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Benefits of a Great Summer or Winter Camp Program

You love spending time with your children. They grow up so quick. But even though you love logging the quality hours with them, if you and your spouse both work it can be difficult to balance the workload and the kids’ activities…especially when they are home for summer or winter break. Enter camp programs!

Camp programs have many benefits for kids if you find yourself too bogged down to keep them occupied every minute. The first and obvious benefit is that the kids will spend their day being physically active. Nothing will drive kids and parents crazy like being trapped indoors. Kids simply must get outside to move and play and interact with other kids.

Another fantastic benefit of keeping them busy at camp is the self-confidence boost that they get from working, interacting, and playing with other kids. At camp there’s generally not as much rigid structure as at school. They feel like there’s accomplishment each day all the while they are having fun!

Nowadays nothing is more frustrating than a parent losing their kids to technology like iPads, iPhones and the like. But when they get outside and play, they simply seem to forget all about these devices. They rediscover simple play and engage in real world activities.

At a solid camp program like the ones Camp Chateaugay provides, your children will develop lifelong skills. They will be exposed to different things like sports, arts, swimming, hiking, and running; a myriad of activities that they may not be engaged in back at home. Things that you can be sure they will use for a lifetime of fun.

You will also see your child’s independence grow tremendously. They will tell you all about the things they did, but you will hear about the decisions they made instead. Without teachers and parents guiding their every move the kids will welcome and embrace this newfound freedom however in a safe environment.

And lastly as your child has all of these amazing experiences and new events that take place at summer camp they will truly connect with peers and make lifelong friends. So before feeling guilty about sending your kids off to a camp program be assured that they will have more fun and learn many more things than if they were trapped at home as you scramble to balance work and life.

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How To Keep Your Kids Active During Summer

As parents you know the drill. Day in and day out you have to get the kids up at a certain time. You yell and scream for them to get out of bed. There are arguments about breakfast. Make sure you brush your teeth, heck forget flossing, right? There’s even an argument about who gets to sit up front on the way to school. But have no fear because school is almost out for summer. Then the end of the school year finally gets here and you’re free, right? Well after about a week of having the kids home you begin to realize that maybe that morning rush wasn’t so bad after all. I mean after the kids were dropped off at school you didn’t have to worry about how to keep those young minds and bodies occupied.  So this begs the question; how do you keep your kids active during a long summer?

No TV, No Text, No Way

It seems like every other day there’s another article from a major trade publication about the dangers of our kids being strapped to a device or cell phone. Research gathered shows that kids do much worse on standardized tests at the end of summer if they have spent their time indoors in front of the TV rather than outdoors in a canoe so first focus on the physical as they say. You must make sure that your child’s summer is filled with physical activity and exercise. Enroll them in an awesome summer camp like Camp Chateaugay in Upstate New York. With a dynamite summer camp not only do your kids get tons of exercise and fresh air they also get to meet new friends and build confidence away from the watchful eye of the dreadful mom and dad.

Indoor is Ok, If…

The kids don’t have to be outdoors in the wild the entire summer to keep the body and brains working soundly but instead of those video games, TVs and devices get the kids enrolled in a cooking class. Some are offered for kids as young as ten. You could also encourage older kids to get a part time job so they learn the value of money and how to save. If your kids are too young for a summer job you could still teach them appreciation for what they have by allowing them to volunteer for a local organization. The kids could also learn and get some culture visiting local museums. Most families are surprised by how many museums are right down the street from where they live without even knowing about them. Whatever you choose keep those little minds engaged year round!

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How to Find a Great Overnight Summer Camp for Your Kid

If you ever went off to summer camp you have a million fantastic memories of the times you spent on the lake, in your bunk, or in the cafeteria. You want your children to have those amazing memories like you did, make friends, build confidence, and just become more self-reliant. But before you drop your little loved one off for the day or a few weeks here are some tips to help you sleep better about your choice.

Discuss The Very Idea

Before you dive into the crazy amount of research that exists online when it comes to summer camps have you asked your child if they are even interested in going to an overnight summer camp? The first thing you have to do is talk expectations. What do you want your child to learn ideally? Who would they be attending their first summer camp with? What is the curriculum of the camp? A nice balance will be key here. You want your child to grow but you don’t want them to feel like you’re pushing them too far too fast. In many cases summer camp is the first time that your child will be spending time out of the house without a loved one to monitor them.

Day or Overnight Camp Options

Once you have found a camp that you and your child both agree will be a good fit, then you must determine how realistic it is for them to stay overnight at the camp. If this is the first year that your child is attending a summer camp it might be too much of an ask to have your child spend the night away from you. If however this is their second year it would be a huge milestone for them to go to and stay overnight with friends away from their parents. They will grow exponentially at an overnight camp like Camp Chateaugay located in the beautiful Adirondacks in upstate New York.

Do Your Research

Lastly, simply do your research. With so many incredible resources available online you will easily be able to determine what other families have to say about the camp that you are considering. Make sure to ask around and you will hear the same camp names over and over again if they are good options.

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How to Find a Great Summer Camp

Summer, it seems is always right around the corner and that means kids climbing up the walls at home with energy. So how do you get the kids out of the house and into some fun, while they also get to learn some valuable lessons? Summer camp, of course! But how do you find the right summer camp for your kids?

Start with what they like

This may seems like an obvious way to find a camp, but you really need to find out what your child is into. What are their interests? If your child likes hacking away with computers then a computer camp or possibly a programming camp or web design camp will work. Maybe their love is music. If that’s the case some kind of band camp or rock camp will work. Do they like fine arts like theater? Or they may possibly enjoy painting? Do they love being outdoors on a lake or campground? Really the first aspect to consider is what do they want, not just you.

Find Out More

Once you land on a preferred few camps you as a parent really need to roll your sleeves up and find out more about the camp. First start with doing a simple search online to determine what others have said about the camp. Are there articles that you can dig up? Can you reach out to another parent that has had a favorable experience with the camp? Do they have a listing on websites like Yelp that allow reviews on them? Remember there are critical questions that need to be asked, especially if it’s a sleep away camp like Camp Chateaugay up in the Adirondacks.

Take A Trip

Once you have a camp chosen after getting referrals, doing on line research and reading articles then it’s time to take a drive. There’s nothing that can give a parent peace of mind more when it comes to summer camps like actually visiting. You will get an opportunity to see the facilities, meet the counselors and interact with children actually attending the camp. If you do all of the above you can feel much better about allowing your little angel to spread their wings at an awesome summer camp.

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Top Ways to Choose a Summer Camp

Summer is here which means so is summer camp programs for your kids. You want them to have a blast but you also want them to be safe…and possibly learn something too. But choosing a summer camp can be a daunting task. You probably have a hundred questions about how to make sure you’ve chosen wisely. Well here are a few things to consider when choosing a summer camp for your kids.

 Focus And Activities

First and foremost should be the camp’s focus and activities. What are your child’s expectations of a summer camp? You should discuss the idea with your child first. Do they want to focus on outdoor activities? Is it imperative that some of their school friends are attending as well? Is there any type of learning curriculum? Make sure that the camp offers balance for your child. And lastly don’t rule things out just because your child has an opinion. You know that their reluctance might simply be because the idea of a summer camp is unfamiliar to them.

 Day Camp or Overnight Camp

A solid day camp is nice primer into the summer camp world for younger kids. Knowing that their parents are simply a phone call away might help with the confidence a new camper needs to test the summer camp waters. Additionally it’s some reassurance for young kids knowing that mom and dad will pick them up at the end of everyday. However for older more seasoned campers like teens they really look forward to the independence that they feel to “be on their own” for a few weeks. Camps like Camp Chateaugay in New York specialize in overnight camping programs that kids absolutely love.

 Meet The Family

It’s important for the camp to meet your family and understand what you expect of the program before choosing a camp. But it is even more important for your child to meet the camp family of counselors too. This way the counselors will be aware of any of your child’s special needs or concerns. This will make all of you feel like you’re on the same “team” and set your child up for success for their first summer camp visit.

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Worked at Camp Chateaugay for 2 summers and had such a wonderful experience. Over the course of the summer, the kids learn, grow, and build friendships that will last years to come. Truly a beautiful place for kids to spend the summer.

Ashley Lynn Brooks

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Camp Chateaugay participates in Refugees for Camp! 

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It is not possible for me to say enough good things about the 5 summers I spent working here. I came out to work at camp every summer initially as a break in the summer between my college courses, but soon found that I could not stop!!! The people you meet here, and experiences you have will honestly create some of your fondest memories for a life time! I fully intend to go back again some day!

Camp Counselor/Athletics division each summer (Former Employee) –  Merrill, NY

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Every night we have an Evening Activity which could be anything from Capture the Flag to a campfire on the beach, a treasure hunt or even an MTV Night.

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Teenagers Are Unique, So We Create the Programs to Match.

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Campers can participate and receive instruction in a variety of activities including land and water sports, creative and performing arts, animals, horseback riding and outdoor adventure.

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Our summer program is either full summer (7 weeks) or 3.5 week sessions for children between the ages of 7 and 17.

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Big Brothers and Big Sisters

Our Northern Lights campers – second oldest age group here – arrive at camp and immediately establish a buddy system for first time and younger campers.  Big Brothers and Big Sisters become great friends for these young folks.