Camp can be just as educational as school, with children learning through experience. Through activities and play, children learn a wide range of skills and develop physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. At camp, children learn by doing, living, and experiencing things for themselves. It's one thing to watch a program on television, but quite another to experience it in real life.

At camp, children are given the choice to take risks and try new things. This voluntary nature makes children more open to new experiences, with personal satisfaction as their motivation. Not only are there opportunities to try new things, but camp offers many areas for children to excel in. At a good general interest camp, the non-athlete can shine at arts and crafts, woodworking, or dramatic programs, while the athlete can also find many outlets for their skills. Perhaps most importantly, the two campers learn to live together and become friends despite their varied interests.

Enhanced Self-Esteem
Camp offers children many opportunities to become competent. Practicing both new and old skills on a regular basis, it makes sense that there will be improvement. Novices have chances to learn, while those who are more experienced can improve. Learning new skills and improving on old ones builds self-esteem. Children become more independent and self-reliant at camp with their newfound skills.

Trying New Things
Sending your child to camp is giving them an opportunity to try something new. No matter how many after-school programs or lessons a child takes, its likely they will never have the opportunity to try all that is offered at summer camp. In a supportive environment, the child can try at something new. The interesting twist to these activities is that, since campers often don't know anyone else at camp before they go, they are more willing to try activities that their friends at home might not expect them to. The athlete can try out for the camp play, while the artist may dabble in sports. At camp, children can try new things and set their own goals for success.

Life Skills
Though years later, your child may not remember capture the flag games or the words to a camp song, the life lessons learned at camp will remain. At camp, a child learns how to take responsibility. The child who has never before made a bed, will learn how to smooth out sheets and blankets and tidy up a cubby. Though counselors will remind and encourage, campers quickly take responsibility for personal hygiene, and for more minor health issues, a camper learns to articulate what hurts and how to get help. All of this personal responsibility further fosters a sense of independence and self-esteem. Camp also improves a child's social skills by making new friends and learning how to reach out to strangers. At camp, children learn to get along with others, all while living together 24 hours a day, learning about courtesy, compromise, teamwork, and respect.

Hidden Benefits of Camp
The benefits of overnight camp are not limited to children, but extend to parents as well. There is relief in knowing that your child is in a safe, exciting environment for the summer. Even if child care isn't an issue, it's often hard to find suitable activities for the summer, as well as finding peers for children to interact with. Camp offers entertainment and constant peer company. For parents that have more than one child, camp can give a younger sibling a chance to shine in the older one's absence. And if you Home school camp is a wonderful way to help your child socialize. For families where all the children go to camp, parents have a chance to do things that would not interest the children. When a child makes it clear how excited he or she to go to camp, these parental excursions are guilt free.

Is your child ready for camp?
Given the benefits of a sleepaway camp, it seems that all children should enroll. There are camps for almost all children, including those with special needs. However, there are certainly children who are not ready for an overnight camp experience. Some may not be mature enough to accept the separation from home. Though some camps accept children as young as six, not all children will be ready for camp at that age. Nor will the parents. One of the advantages to waiting is that a child can read and write more readily giving them letters from home to comfort them, and the ability to write letters home to comfort parents.

However, as parents know, chronological age is never a definitive marker. Some children are more than ready at six or seven, especially those who have an older sibling at camp, while some eight year olds still need a year or two before they are ready to handle the separation of a sleepaway camp experience. Three guidelines can help you to consider your child's readiness:

• Has your child enjoyed other overnight experiences? Many children eagerly sleep over at friends or grandparents homes, a sign of readiness. When a child is successful spending the night away, it's a sign that he or she can function independently. However, if you've gotten middle of the night calls and had to pick your child up in the middle of an overnight stay, its an indication that he or she is not quite ready for overnight camp.
• Has your child had other camp experiences? It's helpful if a child has attended day camp prior to going to sleepaway camp. At a day camp, children learn to move from one activity to the next, make new friends, and develop teamwork skills.
• Is your child adaptable? Going to overnight camp requires some flexibility, an ability to adjust to new situations, and a willingness to try new things. Though all children experience some period of adjustment, camp adjustment will be more difficult for the child who is fairly rigid and has difficulty in new situations.

Generally speaking if by 11 or 12 your child is still reluctant to go to camp, the time might come to give some gentle persuasion and insist that they go. Then encourage and guide to help make this transition easier for them.

Ready, Set, Go!
Once you have decided that your child is ready for an overnight camp, there are still several issues you should resolve before even calling for your first brochure. This will help you to narrow down the number of camps in your search.

Time and Distance
While some parents chose to send there children to a camp right next to home, others may even send their children overseas for a summer experience. Your family needs to decide how close to home the camp should be. Choosing a camp close to home eliminates some problems, but must face others,. A camp farther from home has a unique set of problems and benefits.

Close to Home
Choosing a camp near your home often has many benefits. Travel to and from camp is simpler &endash; Most camps provide transportation to and from camp, usually via buses. Choosing a camp close to home eliminates long bus rides and the possible motion sickness. Lower Costs &endash; You reduce the expense of visiting your child at camp if you can make the visit and return home in the same day. You also lower the overall cost of camp by eliminating or cutting travel costs for your camper. Peace of Mind &endash; There is comfort in knowing that you can reach your child easily in case of emergency. Familiar Faces &endash; Your camper is more likely to bunk with kids from your general region, which may ease the transition. Friendships developed at camp are simpler to maintain during the rest of the year if the kids can easily meet and visit each other.

At a Distance
In many programs, campers from a wide geographic area add to the richness of the experience. Many camps are used to making long distance travel arrangements. Campers can fly, alone or with other campers from the area, to a airport close to camp where they are met by camp staff and taken to camp. Travel plans must take into account the age and maturity of the camper. If you are considering a camp far from home, you must work closely with the director to make sure that your camper is comfortable with the travel arrangements.

Reasons to choose a camp farther from home include:

• It's worth it &endash; There may be something about a camp that makes the travel worth it. If your child wants to specialize in sailing or mountain climbing, you'll need to choose a camp that meets those need. A parent may have a preference for a camp that they once attended, even if they no longer reside in the area.
• Diversity &endash; While your camper may not see as many familiar faces in a camp far from home, this may be just what he or she, and you, want. Children may want to separate their camp life from the lives they lead the rest of the year, having the opportunity to begin the program with a 'clean slate'. Campers often have a sense of freedom when they go to a camp where they don't know anyone.
• The distance doesn't bother the camper or parents &endash; Many children find traveling alone, even by airplane, exciting rather than scary. Assuming that proper travel arrangements are made, you may be comfortable with a camp away from home.

When choosing a camp far from home, discuss what this means with your camper in practical terms. Once your camper arrives on site, the distance won't really be an issue. Mail can keep campers and parents close in touch even if they are far away. Be sure to be honest with your camper about whether or not you will be able to visit while your child is at camp.

Camp Size
The level of program organization will determine the extent that the size of a camp matters. While you don't want a camp that is so small that your child is limited in activities or friends, you also don't want a program where your child is lost in the shuffle. The issue is not only numbers, but more importantly, how the camp breaks down the campers into manageable groups. Too small a camp can mean cliques can form, leaving children out, while a large camp may be intimidating to a first time camper. When a program is too large, it becomes harder for the camp to offer all-inclusive activities, like campfires and cookouts. These circumstances make it difficult to build a sense of camp unity and spirit. Also, in a smaller camp you tend to know the Director more closely and feel comfortable asking question or just calling to see how your camper is doing.

Single Sex or Coed

A strong case can be made for choosing a single gender camp, but an equally strong one can be made for coed camps. You must consider both your own philosophy and your child's opinions.

• Advantages of a single sex camp:
• Boy-girl social issues are kept to a minimum, especially among the older age groups. Eliminating the distraction of 'how you look' in front of the opposite sex helps put the focus back on the primary goals of a good camp experiences: developing skills, making new friends, and taking risks.
• Most campers attend coed schools, making a same sex camp a different and enriching environment.
• Campers can form friendships with more depth without the distraction of or the competition for the affections of the opposite sex.
• When campers aren't distracted by social issues, the intensity of play and skill development is enhanced.

  Advantages of a coed camp:

• If you have children of the opposite sex, it can be easier if you can find one camp that suits them both. The mechanics of getting children off to different programs may be too complicated.
• Coed camps can be less competitive than single sex camps. Because there is a more social atmosphere in camp the intensity of play is reduced.
• A good coed camp will focus not on coed relationships but on coed friendships. This can be an important part of becoming a mature adult.

General Interest or Specialty Camp
General interest camps offer diverse programming with many different activities and sports, while a special interest camp focuses primarily on a specific sport or activity. Most experts recommend sending first time campers to a general interest camp. A general interest camp gives children the opportunity to try a wide range of activities and interests. Most general interest camps have more staff training and greater sensitivity to the emotional demands of the campers. At a specialty camp, most counselors are hired for the expertise in the specialty, rather than their attention to child development. Thus emphasis is on skill development not on emotional development.

A good program at a general interest camp will satisfy and challenge the interests of all campers. Even if a talented youngster will surpass the level of competition found at a general interest camp, you may prefer to send him to a program that will test and encourage the camper in other areas.

However, some children, especially the older first time camper, are very focused on a specific sport or activity and want to spend the summer pursuing that interest. Most specialty camps hold a series of one-week sessions, with campers attending for only one or two weeks a summer. Specialty camps are best for the child who is personally committed to the sport or activity. A specialty camp is not the place to send your child because you think that he should improve his skills. Participating in any activity for ten to twelve hours a day, unless you love the activity, will kill any interest quickly. Specialty campers are for campers who want to immerse themselves in the subject with like-minded individuals.

Religious Affiliated or Secular?
You may decide to limit your search to programs affiliated with your families religion. These types of camps generally incorporate a religious component, while still offering regular camping activities. Be sure to ask how religious components are included in their daily and weekly program. Some camps limit the religious component to holidays, while others include daily prayers as part of the camp day and choose only to celebrate holidays particular to that religion. You may want to ask if the camp will celebrate Independence Day. Although this is a national holiday, some more religiously observant camps choose to de-emphasize it.

What About Friends?
Should at-home friends go to the same camp? Going to camp with a close friend can lessen pre-camp jitters and to some extent, lessen homesickness, but when best friends are bunkmates, it can complicate adjustment to camp. Some things to consider are:

• Friendships may not be able to survive the effects of living together 24 hours a day.
• An old friendship can limit the development of new relationships.
• If one child is having more trouble adjusting, the other may feel responsible for 'taking care' of her friend and ensuring her happiness.
• Jealousy can develop if one camper begins to bond with others, leaving her friend out.
• It's important to ask the camp what they do to help new campers feel comfortable.

Budget Concerns
When selecting a summer camp budget needs to be considered, but a high priced camp is no guarantee that your child will have a wonderful time. Generally speaking, higher priced camps will provide higher staff to camper ratios as well as have better equipment and facilities. Plus they tend to use little or no volunteer staff. There are good sleepaway programs that meet all budgets. According to the American Camp Association, resident camps range from $25 to $200 per day. Many camps, especially those sponsored by nonprofit organizations, offer some form of financial assistance to those in need. The American Camp Association also reports that 85 percent of camps reported offering some sort of financial assistance. Some families have also been able to 'trade services' in exchange for a reduced or eliminated camp fee for their children. Parents may be able to work as nurses or office staff in exchange for their children to attend camp free of charge.

Camp Uniform?
Some camps have a strict uniform, requiring campers to wear, both on and off site, regulation clothing purchased through a camp outfitter. Other camps allow the children to choose their wardrobe while on site, but require that they wear a camp uniform while on off site trips. Some camps have regulation uniforms and swimsuits for out of camp competitions, while other programs have no policy at all. You must decide if a uniform policy is important to you. Some parents welcome uniforms as shifting the focus from what their child wears to what they do. Keep in mind however, that purchasing a uniform can significantly add to summer camp costs.

Who Makes the Decision?
Choosing a summer camp is an experience that you can and should share with your child. It is important that they feel that their opinion is valued and taken seriously. When your child participates in the choosing process, it helps them to develop the attitude to fully enjoy camp. If you involve your child in the decision making process, then your child will be more committed to making their camp experience a success. The best way to accomplish this is for you to first send away for 3-5 camp videos that you feel best meet the needs of your child. Then allow them to have the final word on the camp that they feel would be the most enjoyable to them.