Post by Paws on Apr 21, 2010 11:05:15 GMT -5
To make your child's life at camp easier, here are a few suggestions:
--PACKING/PREP--
Have your child do the packing.
Oversee the packing, but make sure your child is the one actually doing it. It helps them not only learn how to pack for themselves, but also ensures they have a better idea of what they are bringing along in case anything does get misplaced. We have had many campers say their parents had packed something for them that they cannot find, only for it to never have been packed, or was misplaced and is a completely different color than the camper believes. If the camper has packed the bag themselves, they are much more likely to know what was packed and what their belongings look like.
Label everything with your child's name.
This is especially important for younger campers who tend to forget or misplace things, as it aids in retuning lost-and-found. More expensive items such as mattresses and sleeping bags definitely need to be labeled in case there is a mixup among matching pads/bags, or it is forgotten when leaving camp. Blankets, pillows, and toys are loose and can get misplaced or mixed up, as well. Water bottles, towels, notebooks, and daypacks are especially prone to being misplaced during the day: it is much easier to track down a named camper from a label than it is to ask "who's is this?"
If you packed food along, tell the staff when you arrive. NOTE: Hogwarts does not allow packed food for these reasons.
Food stored in bags has a habit of attracting wildlife, who are capable of chewing through mosquito netting around cots and into bags stored on the cot itself, nevermind through tents, duffel bags, and clothing. They will only chew through these things to get at food, or something that smells like food. Food will need to be stored in the camp's own facilities, be they "raccoon cages" or the kitchen. This includes any food sent along in care packages in the mail. HOGWARTS CAMPERS are NOT permitted to bring food along in their bags for these reasons, among others (such as fairness). Some camps such as Hogwarts will confiscate any food brought along. If your camp does not permit it, please do not pack it; if your camp does not say anything about packing food, at least alert the staff when you arrive.
If the packing list describes size limitations, obey them.
Limitations on bag size or air-mattress size (or permission to bring them) are only put there for real space limitations, and packing them simply means your child will be unable to use them due to the space limitations. Tents, storage, and sleeping arrangements only have but so much floor space; tents in particular tend to loose their water-proofing if anything is up against the side of the tent.
Send mail to your child during camp.
Nothing is more demoralizing or heartbreaking than seeing a camper receive no mail from their family, while other campers do. Send mail a couple days in advance from its intended arrival if you are using the postal service, or leave a batch of letters with the staff when you drop your camper off for camp.
Be positive and upbeat about camp.
Your camper is more likely to have a good time if YOU think they will have a good time. Focus on the positive. Avoid telling them about how much you will miss them: this is a negative feeling that will increase homesickness (you can tell them about that AFTER camp!). Instead, tell them stories about your own fun camping experiences or wonder about what they will be doing while at camp, saying things like "sounds like so much fun!" or "I can't wait to hear about..."
--INFORMATION--
Tell the camp staff about all allergies or medical conditions several months in advance.
The menu must be planned for well in advance, and with a large number of campers, menu planning is no easy task. This can include anything from peanuts to lactose intolerance to dietary restrictions such as being vegetarian or vegan, to medical allergies with penicillin, aspirin, or bee stings. Telling the staff in the couple weeks before camp or especially when you drop your child off is far too short of notice when it comes to dietary allergies! It is also advisable not to send a child who is incapable of touching animals due to severe allergies to a hands-on veterinary or animal camp.
If a medication has recently changed, tell the medical staff.
Changes in medication can cause unexpected alterations in a child's behavior or reactivity to what they are being medicated for. If any important medicines have been changed in dosage recently before the start of camp, PLEASE let the staff know when you arrive, in case the dosage change impacts the camper negatively.
If a medication is optional for the camper (like allergy pills), tell the medical staff.
Otherwise, they will have to dose your child every day, even if the camper does not believe it is necessary. In cases like indoor mold/air conditioning allergies that clear up in the outdoor air at camp, taking an allergy pill is wasteful; if the camper does have allergy problems, they can choose to take it as needed. I have personal experience with this.
If a there is any chance your child may run away from camp, alert the director.
Camp is not a secure prison, and extra steps would need to be taken by the camp in order to prevent such an event. If the flight risk is very high, you may want to reconsider sending your child to camp, as the ready outdoor access inherent at camp is not conducive to containment. While any camp should have regular head-counts, you never know what may happen.
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask! The months before camp are the perfect time for airing any major concerns or figuring out what to do.
--PACKING/PREP--
Have your child do the packing.
Oversee the packing, but make sure your child is the one actually doing it. It helps them not only learn how to pack for themselves, but also ensures they have a better idea of what they are bringing along in case anything does get misplaced. We have had many campers say their parents had packed something for them that they cannot find, only for it to never have been packed, or was misplaced and is a completely different color than the camper believes. If the camper has packed the bag themselves, they are much more likely to know what was packed and what their belongings look like.
Label everything with your child's name.
This is especially important for younger campers who tend to forget or misplace things, as it aids in retuning lost-and-found. More expensive items such as mattresses and sleeping bags definitely need to be labeled in case there is a mixup among matching pads/bags, or it is forgotten when leaving camp. Blankets, pillows, and toys are loose and can get misplaced or mixed up, as well. Water bottles, towels, notebooks, and daypacks are especially prone to being misplaced during the day: it is much easier to track down a named camper from a label than it is to ask "who's is this?"
If you packed food along, tell the staff when you arrive. NOTE: Hogwarts does not allow packed food for these reasons.
Food stored in bags has a habit of attracting wildlife, who are capable of chewing through mosquito netting around cots and into bags stored on the cot itself, nevermind through tents, duffel bags, and clothing. They will only chew through these things to get at food, or something that smells like food. Food will need to be stored in the camp's own facilities, be they "raccoon cages" or the kitchen. This includes any food sent along in care packages in the mail. HOGWARTS CAMPERS are NOT permitted to bring food along in their bags for these reasons, among others (such as fairness). Some camps such as Hogwarts will confiscate any food brought along. If your camp does not permit it, please do not pack it; if your camp does not say anything about packing food, at least alert the staff when you arrive.
If the packing list describes size limitations, obey them.
Limitations on bag size or air-mattress size (or permission to bring them) are only put there for real space limitations, and packing them simply means your child will be unable to use them due to the space limitations. Tents, storage, and sleeping arrangements only have but so much floor space; tents in particular tend to loose their water-proofing if anything is up against the side of the tent.
Send mail to your child during camp.
Nothing is more demoralizing or heartbreaking than seeing a camper receive no mail from their family, while other campers do. Send mail a couple days in advance from its intended arrival if you are using the postal service, or leave a batch of letters with the staff when you drop your camper off for camp.
Be positive and upbeat about camp.
Your camper is more likely to have a good time if YOU think they will have a good time. Focus on the positive. Avoid telling them about how much you will miss them: this is a negative feeling that will increase homesickness (you can tell them about that AFTER camp!). Instead, tell them stories about your own fun camping experiences or wonder about what they will be doing while at camp, saying things like "sounds like so much fun!" or "I can't wait to hear about..."
--INFORMATION--
Tell the camp staff about all allergies or medical conditions several months in advance.
The menu must be planned for well in advance, and with a large number of campers, menu planning is no easy task. This can include anything from peanuts to lactose intolerance to dietary restrictions such as being vegetarian or vegan, to medical allergies with penicillin, aspirin, or bee stings. Telling the staff in the couple weeks before camp or especially when you drop your child off is far too short of notice when it comes to dietary allergies! It is also advisable not to send a child who is incapable of touching animals due to severe allergies to a hands-on veterinary or animal camp.
If a medication has recently changed, tell the medical staff.
Changes in medication can cause unexpected alterations in a child's behavior or reactivity to what they are being medicated for. If any important medicines have been changed in dosage recently before the start of camp, PLEASE let the staff know when you arrive, in case the dosage change impacts the camper negatively.
If a medication is optional for the camper (like allergy pills), tell the medical staff.
Otherwise, they will have to dose your child every day, even if the camper does not believe it is necessary. In cases like indoor mold/air conditioning allergies that clear up in the outdoor air at camp, taking an allergy pill is wasteful; if the camper does have allergy problems, they can choose to take it as needed. I have personal experience with this.
If a there is any chance your child may run away from camp, alert the director.
Camp is not a secure prison, and extra steps would need to be taken by the camp in order to prevent such an event. If the flight risk is very high, you may want to reconsider sending your child to camp, as the ready outdoor access inherent at camp is not conducive to containment. While any camp should have regular head-counts, you never know what may happen.
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask! The months before camp are the perfect time for airing any major concerns or figuring out what to do.
