ON THE ROAD!

July 28, 2022 by Eve Leave a Comment

Tips on Trips and Camps was created in 1971 by two woman who felt that summer camps and teen trips provide more than just “fun”. They are an opportunity for kids to grow in their independence, confidence and ability to problem solve, all skills that are vitally important to children as they develop and grow. Tips is made up of a dynamic team of advisors whose goal is to help families of school-age kids find summer programs that will help them reach those goals. Crucial to our summer advisors’ ability to match a camp or summer trip to a family’s needs is that we really know the programs we represent through relationships with directors and summer visits to programs in action.

After a 2-year hiatus we are thrilled to be out on the road again seeing happy campers as they spend their summer learning and growing. The Tips Team looks forward to sharing what we learn for summer 2023!

TIPS FOR TRUNK PACKING FROM TIPS ON TRIPS AND CAMP

June 16, 2022 by Debbie Smith Leave a Comment

It’s time to pack for camp! To make this task less daunting, more organized for parents AND easier for campers, check out our tried-and-true trunk packing TIPS!

Use the camp’s packing list as a guide.
Designate a trunk-packing room. Make piles for similar articles of clothing and use a different color ribbon to tie each specific pile. The ribbons will prevent clothing from mixing together inside the trunk and will allow for easy unpacking at camp.
Ask your child to pick a few articles of clothing that he/she would picture themselves wearing in summer, which may not include their most favorite items. Camp laundry can sometimes result in a favorite being ruined or even lost. It’s best to leave the most special clothing items at home.
Socks, socks, socks! They disappear more than any other article of clothing. We suggest going with two non-white sock colors. Pick your child’s two favorites, label them and create sock balls. When bunk laundry comes back, they will know exactly which socks are theirs.
Select a few photos of family, pets and close friends. Younger campers may also want to pack a favorite stuffed animal. Having these important personal items at camp will provide a warm connection to home.
Write a short and simple letter and tuck it into your child’s trunk or duffle so that it’s the first piece of mail they receive at camp! Make the note positive and empowering while including some unexciting happenings at home.
Take some time to teach younger kids how to address the outside of an envelope and where the stamp goes. You or your child can pre-address some envelopes at home that can be included and packed with their stationery.

Including your child in organized trunk packing is a great way to begin laying the groundwork for a calm start to an amazing summer at camp!

Happy Packing!

Putting Your First Time Campers’ Mind at Ease

June 11, 2022 by Eve Leave a Comment

As schools end it is clear, SUMMER IS HERE! With it comes lots of welcome changes, including warmer weather, unscheduled time, and summer trips and camps. It is a time for kids to spread their wings and take a breath. Many parents are sending their children to sleepaway camp for the very first time. Some kids are thrilled and anticipate all the fun they will have. Others are unsure and might be anxious about what making new friends and what to expect at camp.

We have found a new book written by a middle school student that might help put new campers’ minds at ease. It is titled Notes from the Camp Bunk: A Guide for First-Time Campers from a Camper Amazon offers this description: “This young author, Eden Martin, a middle school student and camper, has written a reassuring guide for kids 7-14 who will be attending sleepaway camp for the first time. She offers the unique perspective of a young camper who has been to camp herself for several summers. Topics covered include: what is so great about camp, a day in the life of a camper, sleeping and eating at camp, coping with homesickness and what to pack.”

Parents and campers alike can benefit from this great resource!

Summer is almost here!

June 1, 2022 by Allison Carneal Leave a Comment

We are finally catching a real hint of summer! The sun is strong and everything is green and blooming.

With summer camps opening in only a few weeks, parents are starting to think about packing the trunks and getting everything organized. I can’t wait to see how all the camps and programs blossom as well in 2022. Directors are already heading up to their camps to start bringing their camps back to life after the long winter. Buildings will get fresh coats of paint, arts and crafts supplies will be ordered and counselors will undergo heavy training while assisting with all the above!

With Covid at least in a manageable state, and two summers experience of working with the pandemic behind them, camps are ready to conquer the new playing field. Camp directors have been working tirelessly this year with record breaking enrollments, and interest has exceeded expectations. Families are truly ready to send their kids to camp and there is even a swell in slightly older first time campers who weren’t able to start two years ago due to the pandemic.

Personally, I am very excited to hit the road and visit many of these camps in various geographic regions. I will be touring about 20 New England, Catskill and Poconos camps and I can’t wait to meet many of the people I have spoken to countless times. Speaking with directors on the phone and watching videos and slideshows are one thing, but to see a camp actually in session with real children participating in their actual activities will be extremely rewarding and will bring the camps to life! Most importantly, I will gain true insight as to the individual cultures and personalities of the different camps so that I am even better equipped to make really thoughtful matches with the hundreds of families that I work with each year.

Thoughts of a Wilderness Trip 28 Years Later

May 12, 2022 by Helene Leave a Comment

A friend of mine knew I was an advisor for Tips on Trips and Camps and came to a camp fair I sponsored a few years ago to see the directors of the wilderness camp she attended 28 years ago. She feels that experience impacted who she is today, and she shared her thoughts with me.

She writes, “Attending your camp fair and seeing Doug and Bev was just such a special connection after all of these years. It was as if I was visiting my past life, in the very best sense. It was like visiting me when I was 14 and insecure about stupid things but, after that special summer, I learned that I could literally climb mountains. And today, grown and the mother of 3, that experience connects me to my younger self and also to my father who has since passed away. His love of summer camp was passed on to me and I mentioned it in his eulogy. I talked about his countless summers in Maine. He loved camp, he loved camping and he loved Maine. He loved talking about taking the train to camp when he was 6 and how the campers always had to give the counselors the cream off the top of the milk. They bathed in the lake and went hiking. One year, he even led the hiking trips. It’s from my dad that I got my love of the outdoors and adventure that led me to an amazing teen wilderness trip. When my kids are older I hope they too will attend a wilderness experience. It changed me and I think will do the same for every teen.”

I could not have said it better.

SUMMER 2022 IS FAST APPROACHING, WE CAN HELP!

April 18, 2022 by Eve Leave a Comment

Over the many years I have been involved with summer programs, I have watched as camps and summer trips change with the times. I have seen the rise and fall of activities that go from being “hot” one summer, to “uncool” or even off the camp activity list entirely the next. As an example, there was a time when teens did not want to hike with their supplies on their back into unspoiled wilderness. The physical challenges were not what kids wanted; they wanted easy and fun summer trips. Last summer, those wilderness trips were the kinds of programs that many parents felt most comfortable with, and our inboxes were filled with stories of teens summiting peaks and rafting white water rapids. Kids, eager to unplug, were happy to lace up hiking boots if it meant they could be with peers.

This year, I’ve advised a number of families with middle school students looking for summer experiences for LGBTQ+ students where they will be comfortable. Moms have spoken to me with a frankness and advocacy for their children that guide my recommendations to ensure the program will fit their child’s needs and be an inclusive, safe place.

The tides are constantly shifting and we, as summer camp and trip advisors, are always looking for the trends that inform the opportunities we share.

Summer 2022 is approaching quickly, and summer programs are preparing to meet kids’ needs wherever they are in a world that is constantly changing.

Nature Does a World of Good

March 23, 2022 by Eve Leave a Comment

Spring has come to my neighborhood! Daffodils are blooming, and I have spent some time cleaning winter from my garden. There is a feeling of excitement at the change of the season, and it has really helped take me emotionally away from the news and Covid concerns. It reminds me of something I read about the outdoors…

“Spending time in nature increases problem solving abilities, promotes creativity, reduces anxiety, and promotes self-confidence and personal responsibility.”

Summer programs do that for kids. It is important. In this time of so many world problems, we owe it to our kids to give them a respite. Kids need to know that the world is not as dark as it seems on TV. There is light, hope, and good people doing good things. There is A LOT of fun to be had. We owe kids the ability to be themselves and just be kids.

We owe them camp.

International Women’s Day

March 7, 2022 by Michele Leave a Comment

Happy International Women’s Day!! I am normally not a fan of Hallmark or Social Media holidays, but I thought this one was worth mentioning. Why? Well to start, Tips on Trips and Camps was founded by women and after 50 years remains an all women organization. While we all have camp and a love for summer in common, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that we are also a group of outstanding women with many skills and interests.

Who else deserves some love on International Women’s Day? All the women camp directors, camp moms, camp nurses and doctors and counselors. Whether they are teaching your children how to play a sport, resolve a conflict or just have fun, these women instill important values and lessons. They nurture and love your children of every age, from first time sleep away campers to teenagers on a trip. Nothing gives a mom more comfort than knowing another woman is there guiding the way.

Looking for that special woman to help you find a great summer camp/program for your children? Look no further and check out all these fabulous women.

https://www.tipsontripsandcamps.com/summer-advice/find-an-advisor/

Overnight Camps in the Time of Covid

February 9, 2022 by Jill Leave a Comment

Are you looking to send your child to an overnight camp this summer but concerned about Covid? If so, you’re not alone. I think many parents are evaluating whether sending their children away during these times is a good idea.

You should know that the camps that I work with have learned what they need to do to keep campers and staff safe – and have done a great job accomplishing that! Some camps took on this responsibility in the summer of 2020. They followed CDC and state guidelines. For 2021, they shared these best practices with other camps and they remained aware of changes as they occurred. The result was a very successful 2021 camp season. I have every confidence that summer 2022 will be the same.

The major difference this summer is that most overnight camps will be requiring all campers and all staff to be vaccinated. This will allow camps to run, for the most part, as normal. What is not clear is whether those camps that offer inter-camp competition will do so. There is still a concern about breaking the camp bubble. Most camps offering inter-camp tournaments are back east or in the Midwest.

Our kids need a camp experience now more than ever. Last fall, when we thought the pandemic was under control and a glimmer of normalcy was in sight, Delta and Omicron quickly took over. Now most of our children are tested weekly. They are in school, out of school and back in school. The tension and confusion is real. How are your children doing in this scenario? Sending your child away this summer will provide them with a care-free environment where they can be with friends and participate in activities that are fun and provide them with freedom and a sense accomplishment.

Many parents have already come to the same conclusion, and as a result, this year camps are filling faster than ever before. Every day I receive emails about camps who are now waitlisting applicants.

If you haven’t started to research your child’s summer experience yet, do so now. Give your TIPS Advisor a call and let us help you find that special place for your child to thrive next summer.

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