Talk to your child about camp. You will only know about your camper’s concerns if you talk about them. Talk about your experiences if you attended camp.

Talk about homesickness. For many children, sleep away camp is their first away from home experience other than staying with family members. Talk about how you handled it. Explain that homesickness is a normal experience and that the activities and making new friends will distract them from feeling sad or nervous. Let them know that their counselors will always be there for them to talk to. Tell your camper that they will be receiving mail from you and that you will be logging in to see pictures of the fun they are having. Have your child choose something from home like a picture or stuffed animal to take with them to camp. Show your camper the opening and closing dates of camp and mark them on the calendar. If there are any recent stressful events in your family, discuss them so they are not worried while they are away from camp.

If you child has any special needs such as reminders for help in specific areas, dietary needs, medical needs…etc. assure your child that you have spoken with the camp and those needs will be taken care. Remind them that they can always ask their counselor for help as well.

Pre-write some letters to leave in the camper Mail Box at Check-in. This will assure that he/she gets mail the first days at camp. Plan and encourage your camper to write home by sending paper, envelopes & stamps.

Get your camper involved! Involve your camper in selecting their activity preferences. Discuss the options and have your camper look at the list of activities and videos on our website to guide them in their selection.

Involve your child in any shopping that needs to be done and packing to get ready for camp. Let him make some choices.

Involve him in putting batteries in the flashlight, choosing a book he might like to read during rest time and help label clothing and belongings.

Talk about the things that they will learn and friends that they’ll make.

Always be positive, assure them that they are mature enough to handle being away from home and encourage them about the fun that they will experience!

Pray for your child. God has great plans for your camper, but He wants to hear from your heart!

You might also like: 5 Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Summer Camp Homesickness

Online Resources

PBS Kids: Zoom

This is a great place to start for hands on learning activities that you can do with your kids. We have used many of them as a springboard for other activities. Most of the supplies needed you will find in your kitchen pantry.

More Info

Disney: Family Fun

Lots and lots of activities to choose from. This is a great resource for outdoor activities and games too. Many are user rated too. Most of the indoor activities and crafts are best suited for children under 12.

More Info

If you know of any other good resources or activities please leave a reply below.  Thanks!

Pack something personal!

1.  Include Your Camper in the Packing Process

I know I said that you should not just focus on the physical, but your child will be more at rest if they know that their physical needs will be met. Make sure that your child is part of the packing process for camp. They need to know that they have everything they need. Have them go over the camp provided “What to Bring” checklist with you. Give them an opportunity to bring a little bit of home to camp. Encourage them to bring their favorite book, stuffed animal, etc.

2.  Visit the Summer Camp

If your child has never been to camp or they are going to a new camp, schedule a visit so that they can see where they are going and meet some of the people that work at the camp. This will go a long way to making your child feel like they are going somewhere safe.

3.  Tell Your Child the Truth

The last thing you want to do is misrepresent the experience your child will have at camp in order to get them to be okay with going to camp. If you promise your child something that the camp does not in fact offer, your child will feel like they were “tricked” into going to camp and they will have a hard time enjoying the experience. Basic rule of thumb is that an informed camper is a happy camper.

4.  Tell Your Child About Camp Ahead of Time

The sooner you tell your child about summer camp the better. Do not wait until the day before camp (or worse the day of!) to inform your child that they will be going to camp. Better yet, include your child in the process of choosing a camp. This will help your child take ownership of their camp experience and will help limit the amount of homesickness they experience.

5.  Letters, Letters, Letters.

One of the most helpful things you can do is write your child letters. Many Charis Hills Camp parents write letters ahead of time and put them into labeled envelopes that they then give to the camp to give to the camper throughout the week. Every child will appreciate this gesture. Be sure to address the issue of homesickness in the letters. You should tell your child that homesickness is normal and that you miss them, but that learning independence is an important part of growing up. Go on to tell your child that you are very proud of them for conquering their homesickness!

Parents, if you have any other helpful hints, please share them in the comments section below. – James

Exercise: Children need exercise, especially kids with ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s and other learning differences. Physical activity build muscles, burns fat and calories and should be part of a child’s everyday routine. At summer camp, children get plenty of exercise! Studies have also shown that exercise releases endorphins in the brain, these same endorphins help regulate mood and behavior, something that is essential for children with learning differences.

Social Skills: Camp is social. Children will have ample opportunities to socialize with other kids who “know where they are coming from”. Further, they will be given guidance on how to socialize in appropriate ways by staff who are trained to look for opportunities to teach social skills and life lessons. Unfortunately, many children with learning differences can’t attend (or are not invited to) events like sleepovers or church lock-ins. Summer Camp is a safe and supervised way for special needs kids to learn how to interact at social events where their parents might not be present.

New Friends: Every summer across america, life-long friends are made at camp. Camps for children with learning differences are no different. By focusing on developing social skills and encouraging positive interaction amongst campers, special needs camps give children with learning differences the opportunity to be a “cool kid” and make many friends.

New Talents: Camp is a chance for kids to learn new skills that they might not have the opportunity to learn at home or at school. Camping, fishing, archery, canoeing, horseback riding, and more are all taught at summer camp. Kids need the opportunity to try new things and and discover new talents in a safe environment with lots of encouragement.

Confidence: Discovering new skills and talents lead to confidence. All children, but especially those children with learning differences benefit from increase self-esteem. At the end of camp, don’t be surprised to hear your child say such things as “look what I made”, “I shot a bullseye”, or “I made it the entire week on my own!”.

A Break: Even if you do not need a break from your kids, they might need a break from you. This might be even more so if your child has learning differences. It is healthy for a child to want some independence and it is important that they have safe opportunities to be independent.

Independence: We all know that children with learning differences can have a hard time learning independence. Summer Camps are a safe and nurturing place for kids to start learning how to take care of themselves. Personal hygiene, organization, and scheduling are just some of the skills that children will learn and practice at camp. Sometime, the “break” that is taken results in both parent and child realizing just how capable they are!

Any parents or campers have more reasons?  Please post them!

Tired = Happy

On a day like today I find it hard to stay indoors.  I just finished a morning of manual labor outside, and man do I feel good.  It is amazing what a little physical activity can do to raise your spirits!

Kids (and adults for that matter) do not get enough time outdoors.  Schools are shortening recess, kids are attached to computer monitors, and homework seems to be piling up for kids more than ever.  It is no wonder that childhood obesity is on the rise.

We tend to focus on the physical effects of a lack of exercise and time spent indoors, but the mental and spiritual effects are just as important.  There are countless studies showing the link between lack of exercise and depression.  There are even doctors and psychiatrists who prescribe exercise and time outdoors for adults and children with ADHD.  It makes complete sense.

Parents are sometimes amazed that we do not have many issues with campers not falling asleep at night.  But think about it, they run and jump and swim all day.  They don’t have the energy to be hyper by the end of the day.  I also strongly believe that they are happier because of the time they spend outdoors at camp and have a greater appreciation for God’s creation.

This begs the question, how can parents bring a little bit of camp home?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please leave your ideas and thoughts in the comment section!

- James

Charis Hills Flu Prevention Plan

Charis Hills takes a proactive stance on preventing the spread of all communicable illnesses. Charis Hills asks that campers and staff arrive in good health and capable of full program participation. Each camper receives a Health Screening upon arrival to camp. Insofar as we’re able, our screening process helps us identify potential Influenza-Like illness so we can take appropriate action.

We have modified our Opening Day screening process. Everyone will be asked: “In the past week, have you had a fever over 100°F and a cough or sore throat?” People who respond with “yes” will be further assessed by an RN.
The following criteria will be used by our infirmary staff to determine Influenza-Like Illness (potential for H1N1):

• Individual has an oral temperature above 100°F and
• Individual has a cough or sore throat and
• Individual doesn’t feel well (achy, fatigued).

People who present with this cluster of symptoms will be isolated from others. We will contact parents about getting their camper home.

Charis Hills recognizes that H1N1 is contagious for 24 hours before people have symptoms; this is why Charis Hills will take the following steps to minimize the spread of all types of communicable diseases.

• We will encourage the use of personal behaviors that protect health amongst the campers and staff. These behaviors include but are not limited to: hand washing, “do it in your sleeve,” awareness of others who may be coughing/sneezing around you, maintaining personal resilience through rest, hydration and nutrition, maintaining appropriate social distances.
• Staff will be trained to recognize and refer ill campers to the infirmary for assessment.
• Hand washing facilities are provided in most activity areas and campers will be required to use them before beginning an activity. For those activities where hand washing facilities are not provided, hand sanitizer will be used.
• Hand washing before meals has long been part of the routine at Charis Hills and will continue to be.
• Objects and equipment are used by multiple people in activities will be wiped down using disposable sanitizing wipes on a regular basis.
• All beds, showers, sinks, and cabins will be thoroughly sanitized between session. Further, bathrooms and cabins are cleaned every morning as part of the routine at Charis Hills.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to call or email. (888) 681-2173

Charis Hills has used the CDC and Texas Department of State Health Services guidelines for preventing the spread of communicable diseases as our starting point for our policies. Links to these guidelines and other helpful information can be found below.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/camp.htm

http://www.ccca.org/documents/insite/010210+brinsfield.pdf

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/txflu/splash/index.html

The CCCA also puts out a very nice online publication called Camp Sight Magazine.  To check out their online version, click here.  Their articles are well written and cover camp topics from how to choose a camp to how to host a family reunion at a camp in the off season. (Charis Hills will gladly rent our facilities for such an event!)