Did you ever go to summer camp?

AggieCouple

The kind where you stayed there overnight?

 Was listening to a radio show about summer camps, and they were getting stories from kids at a camp where they stayed for 4-6 weeks.  The kids all sounded incredibly happy, and it all sounds really fun; most return every year.

But the age range was 7-13.  Does 7 seem to be awfully young to be away for 4-6 weeks?  I was talking to H about it, about how it sounded like an experience I'd love for the kids to have, but at 7?

Did you go at 7?  Did you like it?  Was it scary? 

shouldbworkin

I think I was 7 the first summer I went (summer before 2nd and 3rd grade and I have a late bday).  I went for 3 weeks and I loved it.  I begged my parents to send me the year before, but my mom refused.  I mostly wanted to go b/c my older sister went.  For me, it wasn't scary and I wasn't homesick, but that's just the kind of kid I was.  My younger sister went for 10 days at 10 y/o and hated every minute of it (and I was there as a counselor at the same time so you'd think she would have been ok). 

Temp108743750006959

I have amazing memories from DAY camp. seriously wonderful memories: swimming, crafts, bug juice, crazy hat day. I prob started around age 7.

Overnight camp, no. I went at maybe age 12 and I did not like it. The only thing I liked was searching for "gold" -- a scavenger hunt where the counselors sprayed rock silver and gold and we had to find it. 

the not great memories include: having to poop due to nerves and the counselor having to hold a flashlight over the bathroom stall. It was pitch dark (lights in the bathroom were out for some reason) and I was terrified to go and poop alone. and then after that wonderful pooping shameful event, I went back to my bed and saw a BAT on someone's bed. I told the counselor and she didn't believe me.  yeah, well, then she saw the bat. I really just wanted to go home.

lildevil968

When my sister and I where in Camp Fire Girls we would go for a month in the summer. I was 8, and my sister was 11. We had a blast every year.

jlw2505

My DH and I both went to over night when we were little and then went back during college and worked as staff.  Can't remember what age my DH started going but I started going to camp when I was 6.  age 6 thorugh 5th grade I went for 3 weeks a summer and then grades 7 until 9th grade, I went for 4 weeks every summer.  I LOVED it and DH and I are hoping our girls love it as well.  The camp that I went to, my niece and nephews go to currently (my oldest nephew works there now) and they now offer sessions anywhere from a long week to 4 weeks so the kids can do a shorter week or special weekend if they aren't ready for the full session.  They also offer tons of trips - my nephews have done a Western trip which is 6 weeks on a bus camping throughout the US west of MI and my older nephew went to Alaska for 6 weeks as well. 

CleoKitty

I don't think I went to camp until more like 9-10 years old. Around that age I went to Girl Scout camp for a few days, a few days at church camp and a week or so at a YMCA camp.

Around 14 I started going to a summer camp that was 6 weeks long. My younger siblings also went to the 6 week long camp starting around 3rd grade/9 years old. 

JOEBunny

It was pretty common to go for that long when I was a kid, from about 8 on.  I remember wanting to go, but only the kids whose mom's worked full time or whose parents traveled a ton seemed to go to those Seafarer was the big one for our area.  I went to sailing camp on the beach each summer for a week.  It was fun.  I was never scared.  I did usually get an allergy attack at least once, which is not scary for me, but was scary for my counslers.  Usually meant a night in the infirmary (with AC). 

DandelionMom

I was in 9th grade and it was only a week long.  I can't imagine sending my girls at 7.  The youngest I'd be okay with is like 10-12.  And I don't like the idea of sending teens because I still remember the foolishness my friends got involved in at camp at that age. 

Now that I think about it, I don't think the younger two will go to camp at all with the food issues.  And K is such a homebody I can't imagine she'll want to go for more than a week. 

joseysbride

The longest I was ever gone was two weeks, and I was in high school.  I did that from my freshman to senior years.  It was actually a basketball camp, and I stayed in the dorms of the college it was being held at.  Awesome experience.

I also went to a one week camp every year from about 5 grade on up.  So, I guess I was gone for a total of three weeks most summers; just not all consecutively.

I think I would be okay with my kid going away for four weeks to one of those awesome camps you see on tv if they were in their early teen years.  Like 13 and up, probably.

rebbieW

I'm pretty sure I was 9 the first time I went and I believe it was a week long (but could have been 2). I remember being a little nervous and homesick the first day but not more than anyone else. After that, I didn't really want to or think about going home...I loved it!!!

I'm kind of amazed that my parents let me do it at such a young age but it was a great experience.

Temp108743750006959

Oh and I went to Alaska and Canada camping for six weeks whe I was fifteen ... An amazing experience that impacted my life in many ways

Carol*Brady

Yes, but only for a week at about 8yrs old.  It was a blast--I would have done it more but we starting going to a vacation home in the Mountains all summer the next one.  I plan to start sending my kids even potentially cross country in NC at 8 & 10 so they can go together.  I'll especially do it if I'm working full-time.

VTSKIBUM

I think at that age I was mainly going to day camp. I think I was around 10 went I started going to overnight camp. Once I got a little older then I was 4+ weeks a summer. Eventually I worked a few summers at an overnight camp. I loved camp (miss it some summers). I guess it depends on the location and what kind of activities (ie. is it a specialized camp or is it a camp where you can try everything).