Bathing suit? Check.
Flip flops? Check.
Toothbrush? Check.
Bug spray? Bug Spray?
Before you send junior to camp this summer, grab The Ultimate Guide to Packing for Summer Camp so you don't forget the bug spray!
We scoured the internet and interviewed veteran camp counselors for the best tips they could offer to parents. What do these experts want you to know before you send your kid to camp? You might be surprised!
- Dirt. Dirt Everywhere. Kids come back from the lake, the forest, rec time, and yes, even the pool, dirty. They are happy, healthy and dirty. It’s okay. But please, send a separate bag for their wet, dirty clothes and tell them you sent it. Otherwise, the first time they stick their wet, lake muck covered swimsuit in their bag, everything will be damp and stinky.
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Mail Call is the BEST time of day. The kids who get mail are the envy of their friends. You can even send a letter a few days before your child comes to camp so they get it on day one. You don’t have to wax eloquent. Just tell them a funny story, say I love you, and remind them to change their underwear. If you plan ahead and send them with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and these perfect camp cards, they just might write you back.
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Label everything. I love my job--hanging out with the kids, swimming, having deep conversations, even getting shot at during paintball. But I don’t love figuring out whose waterbottle is whose, or breaking up an argument over a sleeping bag’s identity. For my sake, label every single thing with water resistant labels or tags that won’t fall off. Or both. Pretty please?
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It’s hot during the day and we run around from activity to activity. They need sunscreen, UV resistant clothes like rash guards are even better, and above all, they need water. Send them with a couple of empty waterbottles and I’ll make sure they don’t get dehydrated. I can’t make promises about the inevitable sugar rush when they serve ice cream sundaes for dessert.
- Your kiddo misses you as much as you miss them. It may not seem like it because they are having the best time ever, but at the end of the day, when the lights go out and heads hit the pillow, little minds and hearts are thinking of home and of you.
Grab your
Ultimate Guide to Packing for Summer Camp right here!
Let us know in the comments what you would have forgotten!
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