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4 Important Questions to Ask When Searching for a Summer Camp for Your Child
Choosing a good summer camp for your child involves more than just doing a Google search and finding a camp with a handful of positive reviews.
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As a parent, your duty is help your child acquire the best life skills, and the right choice of a summer camp is important.
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There are many factors you must consider before you send your child away for days, weeks, or even months in some cases. Here are 4 important questions you need to ask during your search for the right summer camp.
1. What is my child ready for?
Nothing ruins a child’s adventurous spirit quite like a terrible camp experience. If you don’t want to turn your child’s trip into a stressful, horror story, it’s vital that you figure out exactly what kind of experience your child is ready for.
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If you’re going to send your child away for a full sleepaway camp (24/7), make sure that they are ready. Ask them. Gauge their response.
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If you have any trepidations as to whether they are ready for the full summer camp experience, you may want to consider a day camp until you are sure they are ready.
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You also need to consider whether you’re ok with your child going to a camp that’s far away, or whether you would rather have them stay local.
2. What is my child interested in?
This is big one that many parents miss. Are they interested in yoga or painting or climbing or woodwork?
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If your child has no interest in dance or sports, why would you send them to a specialty camp dealing in dance or sports? You’re not going to force your child to love/be talented at something by sending them to a specific summer camp.
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Instead, let your child try a more general interest camp. Maybe they will find themselves there. On the other hand, if your teen really wants to experience a highly-specialized camp, let them make that decision.
3. What are the camp’s licenses and accreditations – and what’s the difference?
All camps need to be licensed – but not all have accreditation. Should you require accreditation before sending your kid to a particular summer camp? That’s really up to you.
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“Licensing is required and imposed. Accreditation is voluntary. Camps that are accredited have demonstrated their commitment to providing safe and nurturing environments for children,” notes the American Camp Association.
Many times licensing only covers the bare bones – food safety, potential physical hazards, etc. Accreditation can cover a wide range of issues including curriculum – which is very important to many parents.
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Not every good camp is accredited, but every accredited camp is as least a solid facility in the eyes of the ACA.
4. Have I talked to my child about potential dangers?
Dangers in this sense aren’t skinned knees and twisted ankles. Teaching your child not to take unnecessary risks with their bodies is important, but kids will be kids. Dangers in this sense are the ones posed by alcohol abuse and unwanted physical attention.
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The biggest takeaway your child should have after talking with you about either topic is that the dialog between you is always open and free of judgement and punishment. This is the only way to promote true honesty.
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As far as drugs and alcohol are concerned, it’s important to set clear guidelines for your child so that “experimentation” doesn’t fall into some sort of parental grey area.
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When it comes to possible physical abuse, let your child know that there are no such thing as secrets in this relationship and that “no” is always an appropriate part of their vocabulary.
Don’t go into the summer camp season unprepared. Do your research and include your child in the process. You will ultimately make the decisions, but your child is the one who’s going to experience it all.
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Negative and stressful experiences are often internalized, especially when one is young. And these often fester over time leading to illnesses later on in life to include a broad spectrum of illnesses from depression, bulimia and obesity to degenerative diseases like cancer and cardiovascular problems.
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Make sure you are on the same page about what your child wants out of a camp. It must be something enjoyable which they really want to attend.
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Because of the nature of camps and being away from home, you child might not be getting all the nutrients they need.
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So pack into their bags bio-available plant-based nutritional supplements to include fun sizzling minerals (the spark plugs of life), broad spectrum Fizzy Multi-Vitamins, Vitamin C and anti-inflammatory curcumin (for cuts, bruises, grazes).
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Your child is still growing, so add these plant-based protein chews into their bags for ‘just-in-case’ moments when they might need extra protein while enjoying their ultra-intensive sports activity.
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And finally, add an oral Stem Cell Enhance for joint pain relief and muscle regeneration if they will be participating in sports and physical activities in a sports camp.
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You can be sure that most camps will not have these to hand, so why deprive your child of the best you can give them. Pack these in, and tell them to take them everyday!
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You’d have done your best as a loving, caring parent for your child. They will thank you for this, even long after when they are adults with children of their own.
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Article by Katybeth Dee
info@selfexam.org
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