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Experts on Overnight Camps & Trips for Kids and Teens

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HOW TO MAKE THE WINTER GO FASTER WHEN ALL YOU CAN DO IS THINK ABOUT SUMMER

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Winter can be a very long season, especially if you have kids.  How  can you spend quality time with your kids and get them excited for summer camp?  Organize some of their favorite summer activities in your home.  This will even get them to share some of their summer stories with you as they are reminded of summer camp.  Here are some ideas:

  1. Have a bead party – buy this kit and invite over some friends to make friendship bracelets.
  2. Find an indoor gym and have their bunk friends meet up for any game of their choice
  3. Create a cooking activity just like camp!  Did you know that Cooking is one of the most popular camp activities at practically every camp we visit during the summer?  No camper ever turns down a homemade cookie.  Here are some great recipes to start.
  4. Long weekends?  No problem – a bunk sleepover will solve any boredom blues.  Added bonus, you get to know your child’s camp friends better

While your kids are having some summer fun, check out this article to ensure your kids have the best summer!

TIPS WEEKLY SPECIALTY CAMP ZOOM FAIRS 2022!

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SAVE THE DATES: TIPS WEEKLY ZOOM FAIRS 2022!

Connecting parents with exceptional summer camps, trips and programs is what we do best! TIPS Zooms are jam-packed with info you need. Learn all about all that’s available from the directors themselves!

Have 1 week or more?

Find out where your child or teen can spend their summer.
Hear directors describe the magic that makes each of their camps special!

Join the Zoom Fair(s) of your choice!

January 11—Performing Arts Camps
January 25—Fine Arts Camps
February 1—Sports Camps
February 15—Career Focus Programs
March 2—Sailing & Scuba Camps

All Zoom Fairs will be 7:00-8:00pm EST.

Please use this link to register:
RSVP HERE

Volunteerism For Teens–Learn About Programs that Help Create Societal Change

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Climate Change~Endangered Animals & Marine life~Social Issues & Racial Justice~The Environment~Worldwide Hunger~Children in Underserved Communities in the US & Around the Globe….All issues affecting teens and at the forefront of the next generation. 

For Summer ’22, if your teen is interested in being an agent of change alongside like-minded others, you’re invited to learn about student volunteerism programs. We welcome you to join Tips on Trips and Camps VIRTUAL COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS FAIR—TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 7PM EST.
Hear from directors as they describe communities in need as well as service projects students will plan, implement and execute. The time to plan for summer is today!
Register by using the link below:
 
LINK TO SIGN UP GOOGLE FORM

You’ve Got This!

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Everyone at Tips on Trips and Camps thinks you’re doing a great job parenting through these crazy times. We thought you needed to hear that today. We’re all parents too, and we know how not having any control over how the future looks or feels for our children (or ourselves) is a challenging place to live. As summer program advisors, we are feeling hopeful about sending kids off on their adventures next summer. Every day we hear from our directors about their plans for a safe and fun summer 2021. While next summer may still look different than pre-COVID days, every sleepaway camp and teen program is working hard to create pandemic-proof plans for your children. Please let us know if you want to indulge in some escapist summer planning – we’re ready to chat whenever you feel ready.

Riding the Coronacoaster

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Have you seen the meme defining a “coronacoaster” – the ups and downs of living in a pandemic? I don’t know about you, but that perfectly captures me and my wildly shifting emotions. Interestingly I’m finding my kids are more even keel than I am. They’re teenagers, and like everyone’s children, they had to abandon their spring and summer plans. I’ve found them to be resilient, creative, and accepting in the faces of the losses they have sustained. As we head towards the fall, and all the uncertainty that brings, they are saying they will be OK no matter what. While a lot of their reactions have to do with their personalities, I can also see that the lessons learned at sleepaway camps and teen programs helped prepare them for this tough time. They are making the best of what the world has to offer and still having fun. They’ve found new ways to meet their goals, follow their interests, and enjoy the summer, all while staying safe. I can connect all the ways they’ve managed during the pandemic to things that a child may navigate away at camp or on a teen trip. The coronacoaster is not my cup of tea, but as it’s the only attraction open this summer, I’m going to do my best to notice the best parts of the ride.

Grieving for Summer

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The camp and summer program cancellations are coming in fast these days, and we know there are many disappointed and grieving kids and families. Whether it was to be a child’s first summer away or they are a seasoned camper, it’s hard to let go of summer plans amid so many other changes in our lives. Here’s some advice we’ve gathered:

  • Expect that you and your children will go through a range of emotions in the days and weeks ahead. Tell your kids (and remind yourself) that grief comes and goes, and you might all have sad days throughout the summer and beyond. You can also let them know that you’ll all also have happy days and fun moments even while feeling sad about camp.
  • Recognize the stress that you may feel as a result of your child’s lack of summer plans. Take as many breaths as you need until you can find a way to move forward. There are still some options for kids. We can help you explore if any of the available programs are a good fit.
  • Encourage your child to express their feelings and memories about camp. Talking, journaling, Zooming, singing and dancing, doing camp arts and crafts, building a campfire, or whatever feels right, are all ways for kids to access their emotions. Kids of all ages can benefit from having their feelings named, so parents can help their kids by identifying what they may be experiencing.
  • It may be reassuring to talk about how staying home is helping all their dear camp friends and counselors remain safe.
  • Start making plans for summer 2021! Camp and program directors are already hard at work on next summer, and they are counting the minutes until they are back with your children.

We are right there with your family grieving the loss of all those future memories, experiences, and friendships. We are here to support you – please let us know if we can help.

COVID 19 – WE ARE ALL FIRST TIMERS

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It dawned on me today that the way we are all facing the challenges of COVID-19 is very similar to what we ask our children to do on overnight summer experiences.

We ask them to:

  • Go into the unknown
  • Listen to the people in charge
  • Ask for help if needed
  • Advocate and negotiate for themselves.
  • Have fun in a setting that is very different from what they are used to

Just like when we put them on the bus to summer camp or the plane to a teen trip, we can remind them now (and ourselves) of their resilience and skills to cope with tough days. We all have inner resources to call on through the coming weeks, and just like attending a summer program, it will be an opportunity for personal growth for us all.  The Tips Team is hoping all your challenges are met with optimism, good humor, and health.

 

LGBTQ? Summer is for everyone!

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As summer advisers we pride ourselves in the recommendations we make so that every child can have a wonderful summer experience.

Increasingly, we are hearing from parents of LGBTQ kids. This may include transgender and gender non-conforming children of any age. They call us searching for an overnight camp or summer teen experience where their child will feel at home. As advisers on summer programs, we are witnessing a shift in the mindset and the narrative in our industry as these numbers are rising. Camps are faced with decisions about where to bunk kids and teen trips grapple with which tent does a camper get assigned. The wonderful aspect of these challenges, the summer programs tell us, is that campers are universally accepting and don’t struggle the way their parents or summer program directors do. We watch as summer camps and teen experiences find creative ways to work this through. There are camps for LGBTQ kids. At some the issues are addressed specifically, others are simply a caring and embracing community where all campers are welcome. The latter might be a good camp for trans kids or non-binary kids as well. An arts camp this summer will have a non-gender specific cabin that will embrace all gender expressions.

At Tips on Trips and Camps we have ongoing discussions about these topics so we can help lead as the industry navigates this ever-changing landscape. Interesting times!

Good Advice

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My 17 year old inspires me every day. His mantra is one I have now adopted. So much that for my last birthday he bought me a vase that has “You Got This” imprinted on it. 

When I reflect back on 7th grade, it reminds me just how far we’ve come. At that time he was riddled with anxiety and depression. We pulled in as many resources as we could to make his world right again. We spoke with therapists and took the advice of experts to find classes, communities and even a new school to help guide him on the right path.

I’m so proud of my son and the work he has done to find his happy place. I’m so grateful we found people that we relied on and trusted to navigate troubled waters.

It makes me realize even more how important my own role is in the life of clients that I help. Finding the right overnight camp or teen program is so valuable in the trajectory of a child or teen’s formative years. Whether it be a social struggle in their environment or the desire to find a specific niche outside their community, I do my best to really listen. And I find it so rewarding to get it right!

How summer time can help you achieve all your parenting goals.

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As a summer camp and program advisor, I am constantly being asked whether a specific program will look good on a teen’s resume, or if a specific camp will improve their camper’s athletic or artistic skills. As a parent of 3 teens, I am beginning to realize that these manipulated experiences are only part of the picture. Let’s take a step back and really think about what we want for our children – health, happiness and success. As parents we put so much pressure on ourselves to help our children achieve all these goals. When I think back to my children’s path to happiness and success, I have to admit, I didn’t do it alone. I probably didn’t do most of it – camp did! Camp gives my children the chance to be independent, problem solve, form true personal relationships and all these things create happiness and I hope down the road, success. Don’t believe me? Read this article with quotes from Steve Jobs, head staff at Harvard and MIT, as well as well known authors:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/05/09/can-sleep-away-camp-give-kids-a-competitive-advantage-in-life/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a44dcc820e69

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Tips on Trips and Camps has always been and continues to be committed to equality for all. The advice we give endorses inclusion, awareness, sensitivity to others, equality and support to families and their children including but not limited to individuals of varying abilities, cultures, genders, races and religions.