Girl Scout Camps

[Anonymous]

I'll echo that GS camp is run pretty much the same everywhere and focuses on traditional camp experiences. For example everybody is going to tie dye once during their camp, at every camp.
One difference is that with the summer weather here, they are going to spend significant time in the pool or in the shade (a contrast with my childhood in a colder area) and that cuts into time for other things.

I also think some of DD's camp groups have been too big and I hope that GS addresses that - it's hard because they want to keep prices low, and there's huge demand. But having too many kids does diminish the experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll echo that GS camp is run pretty much the same everywhere and focuses on traditional camp experiences. For example everybody is going to tie dye once during their camp, at every camp.
One difference is that with the summer weather here, they are going to spend significant time in the pool or in the shade (a contrast with my childhood in a colder area) and that cuts into time for other things.

I also think some of DD's camp groups have been too big and I hope that GS addresses that - it's hard because they want to keep prices low, and there's huge demand. But having too many kids does diminish the experience.

Girl Scouts is very risk adverse and that applies across all activities. For things like the pool, kids have to take a swim test. My 8 yo (on swim team) passed so she could swim anywhere, but only one other kid in her whole unit passed for full pool access, so she ended up spending all her time in the very small and crowded shallow end to be with friends. It was a big letdown for her. They also didn't allow jumping or swimming under water or other seemingly normal pool activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has done May Flather the last few years and loved it. Plans to go again this summer. She has never mentioned the issues with waiting around for activities. I don't know if this is age dependent? My kid is 14, so she's with older kids and smaller groups. She didn't do camps as a younger Girl Scout because of Covid.

One of her good friends did a year of Girl Scout camp and hated it because she could not cope with the bathrooms. She now goes to a more traditional camp. So if you have a kid that will be bothered by not having flushing toilets, then it might not be a good choice for your family.

I've worked at May Flather in the past, and there is some waiting around- waiting for other kids to climb the wall since only 2-3 can do it at a time, etc. Staff usually try to make it engaging for campers, like playing other games or singing songs while they wait their turn. The bathroom is a issue with some campers- including myself as a kid, but most get used to it within a day or so.

[Anonymous]

We love the overnight GS camps! They are especially popular for grades 3-6. After 6/7th grades they do offer more challenging camp themes, and take field trips (e.g. day trip to Via Feratta for rock climbing, or tubing down the Shenandoah river). The main difference with a 'regular' camp is comfort. GS camp cabins have no electricity (no phones!). GS camps also have a lot of traditions. Camp Songs. And there's something comforting for the girls to be in an all girl setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll echo that GS camp is run pretty much the same everywhere and focuses on traditional camp experiences. For example everybody is going to tie dye once during their camp, at every camp.
One difference is that with the summer weather here, they are going to spend significant time in the pool or in the shade (a contrast with my childhood in a colder area) and that cuts into time for other things.

I also think some of DD's camp groups have been too big and I hope that GS addresses that - it's hard because they want to keep prices low, and there's huge demand. But having too many kids does diminish the experience.

Girl Scouts is very risk adverse and that applies across all activities. For things like the pool, kids have to take a swim test. My 8 yo (on swim team) passed so she could swim anywhere, but only one other kid in her whole unit passed for full pool access, so she ended up spending all her time in the very small and crowded shallow end to be with friends. It was a big letdown for her. They also didn't allow jumping or swimming under water or other seemingly normal pool activities.

Which location was it that doesn't let kids swim underwater? Or is that all of them?