GTKY- summer camp

jlove253

Hi ladies!

SIL is getting ready to leave in a couple weeks to work at the summer camp when DH and I worked at and met at. I loved working at camp, and attended the same camp as a high schooler. Thinking about this love made me wonder if any of you worked at summer camps? How about attended camps? Also, I've heard that camps on the east and west coasts are different. West coast (my side) tend to be week long camps, where as East coast tend to be summer long. Is this true?

mamatohne

I'm on the west coast and I worked at a camp just after high school. I was two weeks long, but we worked all summer, different age groups each couple weeks.

jlove253

My summer camp was one week sessions, slight variation between a couple weeks, all summer long. Now they have jr. high and high school weeks, but it was just high school. Did you like your camp experience @tarynleann‌?

moroccojade

I went to a 2 week when I was 7.  I HATED IT.  The parents were invited to visit one week in, and I WENT HOME.  lol.

kkewhitney

I love camp! It's one of my favourite places in the world and I actually had a dream about being a counsellor again last night. Except I kept forgetting my girls in the dream, a subconscious worry of motherhood? I'm in western Canada and camps are week long I went for 4 years as a camper and counselled for 5 spring and summers

mamatohne

@jlove253‌ I enjoyed it! Two weeks was too long to be with high school girls and their drama. It would of been much better with 1 weeks sessions!

jlove253

@moroccojade‌ I think I'd have cried too! 7 is so little! I felt nervous at my first camp at 10, and it was only 1 week and my sister and two best friends were in my cabin!

moroccojade

jlove253 said:

@moroccojade‌ I think I'd have cried too! 7 is so little! I felt nervous at my first camp at 10, and it was only 1 week and my sister and two best friends were in my cabin!

That camp was hell on earth for me!  lol. Very, erm, rustic. 

I think 10 is a better age for such things.  And definitely at a camp with a few comforts. 

jlove253

One thing I loved about the camp I worked at was that while it wasn't "posh", each cabin had bathrooms and showers, and while in the woods, it really wasn't rustic. We had great food, awesome activities (surfing, skateboarding, mountain biking, service projects in the community) and other nice amenities. Made camp really easy to transition into for a week for campers, and really enjoyable for a summer as a counselor.

maebee87

I worked as a camp counselor/lifeguard for four summers while doing my undergrad and it was the time of my life. I met my closest friends, had a wicked tan, a fun job and the job experience boosted my teaching resume. It was all summer long, every other week we would get a new age group. Now every summer my 8 close friends who were fellow camp counselors get together and make s'mores and talk about all the crazy times we had.  Love summer and all the crazy memories!

jillybean7582

I went to church camp from 4th grade until 9th grade. It was 2 weeks long. Ibreally enjoyed it. I probably would have continued to go in hs but cross country practices got in the way.

MalachiteDrake

I went to summer camp every year starting at 5, because my mother misread the rules on ages and thought I could start the year before preschool. According to her, once I was on the bus I never even looked back and she was the one that was crying all the first day.  )

We couldn't afford camps, but I can sell Girl Scout cookies like a little monster, apparently, and I always sold enough to get to go to camp for free. I really loved it, and the sprinkling of other camps I got to go to as I got older. They usually ran either a week, ten days, or two weeks. The two week ones did seem to drag on by the end, I think because the "newness" of the camp wore off. 

I've never been a camp counselor, but it's one of the things I'm looking into as something to do with my kid(s) as they get older. Probably not the Scouts, as I have issue with some of the politics/culture there now, but some camping/volunteer/activities group definitely. 

morrkim

I went to Camp Fire camp which was a week long day camp.  Usually each age group had a different night that was overnight.  When I got older I became a counselor at the camp.  I loved camp and I always wished it was longer than a week.

zamboni00

I went to a number of camps as a kid- both day and overnight. I'm on the east coast, and my camps always had one or two week sessions, but you could sign up for multiple sessions. I spent a number of years as a counselor at the last camp I attended as a camper. Like PPs, I made some of my closest friends at camp, and we still get together and reminisce. Love camp!!

jlove253

moon&back said:

I never went to camp when I was young, we couldn't afford it. So immediately in college I signed up to be a counselor. I worked down in Santa Cruz, CA for five summers. It is where I met my very best friends and made so many life long memories. We were there all summer, but campers (5-16) came for 2-4 weeks sessions. It was a blast. I miss the s'mores this time of year. I sing my DD campfire songs to bed constantly!

Did you work at Camp Hammer (guessing because of the age range)? I worked at Ponderosa Lodge at Mount Hermon.

jlove253

kkewhitney said:

I love camp! It's one of my favourite places in the world and I actually had a dream about being a counsellor again last night. Except I kept forgetting my girls in the dream, a subconscious worry of motherhood? I'm in western Canada and camps are week long I went for 4 years as a camper and counselled for 5 spring and summers

I had a dream a couple days ago that DH and I got To work at camp again. They decided to hire DH to teach hunters safety as a rec activity! Haha! (That would certainly not be one at this camp). I find myself dreaming about camp when making big life changes, but I think this one was mostly because DH and I had joked about applying a few days before, and have been making a list of things to see/do for SIL.

ktibbits1

I never went to camp, but I worked as a counselor at a day camp for a couple summers. We did a ton of activities, and I was always exhausted by the time the kids went home at like 3pm! I can't imagine having to entertain them for another 6+ hours until bed! Sounds like y'all had a lot of good times though

jlove253

moon&back said:

jlove253 said:

moon&back said:

I never went to camp when I was young, we couldn't afford it. So immediately in college I signed up to be a counselor. I worked down in Santa Cruz, CA for five summers. It is where I met my very best friends and made so many life long memories. We were there all summer, but campers (5-16) came for 2-4 weeks sessions. It was a blast. I miss the s'mores this time of year. I sing my DD campfire songs to bed constantly!

Did you work at Camp Hammer (guessing because of the age range)? I worked at Ponderosa Lodge at Mount Hermon.

I worked at Kennolyn.  It's really in Soquel.   Just one terrible traffic jam on Highway 1 away! 


Very cool. I've been to Soquel, but never heard of Kennolyn. I really miss Santa Cruz...

MrsAdventure

I went to day camp as a kid, a week to two weeks each. My mom always offered to send me to the over night ones, but I was a bit of a chicken shit back then and they scared me. I loved camp though! Sooo much fun.

Also, in the city where I am from, all 6th graders must complete one week of what is known as Outdoor School. Each sixth grade class from every school is sent off to camp with an few other classes from different schools. Then three kids from each school are paired up to room with kids from other schools so that everyone can get to know everyone else. There are 'classes' during the days, which are outdoor based and taught by High Schoolers, and activities in the evenings. It was a blast! I had so much fun, I went back during my sophomore year of high school as a counselor. To be honest, it was more fun as a camper, but still loads of fun!

I also went to a three day over night camp with my school in the 7th grade. It was similar to Outdoor School, but at the beach so way, way better. I loved it! And it is when my BFF really started to become friends as we were paired to share a room with two other girls. Up until then, we had hung out with different crowds and didn't like each other much, based solely on the crowds we hung out with. Good memories

jlove253

moon&back said:

@jlove253, me too!  I miss Pink Godzilla, surfing on the beach, and riding The Big Dipper.  Seattle is just not the same.

Right now, I miss pizza my heart. Mmmm.... And you're right, it's not the same. At least we are getting some sun this weekend!

mexinugget

Seattle here too. I used to attended horse camp as a kid. I loved it! It was a week long and i didn't own my own horse yet so to just be able to ride and be around them was amazing to me. I was a horse crazy kid and i mean Crazy. One of my kids better love horses. Who else am i going to pass my boxes and boxes of toy horses and books along to? It was also special because it's the same camp my mom attended as a kid.

mander82

Interesting...I thought summer camps only existed in movies or back in the day. We camo out in tents every year on my parents property in the woods. We are near a state forest where we like to rent cabins at....not sure if there are actual summer camps for kids in my area or not.

jlove253

I bet if you google summer camps in your county you'll find one. From my experience working at camp, some campers would drive 3 hours to get to camp. And being near a wooded place tends to lend itself to summer camp atmosphere

mander82 said:

Interesting...I thought summer camps only existed in movies or back in the day. We camo out in tents every year on my parents property in the woods. We are near a state forest where we like to rent cabins at....not sure if there are actual summer camps for kids in my area or not.