Anonymous wrote:Are the church camps inclusive to children with no religious affiliation? We have experience with church-based pre-schools which were fine but not with actual camps.

Inclusive in that you are welcome but you are expected to do Bible study (30 mins a day) and “chapel” (maybe an hour a day of preaching, singing hymns and soft rock Christian music). Tbh my atheist kids loved Chapel- it was very motivational and they enjoyed the music too. I was shocked. But they are mainly there for the swimming, sailing, rock climbing, archery, games etc

Anonymous wrote:I’m on the west coast but mine go to a church ran summer camp that’s $300/week and they prefer it over the $700-900 options even though we are atheists. But it’s only a week at a time as people don’t do the multiple week summer camps here - seems like mainly an east coast thing.

The church camps are the cheapest and they are super fun. You just have to put up with the indoctrination - and some of them are pretty intense/conservative

My kids enjoyed Camp Hidden Meadows when younger, and Maine Teen Camp when older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not if you are wanting a 7 week camp, which are the ones that are 10-15k.

BUT many have robust scholarships and you could potentially get a discount or free tuition.

7 week camp?!?!

Parents ship their kids off for that long. Yikes

Yes. We did one year for 6 weeks. This year, kids are now 15 and 13 and going for four. They love their camp, it is their second home. It is not cheap but worth it for everyone to have a real break.

NP. To each his own, and I’m glad the kids like it. But there are so few summers left together. That seems like a long time to send kids away.

Are the church camps inclusive to children with no religious affiliation? We have experience with church-based pre-schools which were fine but not with actual camps.

Our church has work camps for teens where they go to parts of Appalachia or the Caribbean to rebuild houses.

Scouts are also great - there are a lot of options if you join a troop. My son will be gone for 4 weeks this summer on various scouting trips/camps and it costs very little.

Camp Sea Gull

SB2W - PA 2 week camp very affordable especially for families with multiple kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not if you are wanting a 7 week camp, which are the ones that are 10-15k.

BUT many have robust scholarships and you could potentially get a discount or free tuition.

7 week camp?!?!

Parents ship their kids off for that long. Yikes

Yes. We did one year for 6 weeks. This year, kids are now 15 and 13 and going for four. They love their camp, it is their second home. It is not cheap but worth it for everyone to have a real break.

Anonymous wrote:Not if you are wanting a 7 week camp, which are the ones that are 10-15k.

BUT many have robust scholarships and you could potentially get a discount or free tuition.

7 week camp?!?!

Parents ship their kids off for that long. Yikes

I’m on the west coast but mine go to a church ran summer camp that’s $300/week and they prefer it over the $700-900 options even though we are atheists. But it’s only a week at a time as people don’t do the multiple week summer camps here - seems like mainly an east coast thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The YMCA camps are probably the cheapest around.

Those are maybe a week. I don’t think that is what OP is seeking, otherwise she would know there are options less than 10k

I'm not familiar with the Y camps down here, but that's absolutely incorrect across the board.

My kids go to a Y camp in New England that offers 4 2-week sessions; kids can go for one session or all four (or do two, or three) and there are plenty of kids who do all eight weeks. Same with the Y camp my nieces go to; options range from 2 weeks to 8 weeks.

My kids' camp is $2250 for each two week session, but there is a slight discount if you do multiple sessions. So that's about $9/kid for all 8 weeks. Specialty add-ons like water skiing, equestrian, etc will have an added fee.

In terms of the Y camps I'm familiar with, your six year old is still too young and your 14 year old is close to aging out and would likely have to do an LIT or CIT program next summer. At our Y camp, the LIT/CIT program is competitive and it's rare for girls who haven't attended for multiple previous summers to get a spot, but that's not the case at all Y camps.

Look at Camp Tockwogh

Traditional summer camps that are all summer (or longer sessions) tend to cost more, but the kids return year after year and are a tight community. Scouts camps and other 1 week options tend to have different kids and counselors each year. They are very different experiences. Due to your kids ages, the second option might be best- and cheaper.

Anonymous wrote:YMCA Camp Letts
Girl Scout camp for the girls

The problem with Girl Scout camp is that they overcorrected on girl safety. EVERYTHING has to be done with a buddy, even in the same small unit. My kid felt like it was all rules and structure, and little fun