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.

I first went as a teen because we were poor. My mom didn’t let us do the sleep away camps for poor inner city kids that all our neighbors did. But in HS, I got a scholarship to attend one almost the entire summer. I was mot homesick and had an amazing experience.

Our DS (turning 13 in the summer) will go to his first sleepaway camp (Interlochen piano camp). Let's see how it turns out.

Anonymous wrote: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.

PP, I'm the PP whose DD went to Spain for two weeks. Try Summerfeul, and if they don't have anything, see what else pops up on google when you searched for them. I think there's another called Oxford Prep or something like that.

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.

My teen would have done Concordia Language Villages during Summer 2020, but it was cancelled due to Covid. It's a camp experience with language immersion, and there were teen-focused sessions.

http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org

I agree with the PP that programs for older campers focus on leadership and other skills (CPR, lifeguard, first aid). As such, the experience is slightly different, but the lessons learned around being away from home, being more independent and living with others are valuable. My 15 yr old is a returning camper and is excited to see friends, but there's also 5-6 new kids in that age group and the Director has already reached out to make sure the returning kids build the community to welcome & include the kids. Find a camp that offers the environment and activities your boys want and they should be fine. I think looking now is a smart move as most overnight camps for that age group are sold out this summer.

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.

As a mom of an 18 y.o. who will be heading off to college this coming fall, I think it's very helpful to have had your kid do some sort of "away" "thing" to give them that experience, but it doesn't have to be a sleep away camp.

So for instance, my DC did a writing camp. She also did a summer course at Georgetown (we now live on the west coast so it was a big deal...but if we were still living in Arlington it would have been fine. The trick is to act as if they are far away by not bothering them or driving over their forgotten shoes)

She also did a school trip to Spain.

I think if she had not had those experiences, she'd really be freaking out about now about moving to another city (a city we don't know AT ALL) for college. And more worried about having a room mate, but she's not, she points out that she had a great time with her roommates in each of these situations.

So I'd broaden your horizons, OP, just to get them familiar with living somewhere else without family for a week or two.

If the camp has other 16 year olds, the 16 year old cannot be too old. They can have any age appropriate new experience. Good for them!

There are other options like outward bound etc. that are sleep away but not traditional camps that they might like.

Anonymous wrote:13 no, 15 depends. If they want to go and they are staying a whole summer, sure.

Agree with this. 13 year old is about the upper limit for first timers at full summer sleepaway camps - many of those kids have been going for years and have bonded with their friends.

But you should look into overnight teen trip oriented camps.

For many traditional sleepaway camps, 16-year-olds are in their final year and doing some kind of leadership program. You might want to look at a traveling program such as Overland.

The 14-year-old might be okay depending on the camp and the child's personality.

13 no, 15 depends. If they want to go and they are staying a whole summer, sure.

Meaning they’re will be 16 and 14?

The 14 year old will be okay, the 16 year old might be a bit old but you never know.

I never sent my kids away for sleepaway camp when they were younger. They didn't want to go and I wasn't going to force them. And I loved having them at home. I have no regrets.

But now they are ready to try it in their teens. Maybe they missed out on something. Is it too late now at 13 and 15 to go away to sleepaway camp for the first time? Are the relationships solidified at camp already? Will they feel like outsiders being newbies? BTW... am thinking about this for next summer, not this summer.