Do you find packing for summer camp overwhelming?
Sometimes the most obvious things to pack can be often overlooked.
Here are some tips from our sponsor Camp Rockmont who knows all about summer camps and what to pack to make the best camp experience possible.
1. Water Bottle
This easily tops the list.
Even kids who are accustomed to active play are going to be running around a lot more than they’re used to.
Water is an essential element for them to stay healthy at camp. Nothing can stop fun faster than being sick, and nothing can keep sickness at bay like hydrating well. Having a water bottle with them at all times will keep them drinking. Pack 2!
2. Day Pack
A small backpack is another item that sometimes doesn’t make it into the summer trunk.
Having a convenient way to carry around that water bottle, as well as any other items (towel, shoes, snack) makes use of the items a lot more likely!
3. Pre-Addressed Letters
There’s always so much going on at camp; there’s always something more fun to do than write!
Even during the rest period, there’s card games, stories to tell, and books to read!
Make it as easy as possible to get some communication back from your kids.
The separation is good; electronics inhibit that social growth camp provides so well.
Letter writing promotes healthy processing and communication…. plus it’s always nice to hear how things are going!
4. Summer Reading
Worried they won’t have anything to do during the rest period or bus rides?
Send their summer reading book.
Chances are, another kid may even have the same one!
Camp will give them a place where they have some down time to read and a place to discuss the book amidst friendly faces.
5. Sunscreen
They’re going to be outside… a lot.
Nothing quite stops outdoor fun like a sunburn.
That pain, the tender skin, the redness.
If only there was something you could do! Pack that sunscreen.
Make sure the camp has a policy in place to get the counselors thinking about sunscreen for the campers.
The toughest part, though, might be convincing your child to use it. Let him pick out which one. That’ll help them take some ownership of the situation.
6. Fleece
But it’s summer camp!
Why would they need a coat?
Now, this one depends on the climate of your camp.
But many camps are in the mountains or in areas that get cool at night. During night activities and campouts, a fleece or a jacket can really keep spirits high.
7. Don’t Pack anything that you’re not prepared to never see again
Kids lose stuff.
Camps have lost and found, but it still happens.
Maybe they forgot that they buried their water bottle under some leaves to be funny.
Or they know that they left their shirt by a tree somewhere in the forest, but can’t remember which tree.
Don’t send it with them unless you’re ready to have it be the last time you see it.
Thanks again to Camp Rockmont for the packing tips. You can find out more about Camp Rockmont from their website.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
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I agree that it is so important to have and apply sunscreen when you are camping. Odds are you are going to be higher up, which means closer to the sun. One thing that I have done to get my children to put it on is to spray it in my hands and then rub it on them. I tell them to pretend that it is invisible armor to protect them against invisible flames.
I agree that you would not want to pack anything for your kid’s summer camp that you would not be prepared to never see again. I would imagine that you would want to only pack things that are able to be lost. My kids are looking for a summer camp so when we pack for it we’ll have to only pack non-essential things.
My son is getting really excited for his summer camp. It is his first year going, so we are a little worried about sending him there alone. I like that you mentioned to make sure to send pre-addressed envelopes with them. That way they won’t have to spend a lot of time addressing the letters, and you make it easier for them to keep in touch with you. We will definitely be doing that for him.