Is it too late to send kids to sleepaway camp in their teens?

[Anonymous]

OP have you seen these folks

www.teencamp.com

for teens who didn't spend their ES and MS years going away to camps

[Anonymous]

14 year ok’d will do a week of scout camp w his dad in those island and another week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son went for the first time at 13, and had a blast. But he's a joiner and has never met a stranger; can be dropped into any group and he'll happily give it a go and chat with anyone.

What a blessing to have as a personality. So different from both my kids and myself. I have a friend like your son. I think she has truly made the most of this gift of life we have all been given.

[Anonymous]

Try a NOLS program for those ages.

[Anonymous]

My DD had no interest in traditional summer camp when she was younger, but by older middle school and early high school she was very interested in doing a few weeks away at more of a special interest type summer program. In her case she did ones where she stayed on a college campus so it definitely wasn’t “camp” but it was a great opportunity to develop some independence, meet people from all over etc. etc. I can’t speak to what it would be like to go to an old fashioned summer camp for the first time at the older end, but I can tell you that special interest summer programs don’t have “camp culture” in the same groups of friends returning every year so it’s much easier to show up and be a part of things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of more focused programs for teens that might be a better fit than a traditional sleep away camp. I’m in sort of the same boat and I’m looking at camps that are exclusively for teens that are focused on her interest areas.

I’m desperate to find a foreign language study for teens like I did when I was a teenager but Google is not helping. All I can find are the short “volunteer” abroad things. Mine was a month abroad where we took language classes, toured cultural locations, had free time to explore, etc.

Check out Stanstead College in Quebec (French and Spanish programs for pre-teens and teens) - not running this year due to Covid, but next year could be a good option.

[Anonymous]

College-sponsored camps seem ideal for this older crowd. I've also heard great things about the summer camps at Culver Academies in Indiana for teen campers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD had no interest in traditional summer camp when she was younger, but by older middle school and early high school she was very interested in doing a few weeks away at more of a special interest type summer program. In her case she did ones where she stayed on a college campus so it definitely wasn’t “camp” but it was a great opportunity to develop some independence, meet people from all over etc. etc. I can’t speak to what it would be like to go to an old fashioned summer camp for the first time at the older end, but I can tell you that special interest summer programs don’t have “camp culture” in the same groups of friends returning every year so it’s much easier to show up and be a part of things.

Can you share the program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD had no interest in traditional summer camp when she was younger, but by older middle school and early high school she was very interested in doing a few weeks away at more of a special interest type summer program. In her case she did ones where she stayed on a college campus so it definitely wasn’t “camp” but it was a great opportunity to develop some independence, meet people from all over etc. etc. I can’t speak to what it would be like to go to an old fashioned summer camp for the first time at the older end, but I can tell you that special interest summer programs don’t have “camp culture” in the same groups of friends returning every year so it’s much easier to show up and be a part of things.

Can you share the program?

Sure - she did the Great Books Summer Program at Amherst College and Summit Debate at Emerson College in Boston. Neither of these programs were run by the colleges, they were just housed there for the facilities.

[Anonymous]

What is the cost of these sleep away camps?

[Anonymous]

I did sleepaway sports camps individually and with my team at that age.