What is "family camp?"
The terms "family camp" or "mommy camp" refer to family-centered summer experiences organized by parents around the needs of their family. Family camping is about building fabulous family memories, establishing firm familial relationships, lots of hands-on learning...and fun, fun, FUN!
Look at the kids in these pictures. Don't they look like they're having fun?
Family campers don't lie around the house watching TV or playing video games all day, nor do they whine about how bored they are (well, not too much). While there's plenty of unstructured play time allowed, your kids won't simply run loose in the yard all day, every day, either. They'll get out and about and DO things--old, favorite things as well as new things yet to be discovered.
Look at the kids in these pictures. Don't they look like they're having fun?
Family campers don't lie around the house watching TV or playing video games all day, nor do they whine about how bored they are (well, not too much). While there's plenty of unstructured play time allowed, your kids won't simply run loose in the yard all day, every day, either. They'll get out and about and DO things--old, favorite things as well as new things yet to be discovered.
Why family camp?
Moms and dads who family camp do so for a variety of reasons:
1) You will save money. Traditional camp costs $150-$300 a week. And that's for each kid in your family. Using the tips you'll find here, you can plan a family camp experience for six people and spend less than that amount for the entire summer.
2) Create a special, loving bond with your kids. Do you want your children to remember you as their disciplinarian, homework taskmaster, and bedtime monitor? Your kids spend most of their waking hours in school. If you family camp, you will discover your kids' likes and dislikes, uncover their strengths, and share learning experiences. The memories you create will last a lifetime. They will anchor your kids through the inevitable stormy patches.
3) You can focus on your children and their needs. Is your child a morning person? Set out on outings early in the day. Have a bunch of teens who want to sleep in? Start at noon. Does your child have a special interest in cars? Visit car shows, learn to fix a car, see automotive museums. Do they need to work with a tutor three days a week? Plan around those meetings. You can build your family's schedule around what your kids need, as opposed to them having to adapt to the schedule of a traditional camp.
4) Family camp empowers kids. They help choose activities. They can explore new hobbies and skills that they want to learn. They can learn how to do things themselves, like plan a route by car or mass transit or prepare meals for the journey. They get the message that their opinions, wants and needs are important, and that they are capable people.
5) Your kids will become experts on their hometown. Family camp establishes a sense of place. Kids will learn about the resources available in their community. They will become familiar with the streets, with local places of interest, landmarks, and people.