Does anyone send their kids to overnight Summer Camp anymore? (teenager, autism)

[Weekend Traveler]

Do kids go to camp any more. When I was a teenager in the 1960 we went to a week long summer camp every August and had a great time. We did tons of outdoor activities, swimming, arts and crafts, played sports, capture the flag and ate at a big lodge. We stayed in a cabin with 12 kids and a counselor. We went to bed with taps and woke up at dawn.

It was a general camp doing misc things, not a theme camp.

Does anyone go to a camp like this anymore?

[formercalifornian]

Absolutely! My kids are still a bit too young to do overnight camp, but a friend's teenage daughter is leaving today for a month-long camp in central Colorado, and my pre-adolescent daughter is champing at the bit to go to a week-long summer camp next year.

[rockinmomma]

Ohhh yeah. My oldest has decided he's too old, but the younger ones are still going this summer. Shower houses, canteen, swimming in the lake. All great memories.

The youngest boy has autism, the counselors have been wonderful to include him and not make a big deal over his oddities. This is his third year.

[Rhaven]

My oldest will be old enough next summer and I think he would have a ball! I'll be looking into one for next summer

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by Weekend Traveler

Do kids go to camp any more. When I was a teenager in the 1960 we went to a week long summer camp every August and had a great time. We did tons of outdoor activities, swimming, arts and crafts, played sports, capture the flag and ate at a big lodge. We stayed in a cabin with 12 kids and a counselor. We went to bed with taps and woke up at dawn.

It was a general camp doing misc things, not a theme camp.

Does anyone go to a camp like this anymore?

These are very popular.

[golfgal]

Our kids have gone for several years. They are in high school now so they only go to band camp with their marching band. They LOVED camp and are excited to go to band camp since it is on the same campus where they have gone to summer camp!

[Weekend Traveler]

The OP Again:

The reason I ask this question is I recently went to the local large shopping center by my home and there was a number of booths up to promote local overnight camps. I went to a number of booths to pick up information and talk to their sales person and noticed that nearly every camp was a theme camp. I saw the following OVERNIGHT Stay in a Cabin camps:

Jewish Camp
Public Speaking Camp
Computer Camp
Baseball Camp
Spanish Camp
Basketball Camp
Art and Crafts Camp
Math Camp
Science Camp

No, general camps like I described in my original post. What do you think of theme camps instead of a general camp, like I went to in the 1960s?

[rockinmomma]

I think all camps have a "theme" advertised or not. Looking at the list you provided, baseball, basket ball, arts & crafts, public speaking (by way of ghost stories) are generally the same events as a traditional sleep away camp. Even if you look at day camps, there is usually a theme. Come to think about it, when the kids are in school, there are themes that coincide with the lesson plans. when I was little I went to girl scout camp and church camp.

There are more specific instruction at some of the camps that are directed at a certain group. My baby will be going to a cheer sleep a way camp. This is what she likes. My oldest would love to go to a rock music sleepaway camp, but they are much more expensive. Why not send a kid to a camp where they are actually intrested in the activities? Most camps from your generation were geared toward indians. Just look at the names. They had themes too.

[FarNorthDallas]

My son went to general interest camps for 4 summers from age 7-10. They were only a week. Drop off on Sunday and pick up on Saturday. When I went to general interst camps I was gone for 2-3 weeks. My son's Jewish friends go to camp that is 4 weeks long, but it is a Jewish general interest camp. Actually my son's two camps were also religion based - one Catholic and one Christian, but otherwise were general interest.

By general interest, I mean they did all the typical things - swimming, archery, canoe, crafts, hiking, blobs, camp fires, plus the 2nd one we went to had a bigger lake and had jet skis. Shooting BB guns and 22's is not a part of camp anymore, though, much to my son's dismay.

[cdc3217]

The YMCA's in our area run a zillion of these general camps where the kids get to swim, fish, hike, canoe, ride horses, climb things, etc.