WHAT IS SUMMER CAMP IN AMERICA?

Summer camp is an amazing experience. And luckily, if you love it enough, it doesn’t have to be a once in life time experience. If you enjoy being in the outdoors, spending time with children and toasting marshmallows, then you already have a solid list of reasons to sign up for camp.

Summer camp is a tradition

American’s have a very long summer of two and half months, which runs from the start of June to the beginning of September. Their parents can’t take all that time off work to look after them so they send them off to camp. Most of the camps are run by families and have a long history of looking after campers, so long that their parents often came to the same camp. Summer camps are located all over the United States, but majority of them are in the East Coast.

And there are so many different types of camps

Whether it’s a day camp, a weekday camp or the children stay the whole summer, there are a lot of different options. If children stay for the whole summer they are usually there 7-9 weeks. There are wealthier camps where parents pay a large amount for their children to attend. There’s also under privileged camps where children receive scholarships from their school or sports teams so they can attend. There are also different types of camps like sports camps, religious camps and camps for children with disabilities.

What happens at camp?

Through school us Kiwis and Aussies have been on our fair share of school camps. American Summer Camp is a similar experience. You will be in cabins or tents, doing outdoor activities during the day and getting fed delicious meals to keep your energy up. Unlike school camp you won’t be the kids anymore; you’ll be the parent help. This means you’ll have your own little bunch of campers you’re responsible for. Whether that’s getting them ready for breakfast, hugging them when they have a bad dream or applying copious amounts of sunblock to them (and you!)

What will I do at camp?

There are two main roles for camp counselors, either general counselor or specialist counselor. General counselors spend majority of the time with their bunk. Escorting them to the activities they have each day, making sure they have the right gear and making sure they get everywhere on time. Specialist counselors run the activities that the kids attend. Whether that’s biking, swimming, dance or tennis, there are a range of different roles for specialist counselors. Both roles are fun and mean you’re spending a lot of time with kids. There’s also activities on the evenings like talent shows, games night as well as day trips to baseball games and water parks.

If you have any more questions please drop an email to [email protected], check out our summer camp FAQ’s or get online and start filling out your application. Early bird price is $99 until Sept 30th so apply now!