Choosing your child’s first overnight camp
An overnight camp can give your school-aged child an amazing experience, but finding and selecting a camp may seem overwhelming to busy families, especially those with first-time campers. Here are the basics to get you started.
Why choose an overnight camp?
Camp counsellor Rob Kempson says, “Overnight camp allows a child to be immersed in another world – one full of magic, cheers, songs, campfires, nature and community – without the distractions of their day-to-day lives.” It’s the chance to try something completely new: rock-climb up a cliff face, canoe in a freshwater lake, mountain bike on a dirt course, or learn about astronomy in a place where the stars seems infinitely brighter.
Overnight camping builds independence and social skills. Campers are responsible for their own personal hygiene and eating what and how much they want. Spending all day and night with other campers helps kids learn to bond quickly, often leading to long-term friendships, and teenaged counsellors can be great role models.
How do you find a camp?
Ask other parents which camps their kids have enjoyed. If your children are involved in extracurricular activities during the school year, their leaders, coaches or instructors may know of related activity-based camps. Ask your child, “Is there a new activity you’d like to try? What do you wish you had more time for?” Often, kids will have a good idea of what they’d like to sign up for, or friends they’d love to attend camp with.
If your child enjoys:
• Girl Guides or Boy Scouts, consider one of their many overnight summer camps across Ontario (e.g., Doe Lake Camp).
• Sports, try a specialty sports camp for skills she’d love to learn, or new sports he’s always wanted to try (e.g., All-Start Sports Camp)
• Fantasy series like Harry Potter, think about a camp that offers magic and illusion training (e.g., Sorcerers Safari Summer Camp)
• Dance class or pretend play, look into specialty art camps (e.g., Centauri Summer Arts Camp)
• His or her faith organization, investigate camps that provide exposure to nature as well as enriching experiences with faith (e.g., Mill Stream Bible Camp)
The Ontario Camps Association (OCA) website (www.ontariocamps.ca) is a great resource.
They have a comprehensive list of accredited camps across Ontario which you can search by camp name, region, type, activity, or the ability to accommodate children with special needs. Choosing an OCA-accredited camp ensures that the camp meets a wide range of standards that help to maintain quality and safety. Individual camp websites provide more information, including camp itineraries, durations, costs, and reviews.
What should you ask?
It’s important for both parents and children to be comfortable with the camp before signing up. Parents can talk with staff about counselor qualifications and experience. Typically, camp counselors should be trained in standard/emergency first aid and may have additional training in leadership, teamwork, and early childhood education. Your kids may have questions about the allowed frequency of phone calls and emails home, as well as parent visit schedules.
Tips for first-time campers
Kempson stressed that it is important for parents to let kids know “that it might be scary at first, but that it is something that they will grow to love.” Here are some simple tips to help the novice camper:
• Get your child’s input on where she’d like to go and for how long
• Involve your child in the preparation: have him help you pack, review the week’s itinerary, and visit the camp beforehand (if possible)
• Prepare your child in advance: try sleepovers at a friend’s house before sending her off to camp for a week or longer
• A familiar face at camp can help: consider planning together with the parent of one of his friends from school
• Some camps offer a parent and child option, allowing an adult to accompany children under nine to week-long camps to ensure a positive experience
Above all, remember that camp is fun. If you don’t stress, your child probably won’t either – and she’ll be begging to go again next year.
