Uncategorized

By: Julie Kaiden

Camp is under a month away (yes, you read that right!) and it’s time again to start thinking about the infamous “Last Meal”, or for some families, “the week of a thousand meals”. 

Campers can be overwhelmed with the first day jitters, but are also anxious to reunite with camp friends and get back into the much deserved summer routines.  Parents are getting emotional about separating with their kids, whether it’s for 2, 4 or 7 weeks – especially after all the time they have had together over the last year +.  It certainly brings up all the feels as we watch our children experience a push into adulthood, far from home but embarking on the summer of their lives.  They really do grow up fast!

Even though campers live 10-for-2 and love their camps, they also are obsessed with their favorite food from home. Indulge with your child one last time before they take off for the summer with their family meal and enjoy some more family time.  Here are 3 easy steps to nailing your last family meal together:

1. The first step to pulling off the perfect “Last Meal” is crucial – picking the cuisine!  What type of food will your camper miss the most while at camp?  Is it Japanese? Italian? Mexican?  A delish steak dinner?  A home cooked meal?  Although food at camps has improved greatly over the years from the mush to a bevy of options including salad, pasta, and the occasional lobster (Helllllllo Maine!) and steak, your camper still wants to say goodbye to home in style.
2. The next step is to pick the perfect setting.  Besides the food, this meal is an opportunity for valuable family time before the kids leave. You want to make sure you have time to chat about the excitement that lies ahead – yet also feels like a festive, celebratory night.  Does your child have a favorite restaurant in your town or city?  Is there somewhere your child is aching to try?  This year in particular, campers will be laying low before camp to reduce the risk of COVID-19 – so bringing in sounds like the best option if you are wanting the restaurant route.  This gives you the controlled, comforting environment of being home – while still enjoying favorite foods from whichever restaurant your camper will be most excited about!  This step can get a little tricky when you’re sending multiple kids off to camp. Be prepared for multiple lunches and / or dinners for some good QT and to satisfy the needs of each sibling. It would be wayyyyy too easy to just pick one place!

Editors note: Every year, we take our kids to their most favorite local restaurant for dinner – and it’s where we go for lunch when they return – but this year, keeping in mind staying careful before camp – we are opting to have our last supper at home. My kids don’t know this yet (so I hope they aren’t reading this. Just kidding. They aren’t!) but we are going to create a “restaurant” menu with all their favorite dishes in mini courses. Chez Kaiden, if you will!

3. The final step (drum roll pleaseeeeeeee!) is to relax. Let the night be about your child. What they are looking forward to. What they may be anxious about. And of course, what their first meal will be once they are back from camp. Keep the night light and positive and rest up – find your darkest sunnies for the next day – and let them fly. They got this!

By: Jessica Greif, Summer 365 Counselor located in Brooklyn, New York

Sleepaway camp has been a part of my life since 1986. I went from being the youngest camper in my bunk at age almost-8 to feeling like the oldest cabin counselor ever in the universe at age 25. And now, 35 years after beginning my camp journey, I have a new job title: that of camper mom. It’s a role in which I was initially cast leading up to Summer 2020, but with production put on hold for a year, I’ve spent the last 12 months rehearsing. Now that it’s May, we’ve begun gathering bits and pieces of gear in our guest room, in hopes that we can pack without last-minute stress. As I think about my own summer preparations over the years, and about shifting into this new phase of my relationship to camp, I can’t help think of my mother, who was–and is still–a master of labeling, Ziploc-bagging, and making sure her kids had what they needed. Looking ahead to our son’s first summer away, I am aware that there is one aspect of camper-momming for which I have unknowingly been in training since childhood – a set of guidelines that my mom laid out through her unflagging consistency as plainly as if she were writing a how-to manual, but in words that were inquisitive rather than instructive and playful rather than pushy. And so I give you, as best I can piece them together, the top 5 lessons I learned from my mother about writing to a kiddo at sleepaway camp:

The top 5 lessons I learned from my mother about writing to a kiddo at sleepaway camp:

1. Quantity Above All

My mom started writing to me each summer when I was still at home, and when I arrived at camp, there was invariably a letter–and sometimes several–waiting for me, narrating what we were up to during those last few days before I left. She wrote to me daily while I was away and I’m not sure I’ve ever told her how much it meant to me to be that girl who receives mail every darn day. I rarely struggled with homesickness during the majority of my camp career, and while that was due to many factors, such as keeping busy and being very happy at a just-right-for-me camp, I also think it had to do with never feeling as though the people I loved the most were very far away, because they appeared in our cabin mailbox daily.

2. No Need to Have Anything Specific to Say!

Most of my mom’s letters were about what she had done that day, whether it was laundry, errands, a haircut, a movie she and my dad had seen, or dinner with friends, and I ate it up as a reader. It simultaneously made me feel as if I were there with her, and also, if I’m honest, that I was lucky to be at camp, where it was way more fun than at home! Even when she traveled to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents and went on the bike rides I loved and ate at favorite restaurants, I never felt as though I were missing anything, because she brought me along with her.

3. Break Out Allll the Nicknames

I have a stash of letters from the summer of 1992, my last year as a camper before becoming a CIT, and in the ones I’ve been rereading from my mom, she greets me variously as: Jezel (twice), Jezel-Bezz, Jess-a-belle, Jess Greif, and just plain Jess. Some of these were familiar, while others I’d never heard before or since. The great thing about using silly nicknames in a letter is that you’re not embarrassing your kid in front of anyone, but it is guaranteed to make them smile, even if they would never admit it to you. A corollary to this is:

4. Have Fun with the Visuals

My mom is big into cards, and so almost everything she wrote me was on a greeting card, rather than on plain paper or stationery. I turned 14 the summer I received these letters and I can assure you, nothing she sent me was ever subject to the annoyance and eye-rolling I doled out so generously when we were together in person. This is a selection of the cards she sent that summer, and while that level of cutesy would no doubt have not been welcome in our live interactions, they positively hit the spot when I received them at camp. There is something about being away from home that, while making a young person worlds more independent, also strips kids down to their essential kid-ness and does away with the need to assert oneself as separate, because the circumstances have already taken care of it. So the top hat-clad duckies, the snuggling kittycats, and the rodents clutching heart-shaped balloons? Bring ‘em on. All of that and then some.

5. Settle on a Signature

I can’t say why this made a difference to me, but there was something comforting about how my mom would sign her letters. The most frequently used sign-off I can recall was Lots of love from Dad and me – Mom. The “Mom” went on the line below the rest of it and usually had a little swirl underneath. Something about the regularity of that goodbye and its variants was soothing to me and I came to count on its rhythm. I’ve compiled the sign-offs from the pile of cards I’ve been looking at, and they all have some version of the patented my-mom farewell. I haven’t decided how I’ll end my letters to my daughter this summer, but I’m thinking I might put the “Mom” part inside a heart – stay tuned.

And with that, I leave you to your letter-writing adventures that will—no matter what form they take–be perfect for your kid(s), because they will reflect your unique bond. There is no wrong way to go about letter-writing. We may be out of practice in this somewhat lost art–or even in writing by hand at all–after spending so many years in front of screens and keyboards, sending instant missives and expecting instant replies. Just as our kids are stepping away from what is easy and comfortable at home and immersing themselves in the slow, tangible delight of time spent at camp, I encourage us to do the same in our communications with them. Write early and write often, and your kids will know they’re on your mind and in your heart.

By: Dana Liberman, Summer 365 Counselor located in New Jersey

So, first of all, I am not really old enough to have a child ready to start looking at sleepaway camps, let alone get on a bus and go to one.  And second, I just got off a bus a few years ago from my camp, right?  Was 1994 not a few years ago?!  

I vividly remember having camp directors come over to my house in the snow, setting up their slide projectors in my living room and projecting their ‘camps’ onto my uneven wood-panel wall.  Don’t judge, it was the mid-80s 😉.  I remember road-tripping with my parents later that year to visit and tour the camps. I remember the songs being sung around each camp, the colors the girls wore and what the bunks looked like.  How is it that I am now the one in charge, contacting camp directors, reaching out to set up tours and booking hotels to stay in?  Where did the years go and how do I even begin to explain to my daughters how lucky they are they have their entire camp lifetime in front of them and how they need to treasure each and every moment they have at camp for it goes by way too quickly? They will blink and someday find themselves at a desk doing the same for their kids.

When I think about how fortunate I was that my parents gave me the opportunity to go to camp, the gift of sending me to a place to grow into my own, to try things I would never otherwise be exposed to, to learn from others I may never have met and to truly find who I was meant to be in this world, I recognize the importance of the decision.  

And so, as I embark on this journey with my oldest daughter, unsure of what her camp experience will be, I am trying to keep a level head about it all.  I loved camp…I am camp.  There is no place in the world I feel more myself than at camp.  But this isn’t about me, it is about her. And I want her to have her own experience.  I want her to find a place that is all her own.  Of course, she knows how I feel about camp, she will tell you it is my happy place, but I am doing my best not to influence her decision about where to go or what to expect.  I want her to experience the websites, the videos and the conversations with camp directors with an open, unbiased and clear mind.  I want her to walk on to campuses this summer and not know what to expect.  I want her opinions to be her own. I want her to be wow-d and surprised. I want her to be curious and ask questions…not the ones my husband and I will ask, the ones a 7-year old wants to know about.  She’s already excited to ‘stay up all night’ (and my apologies in advance to her future counselor because she very well might some nights!) and she doesn’t quite understand how you really just get to have fun and do activities all day and night for 7 weeks straight.  I love the innocence and can’t wait for the adventure that lies ahead for her.

So here we go.  Bring on the brochures!  Let the videos roll!  Our bags are packed (well not just yet but in my head I’m already mentally packing)!  I have waited my whole mom-life to do this and after the year our children have had I can’t imagine a more perfect time to tour and start this journey.  Hope you will follow along with me on this ride…plan to keep you all posted.

Wish us luck!

XO

Dana

A special collab that is to (tie) dye for!

Is your blood type tie dye too? Tie dye is such a summer / camp staple and clearly a trend that is not going anywhere anytime soon.

On this National Tie Dye Day we want to take a minute to honor this quarantine obsession. Tie dye is everywhere and there’s a reason why. So where did it come from and why is it relevant now more than ever? Little might you know, our fave pattern has historical roots and its emergence and popularity in 2019 and 2020 is not coincidental. According to a blog from Heroine by Jessa Chargois, “a synonymous symbol of the counterculture movement, tie-dye has an undeniable place within American history and the American future. While tie-dye has been a form of self-expression for centuries, the cultural significance surrounding the rainbow swirls and bright colors was solidified within the 1960s and 1970s, serving as an emblem of the rejection of strict social norms imposed on society within the 1950s. Rejecting violence, capitalism, materialism, and uniformity, the hippie culture preached love and compassion and sought individualism through the use of tie-dye techniques on their garments.”

Furthermore, Chargois says that “until recently, tie-dye was a friendly backyard activity for the youth, rather than a symbol of rejection for the establishment. However, in Spring 2019, high fashion luxury runway shows began to show elevated forms of the psychedelic print in sophisticated silhouettes.” And at many shows many in the fashion world showcased the the connection between politics and high fashion and brought tie dye swirls into the conversation maintaining the “integrity of the psychedelic print” to represent love and peace.

Tie dye’s everlasting presence beyond the summer months is sparking such joy by bringing summer vibes all year long. So whether you create it or wear it for nostalgia, to make a political statement, or because you love its burst of colorful swirls and want to continue to ROCK IT AND ROCK ON 24/7 for all fours season… no judgments here!!

Celebrate National Tie Dye Day with a very special collab!  

We are beyond excited to partner with Live & Let Dye to launch a limited edition custom collection for summer ’21.  Nothing says camp fashion more than tie dye, so we put together two bundles for ordering: our Happy Camper print (rainbow tie dye!) or customized Spirit print (camp colors!).  Each bundle includes a hoodie, tank & bandana and we cannot wait to see your happy campers rocking it all during rest hour, on the fields, campfires, or during Color War!  

From morning line up to evening campfire, this collaboration is TO (TIE) DYE FOR!

To celebrate the season of giving, we are introducing two exciting GIVE SUM give back initiatives to raise money and awareness for our partner SCOPE (Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education) and participate in their ‘Do Something December’ CAMP-aign. Let’s do this, together!!

There are THREE (easy) ways to give back with Summer 365!

Get the bunk back together this winter season and sign up for a S’more 365  virtual elective focused on giving back this holiday season, camp style! Learn about service, fundraising, the mission of SCOPE, and come ready to brainstorm a creative and fun service project you and your friends will put into action! Children and teens of all ages are welcome. Set up a private elective or join an open class, all proceeds from the elective will go to SCOPE. Electives will be instructed by awesome camping professionals and/or campers!! Email to get more info and set up an elective.

Also – the buddy system!  It works just as well in business. For every friend referred to Summer 365’s service we will make a $100 donation to SCOPE, simply make a note you want to #GIVESUM!

Finally, what is GIVE SUM? We know so many cannot afford a summer camp experience, which is exactly why GIVE SUM was born —a special scholarship fund that affords kids from underserved communities, life changing opportunities through the experience of summer camp. For every child or teen we work with that enrolls in a camp or program we made a donation to this fund as well as other fundraising and volunteer initiatives that Summer 365 engages in throughout the year.  Learn more here and to donate directly.

We are proud to partner with SCOPE.  Children who receive SCOPE camperships gain access to attend overnight summer camp throughout the United States, free of cost to their family.  As you know, camp is one of the greatest gifts you can give this holiday season.

We’ve got two scary good (and easy!) recipes cooking up in the Summer 365 Canteen from our favorite pediatric nutritionist, Jodi Greebel MS, RDN @greengrownmeals. Get festive this Halloween with a healthy TRICK – veggie jack-o-lantern – and sweet TREAT – chocolate bark. 

Jodi also is one of our talented s’more 365 instructors offering virtual private cooking classes. Visit our website or email smore365@summer365.com to learn more and book a delicious experience!

TRICK: Halloween Veggie Jack-O-Lantern

(peanut, tree-nut, sesame and gluten free)

Ingredients

Veggie Jack-O-Lantern:

• Orange bell pepper
• Edible food pen
• Carrot Sticks
• Cucumber Strips
• Pepper Strips
• Celery Stalks
• Jicama

Sesame-free hummus:

• 1 c garbanzo beans, drained
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pepper

Instructions

Process all ingredients for sesame-free hummus in food processor until smooth. 

Cut off top of bell pepper and remove seeds. Using edible food pen, draw jack-o-lantern face on bell pepper or a knife or pumpkin carving tool, an ADULT can carefully cut out the face. Place hummus in bottom 1/3 of bell pepper. Stand assorted veggies inside.

*Short-cut: use store bought hummus or guacamole 

TREAT: Halloween Chocolate Bark

(peanut, tree nut, sesame free: make sure to check ingredients of toppings)

Ingredients

• 12 – 14 oz good quality (60 – 70% cacao) chocolate bar

• Halloween toppings: orange and black sprinkles, candy corn, candy pumpkins, orange nonpareils, edible eyes

Instructions

Cover quarter sheet pan (9×13) with parchment paper or silicon mat. Place chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Heat in 20 second intervals until about 90 percent melted. Stir until melted the rest of the way. Pour chocolate onto prepared pan. Use spatula to spread chocolate evenly over pan. (It doesn’t need to reach the edges.) Add desired toppings. Press gently into chocolate. Allow to cool at room temperature at least 2 hours. Once hardened, break into pieces. 

First time camp parents often ask a lot of great questions and sometimes have a few spooky thoughts about their child’s well being during their inaugural summer.  Their children may be 7-8-9 years old and still need mom and dad for nearly everything.  Yes, it might feel like there is a lot to worry about when you send your little human off to camp.  Naturally, this is the first time you are separating in this kind of way for an extended period of time.

Here are some of the most common questions and concerns we receive from our clients. No, there’s nothing we haven’t heard or camps haven’t handled!  Here are 7 (not so) spooky camp myths de-bunked!

My child is a picky eater.  He/she won’t eat anything at camp and will starve!

Your child will eat.  He/she will not starve!  Really! Camps provide so many options at each meal, from a salad bar to bagels and plain pasta.  Even the pickiest of eaters learn to fend for themselves and learn how to manage their mealtime needs on their own. There are cook outs, taco nights, pizza parties and lots of farm fresh fruit and veggies.  There’s something for everyone and you can speak to the camp director before camp to share any allergies or real concerns.

 We’re sending our child to camp alone, not knowing a soul.  What if they don’t make any friends?

Before camp: Many camps assign a big brother or sister before (or sometimes) during camp, and camps are often open to connecting you with a buddy or two in the age group or in your town or one nearby.  There are pre-camp events for first year campers.  Also, older parents are always eager to welcome new people into the camp family.  Kids never get off the bus, plane or car lonely and there’s always a warm familiar adult or teenager waiting on the other side with a smile.

Once camp starts: Learning to make new friends in new environments is challenging no matter how old we are. It’s hard, scary and even exhausting! But guess what? Your kid will do what many adults are afraid to do. They let go of inhibitions and open up to new friendships, to let new people in. Kids also learn how to manage individual friendships within a group dynamic. One day at camp is pretty much equivalent to a week in the real world. Friendships bloom is much different ways, and there are counselors and adults there to make sure everyone is adjusting, acclimating, and connecting. They are also there to provide support, reassurance, and feedback when campers need assistance.

My child won’t sleep – they wake up so early or can’t go to sleep at night!

Here’s the truth: Your child may run into your room at an ungodly hour on Sunday mornings. Here’s the other truth: s/he will learn how to occupy herself/himself so s/he doesn’t have to. The beauty is that by occupy, we don’t mean plop down in front of the TV. We mean draw, write, read, listen to music, dream. Your camper, at this moment, has within him or her the ability to embrace tech-free down time, and that’s a truly beautiful thing.

I need to be close to where my child is going to camp, in case something happens.

Many parents initially like the concept of sending their child to a sleepaway camp that is in close driving distance. It is a very normal and common thought and concern but let’s unpack that for a second. Your overnight camp director, their leadership team, and their health center will deal with any emergencies within the first few minutes of them occurring.  There are protocols, procedures, and plans of action for these moments. Camp directors will call parents, but it’s the camp who is doing the heavy lifting if ‘disaster’ strikes.  They’re experienced and you trust them, or you wouldn’t be sending your kids to their camp for a summer. This trust and understanding is why so many are comfortable choosing a sleepaway camp that is the best fit even if it is a plane ride away.

My child doesn’t know how to shower alone! 

We promise, all kids will learn how to shower alone.  The whole bunk does it and the campers have their shower caddies with the soap, shampoo and conditioner all right there for them.  Guess what?! They figure it out on day one with a little help from their counselor or bunk mom.  They stay clean all summer long.

My child won’t wash… his/her hair, teeth, sheets, won’t cut nails, put on sunscreen, know how to get dressed!!

Yes s/he will!  And anything they can’t do, the camp moms or camp counselors can do or teach! These adults are also there to make sure these daily or weekly hygiene tasks are done and done well. Kids are like sponges and learn fast and they’ll learn from each other. This is the good kind of peer pressure and peer learning.  They’ll surprise you when they get home and can braid hair, make their beds perfectly and entertain themselves on a rainy day! Don’t worry – the dreaded stories of full bottles of shampoo, sunscreen, and toothpaste returning home are mostly myths.

My child won’t speak up for themselves if they need something.

Kids at camp learn to advocate for themselves and how to meaningfully communicate with adults in ways they just don’t have to at home or in school. Why? Because you (appropriately) are there to help advocate. At camp, your kids are interacting with adults other than you in important and healthy ways. So let’s say that picky eater really isn’t into what’s for dinner s/he had to tell someone when s/he is hungry even or if that not so great sleeper didn’t get enough hours the night before s/he lets the counselor know s/he needs extra rest (really sleeping during rest hour or maybe a lower energy choice period). Your child learns to speak up in the dining hall, on the courts, and even in the health center.

We love getting these questions.  It’s why we are here as well as to remind you again: there’s just nothing like the gift of camp. Camp helps give your children independence, resilience, and confidence.  And with those gifts, kids have the opportunity to become the best, happiest, truest version of themselves. They get better at camp! (And you didn’t think it was possible!)

Not only do we help you find the perfect camp for your family, we stick with you before, during and after the summer as well!  Reach out any time with any questions! xoxo