Which Summer Camp?

Parent Q&A

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  • We just moved to Oakland from SF and we are looking for summer camps for our 5 and 7 year old kids. And it's daunting!! Our kids are very curious and love to be active. In the past we've put them in gymnastics camp, cooking camp, theater, forest camp, sports camps etc. They love adventure, and they love to learn. We would love to get them enrolled in a camp where they can learn some skills (i.e. sports, cooking, swimming, dance, theater, etc.), and that is also very fun and engaging for them. Basically a very well programmed and run camp with an element of cool enrichment activities. Please recommend any camps that your kids loved at that age that you would highly recommend. Thank you!!

    Highly recommend Monkey Business Camp in Tilden Park. They start taking kids at 5.5-5.75. All outdoors, excellent counselors, my kids absolutely love it. Cal has some great summer camps but they are almost impossible to get into - sign ups start next week! One more option - Trackers - all about outdoor adventure and learning wilderness "survival". Good luck!

    Trackers is the most memorable camp that my kids went to at around that age (and through about 5th grade). It has a very Bay Area vibe. 

    https://trackersbay.com/youth/camps/summer-camp/

    Our daughter has really enjoyed summers with the UC Berkeley Youth camps and Trackers Earth. 

    Berkeley’s general activity camps allow you to rank activities at enrollment based on camper interests and some include swim lessons. My daughter loved meeting the Cal student counselors from all over the world. 

    Trackers Earth has made some positive changes after a rocky period post-COVID closures. If you want outdoor time and nature-based activities, they are great. My daughter loved all the tracks she tried, so never could settle in one. She still plans her clothes and packs her daily bag based on their readiness training. 

    We also recommend reading up on the East Bay Regional Parks camp options. They differ by location, but we’ve had good experiences in Contra Costa County locations and with Jr Lifeguard camp in Alameda.

    My kid enjoyed Monkey Business and Steve and Kate's.  Those are usually based at an elementary school.  Trackers and Avid are great for getting kids outside and active, all day.  

    Adventure Day Camp is in Moraga, but they have a bus that will pick up from Rockridge Bart - nice variety of activities.  Their sessions are multiple weeks, offer sibling discounts.   The last week they also do a one-night campout at Chabot which was a great experience for my son when he was younger.

  • I have found that most summer camps are not a good fit for my child, who is a high anxiety, high functioning autistic kiddo.

    They do not like camps that are very loud or overenthusiastic - too overstimulating and overwhelming. They can have some structure, but do not love a highly structured camp - they love free play, nature, arts and crafts, and creativity. They do not like sports. They love math and science but not in a structured environment.

    I know it's early to be thinking about camps for next summer, but maybe people have some recommendations fresh on their minds from this past summer? We are looking for mid-late elementary age (~8-10), and ideally in Berkeley or Oakland. Thank you!

    Our child and her friends have enjoyed Aurora School Summer Camp. They offer structure but are also flexible and not overly structured. The staff are warm, experienced and supportive. They get a plenty of outdoor time. Full disclosure — we attend Aurora School. We feel that the summer camp embodies the school’s philosophy of meeting each child where they are. The summer camp is very popular and gets filled up quickly. You should act as soon as it opens. They offer different types of camps, but the Creator/Explorer camp may be the best fit for your kid. 

    Monkey Business Camp! Both my kids are on the non-sporty/introvert side and very much enjoyed it, although they aged out during the pandemic so I think only went one or two summers. It seemed quite chill.

    Monkey Business, seconded. A really positive experience for our kids, one autistic with no cognitive impairments. 

    The Wagner Ranch Nature Area in Orinda offers an outdoor nature camp that includes things like hikes, acorn gathering, gardening, pond science and the like. Led by very calm Naturalists with like-minded high school counselors. The camp was cancelled summer 2023 because the Nature Area was brutalized from the harsh winter storms, fallen trees, washed out trails. But we are doing work on the area now & both hope and expect to offer the camps summer 2024. Keep an eye on our website for updates: 

    Www.FWRNA.org

    Look into Steve and Kate’s camp. It might be too overwhelming for your kiddo as there are lots of kids running around which by itself can be overstimulating, but it’s unstructured in a way my kid loved. There are different stations/rooms/areas — everything from sports to crafting to building with blocks to coding to quiet board games — and the kids choose which stations they go to and how long they spend d there. They basically do whatever they want in the context of various camp activities. I thought my kid would need more structure but he loved the freedom and options.

    Hello, my son attended Wild Ones Art camp a few summers ago and really enjoyed it. Arts and crafts with donated/found/natural art supplies, lots of time walking/noodling in East Bay parks. They also offer school break camps to check out prior to next summer! Good luck! 

    We really love Outside School for Heather's summer camp.  It's 4 weeks in the summer, and most kids attend all 4 weeks.  It's a small group, so the kids really get to know each other and Heather gets to know them.  She does a fantastic job of following the kids interests and inserting her own ideas and structure, but because it's child-led, I think it likely feels less structured.  It's in a park in Richmond, which is outside the area you asked about, but it's a quick jaunt off the highway and I've found it easy to get to.

    Our child, also autistic, has been going and enjoying Trackers camps for years now. Some are more active than others: the LARP ones were great hit, the more sporty ones less so. But we found all to have great staff, and very accomodating to neurodivergent. They're in the Albany hills, which I guess is close enough to Berkeley to count

  • Our family is moving to Berkeley from Washington DC this summer and are exploring summer camp options for our two kids - age 4.5 (will be entering TK in fall) and 10 (will be entering 5th grade in fall). We are specifically looking for camps in July (7/10 - 28 is when we need coverage), and for our younger daughter since programs for her age are more limited. We would love something fun and outdoors that allows them to get to know kids in the area since they will be new. Would love to know what people recommend and if people know of camps that still have availability. Thank you!

    Camp sign-ups are just starting and some haven't started yet. If you're signing up in Feb. and March, you should be able to sign up. Steve & Kate is a camp that accepts kids age 4 - 12. This could be a good camp for you. Here's an excellent website that lists nearly all camp options and you can search for them: https://www.510families.com/east-bay-summer-camp/

    Not to cause stress, but you should sign up for summer camp ASAP. Many camps are already full. We love Trackers. They actually haven't opened up registration yet. We also moved to the Bay Area from DC :) It is hard to find options for under 5. Check out Head over Heels for gymnastics camp.

    Monkey Business! Your younger one will be on the young end of the age range, and your elder on the older end, but they should both be able to go. It's super fun and chill, all outside at Tilden.

    Welcome to Berkeley! Don't stress! Some camps are full but some camps haven't opened registration yet. Options are more limited for your younger kid - some options I know of are Steve & Kate's, Camp Doodle, EBI, Head Over Heels, Abundant Summers, KidzToPros, Cal Explorers (that one's full, but you could get on a waitlist) and some multi-age camps that say 5+ will accept younger kids if you also have a sibling. Berkeley City Camps are great, affordable, haven't opened registration yet, and will have lots of future classmates, but only for your older kid.

    EFBA (French Education Bay Area) offers French immersion summer camps that are play-based and built around weekly themes like Ancient Egypt, circus, building Notre Dame, and are open to 4-14 year olds. In the East Bay, the summer camps will be held at the German International School of Silicon Valley, Emeryville, next to Berkeley, and run the dates you are looking for. They have special discount prices for the summer camps starting from $402 a week, good until March 1. You can read more about the camps here: https://efba.us/french-summer-camps-bay-area/camp-themes/ 

  • We are looking for a great summer camp in Napa or Valljeo for a 6th grade girl. Her interests include music, dancing, reading, cooking, and swimming, but we are open to suggestions for any camp with a good reputation for making kids feel welcome and included. 

    Check out Girl Scouts of Nor Cal usually has great camps located all over with transportation at centralized locations. It’s not just singing and tying knots! They’ve got camps for all interests with a variety of locations, along with financial aid. 

  • Hello,

    I'm wondering if anyone has experience with both Roughing It Day Camp and Adventure Day Camp in the east bay and can compare the two camps and provide pros/cons. We're considering both for our daughter who will be in 1st grade next fall. Thanks!

    My son is now too old for these camps, but he attended both and liked them.   My son went to Adventure Day Camp for 4 summers, and 1 summer at Roughing It.  I just couldn't justify paying so much more for my child to go to Roughing It again.  Both camps have transportation from the East Bay.  At Roughing It, children are outdoors, all day, at the Lafayette Reservoir.  They take kids to nearby places for swimming, horseback riding, etc.  They do the same at Adventure Day Camp.  Adventure Day Camp rents out elementary schools, so kids do have the option to do inside activities in air conditioned rooms to get a break from the heat.  Nice option, as summers in Lamorinda can be brutal!  I remember that ADC separates children by gender, but don't know if that is still their policy.  Also unique to ADC is that they have a one-night campout in Chabot Regional Park, which was a fantastic experience for my son.  Both are solid, old-fashioned day camps where kids get a ton of outdoor time away from screens.

  • I have 2 6-year old boys (entering 1st in the fall). I'm looking around at the different "maker"-types of summer camps. Does anyone have any experience and/or recommendations between these three: Doodle vs. Galileo vs. EDMO? Is there any other that I'm missing that I should also be considering?? Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

    I keep detailed reviews of my two kids' camp experiences so that I can remember which ones we liked and didn't like, and happy to share my notes about Galileo and Edmo with you! Apparently we did both just one time. Direct from my records:

    Camp Edmo, our location was MLK Jr High Berkeley. K-5. 2017.

    My rising 4th grader did this weeklong camp, which is on the pricey side (around $400 for 9-3). Monday dropoff, when they cram all the kids (4 groups, age 5-12) into the “free time room”, nobody greeted him, and a counselor - when pressed what card game they were playing - said “BS.” However, my Minecraft obsessed son loved the Minecraft program, and I’m sure will want to do it again. They do mix it up and play outside games too, so it’s not entirely in front of a screen all day. To me it feels a lot like Galileo, rallies, camp challenges, etc.

    Galileo. K-6th grade. 2016. A national chain with HQ in Oakland. Our site was Jefferson Elementary in Berkeley.

    Galileo calls itself a science camp, but it’s more accurately characterized as a maker camp or - for the littlest group - crafting camp. My 5 yo said she hated it after the first day which warmed up to “It was… okay” by the last day. My 7 yo was consistently enthusiastic until the last moments of the last day, when he had a very frustrating experience (he cried) with his group’s capstone project, that honestly I think one of the millions of young energetic staffers floating around could have quickly and easily addressed. Lots of potential with the model and you can’t say they’re not throwing lots of resources at it, but somehow doesn’t quite add up into the world’s most awesome camp experience. (5 yo also pointed out her group did a lot of sitting and watching the counselors do “shows”. ???) We might repeat down the road, particularly for 7 yo; I’m on the fence. It’s also pretty expensive - rack rate $419 for a week of 9-3. Huge camp, 70+ kids. Tip: On the last day of the last week of camp at that location, they let you take home unused supplies. 5 yo said this was the best part of her week at Galileo...

    My son's all time favorite camp might be EDMO. He loved it. The Alameda location was fun and engaging. He liked the maker stuff and also the camp stuff - singing, games, etc. He found Galileo a bit less engaging. 

  • Does anyone know of any summer camps that still have openings for a rising 3rd grader? We are looking for the last two weeks in July and can't find anything (except Berkeley Day Camp which our child very much did not like). Any tips would be appreciated!

    Here is a list of camps that has or may have availability:

    - Aurora School

    - Kinetic Arts

    - Piedmont city rec. summer camps

    - Berkeley Playhouse 

    - St. Paul’s 

    You might check with Avid4Adventure. My kids love that camp. We signed up for those last two weeks of July, but now have to travel so we just pulled out. 

  • We've just moved near North Berkeley BART/Westbrae, and are looking for a nearby summer camp for our 10yo daughter so that she can meet neighborhood kids. Any suggestions?

    Welcome to north Berkeley. Please look at the Albany YMCA summer camps for kids.They also have a wonderful family camp that was very well run in 2020. Campers safe, etc.

    https://ymcaeastbay.org/programs/children-and-teens/summer-day-camp

    https://ymcaeastbay.org/camps/camp-loma-mar/family-camp

    Neighborhood kids don't necessarily go to the closest camp, although I suppose you have to start somewhere! Epworth Church has a couple of weeklong ones that my 10 yo daughter will be attending this summer. Cal Blue Camp and the City of Berkeley playground camp are other ideas to meet Berkeley kids. I think there are some home-based cooking and yoga camps in that N Berkeley area, check 510families.com.

  • I'm looking for recommendations for summer camps that are all outdoors. Trackers is full and Sarah's Science has gone bankrupt so I'm looking at other options. A few I'm considering are Kids for the Bay, Sees the Day, Hello Hills, and Cal Explorers. I can't tell if Cal Explorers is all outside from the website, or really what they do all day, but the price point is appealing! I'm also interested in learning about their COVID protocols if anyone sent their kids to any of these camps last summer. Thanks!

    My son had attended Cal Explorers camp at Strawberry Canyon the last 2 summers and their academic and camp program since July 2020 for the pandemic. The summer camp is mostly outside with a variety of sports activities including swimming. The before and after camp hours were indoors in previous years with arts and crafts, chess, etc. They do tie dye days and other fun Friday activities. They are experienced camp counselors and have been following COVID regulations since last summer.

    Check out the Cal recreation summer camps. Good value, very well organized, and a lot of fun. My son enjoyed participating for years. https://recsports.berkeley.edu/youth-programs/camps-by-age-activity/

    I want to highly recommend Sees the Day! Kirk  ran the elementary after care program at Prospect Sierra for many years and did an excellent job. My son attended his camp for 5+ years and also did a stint of counselor-in-training. They do lots of fun and creative outdoor activities in heavy fog or sunshine. Not sure where it will be this year, but he does a great job communicating. Plus the popsicle fairy visits on Fridays!

  • I know I'm way too early to really ask about summer camps for 2020 but we had a pretty uneven to poor experience this year so I thought I'd try to put some better thought into this. Based on the feedback I got from my two boys, ages 6 and 8, I think they really were turned off by the camps that had a lot of transition and waiting time. So for example, one camp I thought they would love, had lots of different sports to try, typically switching every 45 minutes or so. But they said that a large portion of the day was spent transitioning from activity to activity. Even worse was that many (all?) of the activities, the kids had to wait in line to actually do anything. I happened to see their basketball segment and it consisted of two lines of kids, waiting to take a free throw. Super lame. My guess is that they actually spent 10% of their time participating in the actual activity. But I do see the value of the camp because it runs all day and was pretty affordable, so it's like childcare with structured activities. But this is probably the opposite of what I'm looking for, except the affordable part. Now on the other hand, the camp they loved wasn't a camp at all. It was a carpentry class that was a couple of hours each day. Each kid got to work on their own project at their own pace the entire time. Almost zero wasted time. After a snack I'd take them to a park and they could play on their own. So I think I'm looking for:

    - Not crazy expensive

    - Staffed by a topic expert able to deal with kids

    - One to two hours of high quality experience or instruction, no filler (don't need it to be childcare)

    - Minimal transitions, minimal waiting

    - Preference for sports and outdoors

    - In or near Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda

    Your boys might enjoy the Berkeley Marina camps. They vary from Marin biology to boating or kayaking. They are affordable and very well run. You need to monitor the city’s website under the Berkeley Marina tab to find out when the sign up is going to be. Usually the “sporty” camps fill the same day. When my kids were that age they also liked the UC village half day camps like LEGO building, chess or gymnastics. Good luck!

    There are loads of "enrichment" summer camps, but if you want 'affordable,'  you're left with what a city's Parks & Recs can offer since tax-payers subsidize that. so check out what the various East Bay cities' offer via their Parks & Recs. 

    We just signed our very sports-minded 10 year old on to this brand new camp in El Cerrito called Camp Olympia. It's a joy-based sports camp! We've meet up with the founder, Jason and he was great.  He used to be a school principal, and he seems very sincere and enthusiastic about making sure that every child has a great camp experience.  Here's the website: www.camp-o.com.  I can PM you Jason's phone number if you would like.

    I don't know what you consider affordable, but the Crucible offers half-day arts classes open to kids 8 and up. My daughter has done multiple week-long summer camps there, mostly leatherworking, and it seems to be in line with the way you describe the carpentry class.

    https://www.thecrucible.org/classes/youth-classes/

  • Hi BPN! This summer, my daughters will be 6 and 8 years old (rising 1st and 3rd graders) and would like to attend camp together. My older daughter in particular is really slow to warm up to new situations, so having her younger sister in the camp with her would be great. (Many appear to accommodate multiple ages but tend to split K-2 / 3-5 for the activities.) They like sports (especially swimming), art, dance/music, but mostly a warm, caring environment. We're Oakland-based but open to Berkeley as well. Any recommendations to share? The Aurora Creators & Explorers camp looks great -- open to others as well. Thanks in advance!

    My kids are the same distance apart and I do think you'll find, for the most part, they will be in different groups even within the same camp. There are a few more freeflow camps where the kids are all in one mixed age group, but I'd also consider some of the camps where they'd be in separate groups but in close proximity like Fairyland (though registration opens on January 11th so it may be full before you see this comment!) or Galileo (where you might be able to request the same group since they group rising 1st and 2nd graders). You could also try Cal Blue Camp.  Head-Royce's camp is also well liked and is a four-week session this year so there would be some consistency, though it's very pricey. I'm curious to hear other suggestions too!

    My girls always liked Touch the Earth--in the Oakland hills. Outdoors, crafts, hikes...that was a long time ago.

    Sees the Day - outdoor activities in Tilden - has been great for my kids (including my anxious older kid) and doesn't separate based on age. Already a fairly small group. Sometimes they separate into two groups, and the kids get to pick which activity they want to do.

    We love Camp Ere at Brasarte, the Brazilian Cultural Center on San Pablo in Berkeley. It's open to ages 6-12, they do a great mix of dance, music (drumming and singing), capoeira, visual arts and crafts (usually costume making) and outdoor playtime at a local park. It's really cozy and affordable and the kids are not divided up by age. You won't find registration information online just yet - this is a all-hands on deck non-profit community center so they generally don't post the dates and themes (usually a region of Brazil or style of music/dance) for the summer camp until spring, but I highly recommend trying it. 

    I'd also suggest Sees the Day which is held at a site in Tilden Park.  They don't separate out by age, there are a good number of activities so kids can find something they like, whether it's athletic, artistic, etc.  They do a good job of helping kids who are a bit more shy.  

  • Camp woes

    Jul 11, 2016

    I need some help with my anxiety around summer camps for my kids.  I have a 6yr old and a 10yr old who are booked with camps most of the summer because both parents work.  My older kid is easygoing about this - he's mostly happy to go (occasional grumbling about a particular activity), but he is pretty social, meets other kids easily and has a good time.  

    My younger son has a really hard time. He's anxious about new situations in general - and camp is hard.  He worries about it before and is usually upset/crying when I leave.. At the end of the day, it's clear he pulled it together and had fun.  We prepare him as best we can - we chose longer camps (2-4wks) to reduce the number of transitions, we go to the orientations, meet the counselors, talk and talk about what's going to happen, the schedule, etc.. but it's still so hard for him.  

    And for me!  I'm feeling tremendous guilt and anxiety.  I HATE leaving him when he's crying.  I try to tell myself this is the kind of challenge that is character-building for him, but then I worry that we're pushing him too hard.  He keeps crying, saying he want to go back to Kindergarten where he was comfortable.  It's tearing me up!

    Can I hear from some of you with similar kids how it went for you?  Does it get better?  Should I take him out and wait another year?

    I hear ya. I deeply regret sending my 5 year old (between K & 1st) to summer camps; he just wasn't ready for the variety of new environments. It was too overstimulating, no matter how engaging the subject matter and nice the counselors (and they aren't always that nice...), and he ended up very grumpy and anxious. Some kids need more summer downtime to grow into an appreciation of the camp thing, which I didn't realize at the time. Now he's 7, slightly more mature, and it's much better although I have tried to minimize the number of new camps as well as always sign him up with a friend. This may be the unpopular answer, but if you can - and I understand maybe logistically you can't - pull him out and keep him at home with a parent or sitter. Try again next year.

    My son was a wreck when he first started summer camp at 6. It was AGONY. By the next year he was totally fine. Yours will be too! It's all a natural part of your kid's development. As for whether to take him out vs. keep him in, if there's a way to spy on him after he thinks you've left, that might be a good gauge of how distraught he is. I know my kid was fine after 1/2 hour and actually seemed to enjoy his day (though he wouldn't admit it). If it's the kind of camp where you can call the staff mid-day to check in might also be useful. Maybe even ask if they can pair him with a CIT or counselor so he has some consistency day to day.

    Good luck! I know it sucks! But it will get better!

I am not aware of anything myself, but good for him and for you to help him learn more! I'd try reaching out to the local union(s) of the trades he might be most intrigued by at this point. They might be aware of/teachers for some one-off type camps or summer sessions.

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Depressed about sending kids to summer camp

Feb 2012

I need a bit of perspective here. Every time around this year, I get so depressed about my work situation - because it's camp signup time! I feel so bad that my kids spend 8 weeks in summer camp, instead of going away for months to a lovely cabin or traveling overseas, hanging out with friends, and having a mellow summer. So many of their friends have this experience, because their moms are SAHMs, but I have to work. The school year is fine - they are in school every day anyway, and I have my own business so I can be there in the afternoons etc. But during the summer, it's a different story, they are the ''camps kids''. If I closed down my business, we would likely have to leave the Bay Area and/or they would have to take out hundreds of thousands in loans for college (My income is what we're using to save the $500k we'll need for two UC undergrad educations, that's one of the main reasons I work.) How do I get over my guilt and sadness about not giving them the summers I wish they had? bummed


Wow, it never would have even occurred to me to feel bad about sending my kids to summer camp! There are so many great camps in the Bay area, I am a bit jealous of my kids for having the opportunity to go to camps that *I* would have loved as a kid. They have much more fun at camp than they would have hanging out with boring old Mom! They enjoy our vacations (which are generally short), but they're always happy to come home again--a summer of travel would not be their thing. You should not feel at all guilty about giving your kids such a great opportunity to make new friends and learn new skills (sports, crafts, etc.). If they're not happy at the camps they've gone to, then you should look for different camps (lots of good recommendations here on BPN). Mother of happy campers


I'm sorry you get so depressed over your kids having to go to summer camp instead of living those lazy days of summer. I work full time, am the only parent to my two kids, and my kids go to summer camp full time, too. I think they are lucky to be able to have all those amazing summer adventures and are exposed to many activities I never was. Yes, sometimes I get a little jealous when I hear of a friend tell me that they will spend 3 weeks this summer at their parent's summer lake house, but that's not my life. I know it's hard, but try to keep a brave face for your kids and show real enthusiasm for all the wonderful summer camp experiences they will have! Be grateful that you have the financial resources to pay for summer camp. Be thankful for all the wonderful camp choices we have here. Your kids will have opportunities and experiences that will enrich their lives, not take away from it. For us, we take our family vacation the end of August, right before school starts. That helps me feel like it's a real summer vacation and then we are ready to start it all again when school starts. Good Luck to you! anon


No, you're looking at it all wrong! You might be sad because your kids ''have'' to go to summer camp but I bet they're glad they *get* to go.

Last summer my son's best friend went to the pool every afternoon with his stay-at-home mom. I thought about quitting my job so we could go with them and they could have playdates all the time. How fun! But the other mom told me her son was SO bored and wished he could go to camp. They couldn't afford to send him because she didn't work.

If you really want your kids to have a lazy summer, I bet you could find some college student home for the summer who can take them to the pool and out for playdates, but they may well be bored.

This summer we are trying a combination of camps and babysitter. Some weeks camps, some weeks babysitter, some weeks half day camps or classes and half day babysitter. So maybe something other than full day camps would work for you too?

Also, remember to take advantage of what the summer does offer. Take them to the beach in Alameda. Have barbecues at night and picnics in the park. Have friends over late. Go on weekend trips. Have popsicles and ice cream. Do something to make this season stand out from school and maybe you'll start to love summer. Anon


I used to work I felt this was one of the big sacrifices my kids had to make -- giving up a mellow summer -- because I was working. Well, now I'm home. I've found with multiple kids in a house without TV watching, summers need structure or the kids get on each others nerves. Also, it's funny you feel like so many friends are traveling and letting their kids roam the nabe, because from my perspective, it seems like all the kids are in camp camp camp so that there aren't a lot of playmates running around. Finally, now that I'm not working, we have less money so I think we actually travel less, which was sort of a surprise. It's the old problem of time and money you never have both at the same time. Anyway, I don't regret being home, and I'm glad they are not going to camp all summer, but don't beat yourself up about it, because even if you were home, your kids would need to be occupied doing something. gotta keep em busy


You don't say anything about whether your kids like the summer set-up, but if they do, then you shouldn't feel guilty about them being in camp. If they don't like being in camp 8 hours a day for 8 weeks, then maybe you can get creative. Could you hire a teenager to come to your house to hang out with your kids so they can have a relaxed summer, at least for some of the weeks? You say you have your own business and are free in the afternoons -- so could you sign your kids up for some half-day camps? Could you make arrangements with another family or two to do trades of a week or two where you watch their kids and they watch yours?

Can you close your business for more hours, days or weeks, or get someone to work in your business to free up your time to spend with your kids?

Last of all, while it's nice of you to make all of the sacrifices you are making to save for the future, primarily as you said, for their college education, I'm willing to bet you and your kids would prefer more together time now and a more loans later. work from home mom


I guess it's all in how you look at things. I work full time unlike most of the moms at my daughter's school so my daughter is in camp all summer long too. I never feel sorry for her though; in fact, I always feel like she's lucky to have the opportunity to engage in so many interesting activities instead of doing nothing or spending endless days at the pool for swim team. She's interested in so many different things that I sign her up for practically a different camp every week: sewing, music, science, creative writing, art. And save for a few duds that didn't work out, she nearly always loves them all and is bursting to tell me about her day and show me what she's made when I return home. Do your kids like camp? If not, maybe you could explore all the different options out there and find some better matches for them. If they're sad about not having enough down time or spending enough time with you, maybe you could take a couple of weeks off during the summer or hire a babysitter so they could spend some of the summer at home. I usually have my parents come for a couple of weeks during the summer, but even then, my daughter goes to half day camp so she won't be bored. It seems like there has to be a better option than moving or giving up your job (and their college money). Good luck! Camp Mania


Are your kids actually dissatisfied with their summer activities? My mom was a SAH parent, but I always spent summers in camp programs. When I got old enough, I attended some great residential programs, too, related to my interests (like writing, art). I never wished I was spending my summers doing nothing by the water. I was excited to be busy doing interesting things and making new friends, and I loved my camp counselors. If your kids are happy, don't worry about it. Camp programs can be pretty great. You can always do a couple long weekends away somewhere scenic but relatively close. happy camper


Comparing yourself to those who have more than you is a surefire way to make yourself feel inadequate and miserable, no matter how much you have or don't have. Instead, compare yourself to those who have less to help you feel grateful for what you've got. Traveling overseas or spending months at a cabin -- who has the money for that? Clearly some of your friends do, but if you set that as the standard 99% of us will fall woefully short. Some working parents have to put their kids in extended care from 8am to 6pm year round. Some work crappy jobs on the swing shift and barely make enough to pay rent on a crummy apartment in a bad neighborhood. As a pediatrician I see these kids for their checkups in the summer and they'd love to be ''camp kids'' -- they're bored stiff at grandma or auntie or neighbor's house watching TV all day and gaining 10lbs every summer. And hey, those families have it better than my patient's mother who told me that she wanted to get everything done at clinic in one day, because every time she came it cost $4 bus fare and she didn't have that kind of money. This may not describe the reality of your social circle, but it's true of flesh and blood people who love their children just as much as you do. And there are more of them than there are of those who have idyllic summers in the Hamptons or traveling overseas. Everybody gets this intellectually, but if you're not really interacting with people who have it worse than you then sometimes it's hard to get it emotionally. If you need help with that, Google ''practicing gratitude''. I say all of this without judgement -- it's human nature to compare ourselves to those around us. It takes active effort *not* to look at those who have it better and then feel pissy about ''why don't I have that?'', but rather to look at those who have it worse and feel grateful for the abundance we have. trying to be grateful for what I've got


Since you own your own business is there a way to either work less in the summer or get more help so you can have additional time off? It sounds like your kids would enjoy more time with you during the summer. Would it be the end of the world for your business if you shut down for six weeks during the summer? Regarding the college savings - my only suggestion is to think about how you are going to feel when they are in college. Are you going to feel like you missed spending time with them? Are you going to regret working so hard to save money for college at the expense of enjoying life with them? You don't mention their ages but there is a short window of time when your children actually want to spend time with their parents. Soon friends and activities take over and of course this intensifies in high school and then quickly they are on their own in college. You don't mention what type of business you run but what if you were to scale back your hours now, especially during the summer and work more later, when they are a bit older? They could be recipients of college scholarships. They could go to community college for the first two years. They could work part-time in college and have some student loans - not necessarily bad things. It really sounds to me like you would like to focus on spending time with and enjoying your kids while they are kids, during the summer, when they are carefree and have free time. I encourage you to find a way to live in the now and make it happen. It sounds like you will regret if it you do not. Even if you take a month off in the summer rather than the full eight weeks your business will be fine and you will be a lot happier, so will your kids. Anon


Camps are fun! I bet your kids are having a great time. I would say you should try to take a little more time off during the summer (because it sounds like YOU want to spend more time with them) but then relax and let them pick camps they enjoy and look forward to (so many choices!) and I bet they will have wonderful memories of fun summers. anon


Preparing for next year's Summer Camp - how to?

Sept 2009

Hi - I'm planning ahead for Winter and Summer Camps and I'd like recommendations about how to schedule camps. My goal is to do a mix of academic and fun/creative experiences but it feels like we could be hopping all over the place given camp start and end dates. Is there a way to do this well? What would you avoid doing? Mistakes I should not make? What are your thoughts about the number of camps and transitioning kids to give them a breath of experience. Thanks for the advice


My camp strategy is as follows: I pick one academic-type camp (my specific one is 3 weeks long -- morning academics, afternoon sports), and one ''other-skills'' type of camp (this year that was sailing, also 3 weeks). Then, I figure that's enough, and use the Adventure Time Roberts Park Explorers (essentially, supervised outdoor play; includes hiking, swimming, and a few field trips) for filling in between camp and a summer family trip. If my son wants, I'll let him have one week that he specifically chooses (chess, or Legos, or another such), but I choose that one at the last minute. It does depend on your specific child though. Mine likes routine, so too many changes upset him a bit when he was younger, and make him cranky now that he's older. He also loves to just be outdoors, in a place like a regional park, doing nothing much of anything except running around. Other kids might not like this so well. Karen


I ended up feeling pretty crazed about the our first summer camp experience this last year, and, indeed, we ended up with quite a jumble of a schedule, squeezing different sessions of one-week camps in between sessions of multiweek camps, driving all over creation . . . . And, you know what? It worked out fine. She got a great variety of stuff and loved her summer camps, almost universally, and she really rolled with the changes. This is probably largely her personality, but, also, camps are used to it and prepared for it, and the enthusiasm and excitement of the staff and counselors at all -- really, all -- of the camps we've dealt with helped make it easy for our daughter.

Here's what I'm going to do differently next year: pick some non-negotiable ''anchor'' activities early, book early, and schedule around those. Like, if there's a music camp we really want to do, or a particular session of something with a friend or friends, or a particular price point that we want to hit for some week, schedule those around planned vacation time, and book them early. Pay the deposit, and set it in stone. Everything else can be scheduled around it, or them, even if it means that we have one week of Sarah's Science in June and another in August, or end up squeezing in a week of something that we wouldn't have considered otherwise just because it happened to fit and still had room (had a great experience doing that with MOCHA this year). The reality is that we're spoiled for choices, and I spent too much time this year saying ''ooh! But what about this one? Or this one? If I move this, then she can do that! And we're waiting to hear what her friends are doing!'' And with all that dilly-dallying, we lost out on some opportunities. Sometimes a little bit less flexibility can help, I think. So, for next year, I'm thinking ''anchor camps,'' and building from there. I'll be curious to hear what others recommend! Loved camp, but happy to be back in school


This past March I didn't register my kid for much because I figured all the camps would be short on campers, but normally March 1 is a good time to start planning summer day camps for the following summer. I pay strict attention to the cancellation policies - some charge as little as $5.00.

Since I'm in Castro Valley, we would probably choose different camps. I love summer as a time to get away from one-size-fits-all school. Hope this helps