Is your child too old for summer camp? As the Holiday season winds down and camp enrollment season heats up, many parents with older kids are asking themselves this question.

Here’s the problem. Once your child reaches a certain age, they may feel like they’ve outgrown the traditional summer camp scene. But as their parent, you are well aware your child still needs positive, worthwhile and supervised activities during the summer.

Here’s the solution, and it’s good news! There are MANY summer camps designed exclusively for older kids and teens (no younger kids allowed!), meaning your child can still enjoy a camp experience doing lots of safe, fun and exciting activities with kids their own age while being supervised by adult staff and camp counselors who are experienced working with older kids.

According to Theresa Torrone, a volunteer for the American Camp Association, when kids know they are attending a camp program designed exclusively for them, they are much more likely to enjoy the camp experience and want to go back the following year. 

Where is the best place to find summer camps for teens? For starters, you can ask your friends who have kids the same age as your child where they plan on sending their kids for the summer. Maybe your kids can attend camp together, which could make the camp experience even better!

Another place to look is the Internet. The Web is rich with a host of beneficial camp-related information. One site you might want to visit is Teen Summer Camps.com, a free directory of summer camps and programs for kids and teens everywhere.

Here’s another option. Simply Google “summer camps for teens” or “teen summer camps” and see what comes up. You might be pleasantly surprised at all your search result options!

Surely when kids reach a certain age, they want more challenging and exciting activities than what the typical summer camp offers. It’s nice to know your older child has so many options available to them. Just because they’re older doesn’t mean they can’t attend camp anymore. To the contrary, many summer camps are designed just for them!

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin. All rights reserved.

How do you know if your child is ready for their first camp experience?

 

Send your kids to camp before they’re ready and you can expect a potentially disastrous result. Wait too long before sending them, and you might have the proverbial, “I wish I’d done this sooner” regret.

 

Some kids are ready for camp before others. If your child is independent, goes to school, is accustomed to being separated from you for extended periods and/or has older brothers or sisters they look up to, they may be ready for camp this year.

 

On the other hand, if the above criteria do not apply, you might want to wait another year.

 

Sit down together with your child and bring up the idea of camp. Frame the conversation in a way your son or daughter will understand. Ask questions such as, “Would you like to go to camp this summer and make new friends?” or “Do you want to play some fun games and do some new activities at camp?”

 

Many parents start their kids off with a day camp experience before sending them to overnight camp. For younger children, this is a great way to go. Day camps are a natural stepping stone to sleepaway camp.

 

Also, since day camps are generally local establishments, you can visit the camp and meet the director ahead of time. Make sure to bring your child along. If he or she is excited about what they see, this is a good indication they’re ready for camp. If their reaction is mixed, negative or indifferent, now may not be the right time.

 

Summer camp can be a powerful experience for a child in terms of making new friends, building social skills, and increasing their self-confidence and esteem. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your child’s first camp experience is positive from the start.

 

If your child doesn’t enjoy camp the first time they go, they might never want to go back.

 

But if they have a ball, there’s no telling what a fantastic positive impact the experience can have on their lives.

Summer will be here before you know it, so sun safety should be on the minds of concerned parents everywhere — and especially if you will be sending your child to camp.

Since one of the official definitions of an organized camp is that the majority of the activities must take place outdoors, you can expect your child to be spending lots of time in the sun.

You don’t want to go overboard to the extent you nterfere with your child’s opportunities to have fun, but the facts are impossible to ignore. We hear it on the news, from our friends and family, our doctors, from everyone:

“The sun causes cancer.”

“Stay out of the sun.”

“Use sun protection.”

“Use sunscreen even when you’re just going outside as a normal part of your daily routine.”

Of particular concern is that almost 25% of your child’s lifetime sun exposure will occur before they turn 18. Since overexposure to the sun can lead to premature aging, skin cancer, and a weakened immune system, it makes sense to protect your child as much as possible and educate them at a young age about the sun’s potentially harmful effects.

Since you personally won’t be able to supervise your son or daughter at camp — that’s up to the camp counselors — you should confirm with the camp that sun safety is a significant part of its risk management plan, most notably because sunburns are injuries which can be prevented.

Here are a few strategies to help ensure you child is “sun safe” at summer camp:

Before your child even arrives at camp, contact the camp director to let them know that: 1) sun protection is EXTREMELY important to you, and 2) your child may require extra reminders to apply and reapply sunscreen several times per day, every day, and especially after swimming, sweating, towel-drying and extended sun exposure.

(By the way, you should not hesitate to make these comments or feel embarrassed about doing so in any way. Assuming you have chosen a reputable camp with informed and sensitive camp directors, you can expect them to be very agreeable to, and even appreciative of, your suggestions and concerns.)

We suggest sending your child to camp with a sunscreen composed of a minimum 30 sun protection factor (SPF). There are many decent brands on the market. We do not endorse one over another, but we have been particularly impressed with Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer sunscreen , and more than one dermatologist has made reference to its exceptional UVA and UVB sun fighting abilities. You can purchase this sunscreen at Target Stores, in Malls and from the Neutrogena web site.

Although potential sun damage to the skin is well-documented, protecting your child’s eyes from the sun is often overlooked. We recommend that your child wears sunglasses at camp and that the lenses block out at least 98 percent of UVA and UVB rays. Since sunglasses are a relatively small item and may get lost or broken easily, we suggest sending your child to camp with an extra pair just in case.

Don’t forget to send your child to camp with a wide-brimmed hat. We recommend one that’s at least 4-inches around the head, and/or one with flaps that cover the back of the neck. (Girls’ hair is often long enough to cover the backs of their necks, however, if your son or daughter has shorter hair you please don’t overlook this tip.)

Finally, remember to send at least two long-sleeved shirts to camp, preferably cotton, since many cotton shirts have a slight degree of sun protection factor built-in. However, it is crucial to note such shirts are NOT a substitute for wearing sunscreen. In other words, remind your child to wear sunscreen at all times, even if they’re wearing a long-sleeved shirt at camp as well; the long sleeves are simply added protection.

Applying sunscreen several times a day should become a normal part of every child’s routine at camp. But when your child is having so much fun and making new friends, sunscreen’s probably the last thing they’re thinking of. That means it can be easily forgotten or overlooked. Because protecting your child’s skin and eyes from the sun is so critical, though, we highly advise you to review this information with your child before they leave for camp, and also with the camp director before your child gets there.

Here’s hoping your child has a blast at camp!

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

Are you looking for a summer camp for your child with special needs? Depending on your particular circumstances and location, you have numerous options and opportunities available for your child to enjoy a safe, fun and rewarding camp experience this year.

Let’s say you live in southern California and your child has autism, ADD, ADHD or another learning disability. How about signing them up for a beach camp or surf camp? Camp at the beach is so much fun and can help your child build self-confidence, esteem and lifelong water safety skills. Aloha Beach Camp in Los Angeles and Paskowitz Surf Camp in Orange County are two camps you might consider.

If your child has cancer, contact Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times. This program has an outstanding reputation and you can’t go wrong sending your child there. According to the camp’s website, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times “provides cost-free, medically supported camps for children with cancer and their families” and is dedicated to helping children with cancer recapture hope, enthusiasm, and love of life in a medically and psychologically safe environment created especially for them.

What if your child has special needs other than those discussed above? According to Theresa Torrone, a camp director in Los Angeles and a volunteer for the American Camp Association (ACA), “There is certainly a camp to serve them. Children with diabetes, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, speech impairment, hearing impairments, blood disorders and almost any other special need can find a suitable summer camp where they’ll be safe, have fun, make new friends, have a rewarding summer experience and become the proverbial “‘happy camper.’”

Torrone emphasizes that the volunteers who work for the ACA are caring, committed professionals who love sharing their knowledge and experience to help your child with special needs find the right camp for you.

She suggests visiting the ACA’s website at http://acacamps.com to conduct a free online search to find a camp to meet your needs, or calling ACA’s Indiana headquarters at 765-342-8456 for a free referral.

Last but not least, you might consider visiting a website called Very Special Camps (http://veryspecialcamps.com) for more information on special needs summer camps and programs.

Copyright Eric Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

When you think of summer camp, the word “affordable” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. And if you’re like other parents concerned about money in this awful economy, you might be wondering how to afford summer camp for your kids this summer. But don’t worry!

There are many things you can do to make the cost of camp more affordable and lesson the financial burden of giving your child a fantastic camp experience this year. Here are three top strategies you can use to save money at camp for your kids right now:

Early Bird Discounts

Early bird discounts are perhaps the best known and highly publicized of your available summer camp discounts. Here’s how Early Bird Discounts work.

Camps generally offer two sets of tuition rates: the regular price, and the Early Bird Price.

If you sign up for camp by a certain date, the Early Bird Price can save you money. For example, one camp in Los Angeles charges $5 per day less when you sign up for camp by March 1.

Since the price increases by $5 per day after March 1, it obviously it pays to sign up for camp sooner rather than later!

Barter

In bleak economic times (like this recession!), bartering can be one of the smartest money-saving strategies you can use. Summer camps want to save money just like you do, so this is a win-win strategy for you both.

Maybe you own an advertising agency and you have a few kids you’d like to send to camp. You might be able to provide advertising services to the camp in exchange for a fantastic camp experience for your kids. Here’s another bartering concept that actually happened last year. A day camp in Los Angeles needed a nurse, and the nurse wanted to send her kids to camp. So the nurse ended up working at the camp and sent her kids in exchange. The best way to start bartering is to consider what you might have to offer, and then pitch your idea to the camp director. He or she might be very open to your suggestion!

Sibling Discounts

Most camps offer sibling discounts, but they may not advertise the fact these discount are available. So, if you have more than one child attending camp, make sure you ask the camp director if they offer sibling discounts.

The discount will vary from camp to camp, but generally, the most common sibling discount we’ve seen is 5% off each additional camper beyond the first child.

Five percent may not sound like a lot, but given how much a high-quality summer camp experience costs these days, 5% off can save you a load of money!

Hopefully these three money-saving tips will help you save money off your camp tuition this year. Good luck!

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

If the word “affordable” doesn’t come to mind when you think of summer camp, you’re not alone. Sending your kids to sleepaway camp for just a few weeks could run you several thousand bucks or more.

But the good news is there’s a camp for every budget. You don’t have to break the bank for your child to enjoy a fantastic camp experience, and a less expensive camp does not necessarily mean it’s a lower quality camp

You might be asking yourself whether sending your child to camp is worth the price. And by the way, why does it cost so much?

In general, summer camps have high operating costs that need to be covered in order to maximize your child’s safety and fun. When you pay a little more for camp, the camp can be extremely selective in the staff it hires and pay its camp counselors more than they’d make elsewhere, plus it allows the camp to purchase and share with your child the highest-end (best quality) equipment and supplies.

You can’t put a price tag on safety, supervision and fun for your child!

But that’s not all. We haven’t even discussed insurance premiums, advertising, transportation, and other many other costs camps incur to deliver an industry-best-practice camp experience for your child.

The high cost of raising kids is indisputable, but the documented benefits of the camp experience are indisputable, too. Imagine all the fun and important things your child would miss by not going to camp: 

In this economy, families are cutting back on everything that’s not essential. Certainly a fantastic camp experience is something every child deserves, but whether the price of camp is “worth it” is open to subjectivity. Only you can decide the appropriate answer for your family.

And although the summer camp in industry is often considered to be one where you get what you pay for, the important point to remember is that there’s a camp to fit every family’s budget whether you’re looking for a day camp in Los Angeles, a sleepaway camp in New York or any camp in between.

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

Approximately 10,000,000 (ten million) kids attend camp each summer. But but only a small percentage of them attend accredited camps. You wouldn’t send your child to attend an unaccredited school, so why send them to an non-accredited summer camp?

Summer camp accreditation is earned through the American Camp Assocation. By choosing an accredited camp, you can be assured the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice standards within the camp industry relative to child health and safety, food service, supervision, transportation, risk-management, facilities, staff training, program quality and more.

Does choosing a non-Accredited camp for your child mean the camp isn’t a “good” camp? Hardly. There are many wonderful summer camps that have not earned ACA accreditation.

But if you choose an accredited camp for your child, you’ll be in exclusive company. Only 25% of camps in the United States have earned ACA accreditation.

It’s important to note that accreditation is not the same as a license to operate, and accreditation does not guarantee safety. Each state and/or county may have its own licensing and regulations which all camps must comply with in order to operate. However, according to the American Camp Association, “accreditation is the best evidence for parents that a camp is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children.”

How do you know if the camp you’re considering for your kids has achieved ACA accreditation? Just ask the camp director. If they answer “yes,” you know you’re on the right track. If the camp is not accredited, then you should ask the camp director why not. And if you aren’t satisfied with the answer, perhaps it’s time to consider another camp.

By the way, asking the camp director whether his or her camp is accredited is not the only question you should ask. To ensure the most promising camp experience for your child, you should ask the director a series of questions and be satisfied with the answers. Here’s a link to the American Camp Association’s website to help you know which questions to ask: http://www.campparents.org/safetytips.php#questions

There are many wonderful summer camp opportunities available for your child. Whichever and whatever kind you choose, please make sure it’s accredited. It’s your best guarantee of a safe, fun summer!

Seems like everyone carries a cell phone, iPod or other electronic device these days. Kids are no exception, but what happens when kids want to bring these items to summer camp?

Some camps allow kids to bring electronic gadgets with them to camp. One camp even includes an “optional cell phone” in its suggested packing list.

But that’s the exception, not the rule. Most camps restrict kids from bringing these items to camp completely.

Theresa Torrone, the director her own summer camp in Los Angeles, California, does not allow portable electronics at camp. “We believe iPods, Gameboys, cell phones, other portable electronic devices electronics are better left at home,” Torrone says. “Not only are these items easily lost, damaged or even stolen, they are counterproductive to the camp experience.”

Torrone says the goals at her camp include teaching kids about beach and ocean ecology, introducing them to new aquatic activities like surfing and jet skiing, and facilitating new friendships, among others. But if children are listing to iPods or talking on cell phones, “they typically do so in isolation, apart from the rest of the camp group,” argues Torrone. “We believe a large part of going to camp is sharing new experiences in a group setting. When kids are playing with their cell phones or electronics, their opportunities to learn and experience new things with their group are limited.”

According to Torrone, some parents insist on sending a cell phone to camp with their kids because they feel more comfortable knowing they can reach their child anytime just by calling.

“But a major component to the camp experience is learning to live independently. Kids can’t do that with their parents calling them all the time. So we feel that parents should resist the temptation to send their kids to camp with cell phones. If you need to reach your child in an emergency or for any other reason, just call or email the camp office. They’ll be able to contact your child right away.”

Torrone says many camps now use technology to give parents “an arms length way” to see and communicate with their kids while they’re at camp. Some camps will post pictures of the campers on the Internet while others give parents the opportunity to send one-way emails to their kids as an alternative to sending letters.

Torrone understands kids’ cravings for electronic toys and gadgets. “Many kids are even more tech-savvy than their folks,” she says. And there are some kids, Torrone says, who just “can’t get enough tech.”

In this case, Torrone suggests sending your son or daughter to a technology-based summer program. “Many camps specialize in technology-driven activities,” Torrone said. “Computer camps and video-making camps are really popular these days.”

To find camps like these, or any other type of camp, Torrone advises logging onto http://findacamp.com, the American Camp Association’s summer camp search engine which is filled with a database of approximately 2,500 accredited camps.

Torrone’s Aloha Beach Camp embraces technology and the power of the Internet to provide information to prospective camp families and customers. “But we’d rather not have their kids bringing electronic devices into the camp community.”

Does Torrone ever envision a day when electronic toys and gadgets will be accepted at camp? She pauses to think, then replies, “Well, maybe when campers can learn to ride a horse, bond with the rest of the group, roast marshmallows, do skits around the campfire and download songs to their iPods all at the same time,” she laughs.

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

Approximately 10,000,000 (ten million) kids attend camp each summer. But but only a small percentage of them attend accredited camps. You wouldn’t send your child to attend an unaccredited school, so why send them to an non-accredited summer camp?

Summer camp accreditation is earned through the American Camp Assocation. By choosing an accredited camp, you can be assured the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice standards within the camp industry relative to child health and safety, food service, supervision, transportation, risk-management, facilities, staff training, program quality and more.

Does choosing a non-Accredited camp for your child mean the camp isn’t a “good” camp? Hardly. There are many wonderful summer camps that have not earned ACA accreditation.

But if you choose an accredited camp for your child, you’ll be in exclusive company. Only 25% of camps in the United States have earned ACA accreditation.

It’s important to note that accreditation is not the same as a license to operate, and accreditation does not guarantee safety. Each state and/or county may have its own licensing and regulations which all camps must comply with in order to operate. However, according to the American Camp Association, “accreditation is the best evidence for parents that a camp is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for their children.”

How do you know if the camp you’re considering for your kids has achieved ACA accreditation? Just ask the camp director. If they answer “yes,” you know you’re on the right track. If the camp is not accredited, then you should ask the camp director why not. And if you aren’t satisfied with the answer, perhaps it’s time to consider another camp.

By the way, asking the camp director whether his or her camp is accredited is not the only question you should ask. To ensure the most promising camp experience for your child, you should ask the director a series of questions and be satisfied with the answers. Here’s a link to the American Camp Association’s website to help you know which questions to ask: http://www.campparents.org/safetytips.php#questions

There are many wonderful summer camp opportunities available for your child. Whichever and whatever kind you choose, please make sure it’s accredited. It’s your best guarantee of a safe, fun summer!

Where “general” or “traditional” camp programs have historically been the norm, specialty summer camp programs for kids and teens — which focus on one just one activity or a few related ones — are growing in popularity year after year. Nowhere is this more evident than along the southern California coastline, where surf camps are one of the fastest growing segments in the specialty camp sector. The increased interest in the sport, especially among children, has led to the proliferation of surf camps up and down the coast. Just take a stroll along the beaches of San Diego or Los Angeles and you’ll see group after group of happy campers learning to surf from their caring camp counselors and surfing instructors.

If your child has expressed an interest in learning to surf, sign him or her up for a summer surf camp experience!

But how can you tell you’re picking the right one?

When you choose a surf camp, it’s always wise to narrow your search down to one that’s earned accreditation by the American Camp Association. If a surf camp has achieved this status, it means the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice industry standards running the gamut from program and activity quality to camper safety to staffing and supervision and more.

If the surf camp you’re considering is not accredited by the American Camp Association, then you should ask the camp director why that’s the case. If you are not satisfied with the answer, it’s time to move on to the next surf camp.

Surf camp accreditation status is certainly not the only criteria to rely on when choosing a surf camp. You must also be sure the counselors and surfing instructors are experienced, qualified and have basic safety certifications in CPR, First Aid and lifeguarding. (While the ocean environment is tremendously fun, it demands respect, too. So you want to be certain your child is being instructed by capable and qualified staff who are equipped to handle any potential scenario that might come up, particularly with respect to your child’s safety at the beach.)

Concerning the individuals who will be supervising and teaching your child to surf, you want to choose a surf camp with experienced instructors who are caring, nurturing, and capable of teaching children of all ages, temperaments, and ability levels whether they are beginning, intermediate or advanced surfers.

You also want to make sure the surf camp incorporates a heavy dose of beach, water, and sun safety learning components into its program so your child gets them most well-rounded surf camp experience possible.

In addition, the surf camp should provide new equipment (including surfboards and wetsuits), and the camp program should take place only in ideal learning environments such as oceans with soft sandy bottoms and consistent wave activity.

In addition, there should be a public lifeguard supervising the surf camp program at all times.

Often overlooked in a parents’ search for a surf camp is to confirm whether the camp has a high profile sponsor connected to it. For example, if you choose a surf camp that is sponsored by Billabong or Quicksilver (which are huge companies and very well-respected in the surfing industry), you can be fairly certain you’re on the right track because these organizations will generally only attach their names to trusted surf camps with respectable camp programs.

We hope this article has helped you learn how to choose a surf camp.

Copyright Eric Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.