BY DESIGN : Dirty Little Secrets : Don’t even think about sending the kids to camp with new clothes. Pack old duds. Grubbies. Mismatched socks. Going away for summer should be fun, not a fashion show.
Summer camp is a wonderful thing . . . so quiet, serene . . . at home, that is, when the kids are away at camp. Parents part with hundreds of dollars each year just so their kids can eat, sleep and play in the dirt. Dirt is the operative word. Keep it in mind, say camp counselors and directors, if you want to help your children enjoy the experience.
First on their list of grievous mistakes? New clothes. Camp is where old clothes go to die--not a place to break in new ones. Parents are often inclined, the experts say, to outfit their kids as if they were going to spend a week at La Costa. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
“I’ve seen kids who wouldn’t sit on the grass or do activities because they were afraid their new clothes would get ruined and their moms would kill them,” says Antoinette Villanueva, a counselor at Camp Hollywoodland in Griffith Park.
Most kids have everything they need in their closets, she says. And if it’s not in their closets, try checking the mending pile, the mountain of single socks or the hand-me-down bag. Old, stained and mismatched clothing is perfect to send to camp. Since kids tend to lose their clothes, you won’t care if the old moldies don’t come home. (Who wants to see that stuff again anyway?)
“You might as well send unmatched socks because matched ones won’t come back,” says Denise Stein, director of Walton’s Grizzly Lodge in Portola, Calif. “Socks die somewhere.”
New clothes meet a similar fate. “After four days at camp, they’re not going to look new anymore,” says Scott Hamilton, director of Mountain Camp II in Auburn, Calif.
He says there is no need to worry about a “geek factor” associated with clothes. “One of the great things about camp is, it’s so rustic. The whole purpose is to get away from things like peer-group pressure about how to dress. Besides, they won’t look any dorkier than the counselors.”
Camps send out a suggested packing list well in advance. Water camps such as Catalina Island Camps will ask for multiple swimsuits. High-altitude camps will request heavy jackets. Other than those extremes, most lists are very similar, requiring nothing more, really, than what most kids already have in their closets. (See box, E3.)
A week’s worth of clothing is all most children need, no matter how long they spend at camp. Most resident camps (the overnight variety where kids stay anywhere from seven days to 10 weeks) offer laundry facilities for children staying longer than one week.
Sending your little campers off with too much junk defeats the purpose of camp: learning to be independent. “It doesn’t make them feel successful if they can’t manage their own stuff,” says Carol Cook of the San Fernando Girl Scout Council.
In addition, camp counselors advise parents to share the packing experience.
“Sometimes kids won’t know what is theirs, and they won’t claim it cause they don’t recognize it. Beach towels are notorious for being stranded,” Villanueva says.
To name it is to claim it, which is why all camp counselors like to see names sewn, stamped or scribbled into the clothes. (See box, E3.) Use the child’s whole name, not just initials. Some camps see thousands of children each summer, and “R.O.” could be any number of children.
Everything should be marked, not just the clothing. Toothbrushes, hairbrushes and pillows need to have some kind of identification as well.
“As soon as they don’t need to use it, it’s out of their minds,” Cook says. “They take off their sweat shirts and wander away. They leave toothbrushes in the bathroom. Hair scrunchies are everywhere. They don’t mean to lose things--they just get excited and rush off to another activity.”
Flashlight batteries should be checked and a good sleeping bag procured. Lightweight bags made of nylon (quick drying) with offset stitched baffles (warmer) are preferred over a heavy cotton-filled bag (takes longer to dry and is often not as warm). Bags with cartoon characters on them are made for indoor use and are inadequate protection for outdoor camping.
As for the beloved objects--the blanket your child can’t sleep without, the tattered bunny with only one eye--by all means, send those to camp too, with a name tag, of course. Counselors are used to seeing young kids with their security blankets. Older kids (say 10-plus) might want to consider leaving Mr. Bear at home, or at least pinning him to the inside of a pillow case.
Remember, a happy camper is one who is warm and dry, not necessarily clean and fashionable.
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Making Sure They’ll Be Happy Campers
Will your child be happy at camp? Probably. But if a child is hesitant about going, experts caution parents not to set him or her up for failure.
In fact, one of the worst things a parent can do, camp directors say, is tell a child, “If you’re not happy, call us and we’ll come get you.”
“The parents are hoping the kids will get involved and forget their fears,” says Carol Cook of the San Fernando Girl Scout Council. Most parents, she says, have no real intention of coming back the same day and retrieving their children.
“Usually the kids do get involved. But for the child that doesn’t overcome their fears, knowing their parents will come rescue them gives the kids an escape.”
Talk to your child about camp and what to expect. Anticipate situations that may cause anxiety and deal with those before leaving home.
Sleeping outside and seeing the nighttime sky and hearing the chirps, hoots and howls of wild animals is quite different than the city sounds heard from the safety of a child’s bedroom.
Allow your child to sleep in the back yard or arrange a family camping trip in advance so you can be there to answer questions and calm any fears.
Horses can be another problem. Most children are thrilled with the idea of riding horses, but on first encounters they often are astounded at how large they are. A trip to a stable will familiarize your child with the sight, sounds, smell and size of horses.
Many camps feature a lot of water activities. If your child is a hesitant swimmer, some lessons before camp will help buoy confidence.
Some kids (and parents) may not be ready for camp. And it’s not an age issue. There are 4-year-olds independent enough to go for weeks without their parents (although most resident camps will take children only 7 years or older), just as there are some 14-year-olds who are not.
Overprotectiveness, while often hard to squelch, does not help your child gain confidence. “Any time we do for them what they can do for themselves we lessen their self-esteem,” Cook says.
Children with physical or mental limitations are welcome at most camps and do quite well, but only if the parents are honest with the camp directors about their child’s capabilities or special needs.
Cook has had blind, autistic and learning-disabled girls in her mainstream Girl Scout camps who, she says, handled themselves beautifully.
Most programs accept children with special needs, she says. And most health service organizations can provide lists of camps that accommodate these children.
If you’re honest with your kids about what to expect at camp and honest with the camp personnel about what to expect from your children, you’ve done the best you can to see they have a good time.
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Don’t Let Them Leave Home With:
* Cellular phones * Pagers * Hatchets * Hunting knives (pocket knives are usually acceptable) * Hair dryers * Game Boys * $500 spending cash for one week * X-rated magazines * Drugs (the non-prescription kind) * Prescription drugs without their pharmacy bottles and dosage instructions * Walkmans (although a few camps allow them) * Food (attracts animals)
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Don’t Let Them Leave Home Without:
* Socks and underwear for seven days * Two swimsuits * Two beach towels * Three pairs of pants * Four pairs of shorts * Three short-sleeved T-shirts * Three long-sleeved shirts * One set of sweats (can double as pajamas) * One jacket * One brimmed hat * Two pairs of shoes * Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, hair brush, towel) * Gear (sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, bug repellent, water container) * Sports equipment (Some camps provide an incredible array; others want kids to bring their own.)
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Labeling Clothes Doesn’t Have to Be a Hassle
Laundry markers are the most inexpensive way to label clothes. Sharpie brand permanent markers in a variety of colors are available for under $1 at most drugstores and office-supply stores.
The old-fashioned sew-in name tags--what a major hassle--were replaced by iron-in name tags--a minor hassle. Now, there is a no-hassle self-inking stamp that looks something like a stapler. A squeeze of the fingers and voila ! Your child’s name is forever branded on the collar or waistband.
The Troll Learn and Play catalogue sells one for $19.95. It can handle a name with as many as 30 characters and is good for 5,000 stampings. For information, call (800) 247-6106.
