Summer Camp

 

In just a few months your sons and daughters will be off from school for the summer. Plan ahead and think about summer camp. What is the best way to go –sleep away or day camp? And how do you pick the best camp for your child?

If this is your child’s first camping experience, think day camp. At a residential camp your child will be gone for a week to a month and may not have the skills to cope. But whichever one you select, research and ask questions.

You can begin your search on the Internet by going to the American Camping Association (ACA) website. It lists more than 2300 camps that meet its high standards for health, safety, and program quality.

Know your children and their interests. If you select a sports camp and your little girl likes arts and crafts, you may be sending her off to an unhappy experience.

Also, think about your budget. Once you know how much you can spend you will be able to narrow down your search. If you’re low on funds there are “camperships,” camp scholarships for kids in need. You can find an abundance of them on any good search engine, like GOOGLE.

Does your child have special needs? If she’s hard-of-hearing, has asthma, learning disabled, etc. there are camps that will cater to most needs. Just ask the right questions to the camp director of the selected camp.

Here are some other important questions you need to ask before making your final camp decision:

• What is the child/staff ratio?
• What types of restrooms and showers are available? What condition are they in?
• How many campers are housed in each bungalow? How many counselors per cabin? (Residential camps)
• Are there nurses and or doctors on the premises? Is the infirmary well equipped?
• What types of activities are offered?
• Is the program flexible or is it highly structured? (Think of your child’s personality.)
• Are lunches provided? (Day camps)
• Are camp menus prepared by a dietician?

Once a camp is selected and your children are bouncing off the walls in excitement, make sure they’re dressed appropriately.  Do they have a towel, bathing suit and are they wearing good sneakers? Label all their clothing and keep an extra set of clothes at the day camp, just in case.

When you arrive at camp, make it a habit to talk to the counselor every few days to find out how your child is progressing. When you show an interest, so do they. Finally, don’t forget the sunscreen.

To prepare your kids for a sleep-over camp experience, have them read a book about camping. Michael Thal’s novel,Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback  would be a fun place to start.

In the book, Koolura, the main protagonist, has the ability to teleport, levitate, heal, and even fly. But at Camp Saddleback, Koolura wakes up drained and powerless. Who or what has stolen her psychic powers? 

As Koolura searches for the truth about her power loss, she and the Chumash Girls have to deal with pranksters ruining their cabin and destroying their summer. Campers plan revenge but problems escalate as lives are threatened. Will Koolura and the Chumash Girls solve the mystery at Camp Saddleback?

Red City Review had this to say about Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback: Koolura Akopyan just graduated from the sixth grade, and, for the most part, she seems like any other “tween.” She likes popular music, movies, gossiping with her friends, and spending time with cute boys. But there’s much more to this young Armenian gal than meets the eye–and, when you find out her secrets, you’ll be shocked, surprised, and thoroughly entertained. 

Koolura and The Mystery at Camp Saddleback is the second entry in Michael L. Thal’s Koolura series, which finds the familiar protagonist summering at an exclusive camp where mischief and mystery abound. Like any other kid at a new camp, Koolura has to deal with the personality conflicts she has with the other girls, as well as with the downright dirty tricks the male campers play on them from the nearby “Boys’ Mountain.” But some of those tricks are a little too dangerous and underhanded, and, when their lives are threatened, Koolura and her camp friends realize that someone else is to blame…but who? Using her intelligence, problem-solving skills, and incredible psychic gifts, Koolura slowly but surely gets to the bottom of things and figures out who’s causing the ruckus at camp–and, after all is said and done, she forgives the perpetrator and moves on to further forge the friendships created during this compelling coming of age novel.

Parents, it’s your job to research the best camp for your children and include them in the process. Finally, you can heighten the excitement by encouraging your children to read books about the camping experience. Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback is a good place to start.