I grew up next door to a girl who was my age, and we would spend countless hours at each other houses. As we got old enough, we loved having sleepovers… until around 10 pm. Every single time, I would get homesick, pack up my stuff, and walk across the driveway to be in my own room. As I got older, my Girl Scout troop scheduled a fun sleep-away weekend camp. All of my friends were going, and I was so excited!! But when it came time for my mom to leave, the tears showed up, and I ended up in the car headed back home with her. I was just not ready.
What I am ready for is our annual Summer Camp Issue! We have received phone calls, emails, and messages for the last few weeks asking when the much-anticipated summer camp issue will hit the stands. Well, the wait is over, and it is time to prepare for serious planning.
With the plethora of opportunities for camps in the area, your child can explore new interests, enhance skills in a sport they love, or participate in educational opportunities, all while having fun with new friends! Consider sitting down with your child and checking out this year’s camp guide together. As usual, it is packed with everything from art camps to zoo camps and so much more, including overnight camps and full-day camps. It does not matter if your child is interested in sports, theater, music, science, or all of it; you will find many options in this valuable resource. So pull out your highlighters and calendars and flip over to the 2024 Summer Camp Directory.
As I mentioned earlier, the timing of my first sleep-away camp was a little early. However, I have many friends, including my husband, who counted down the days to go away to summer camp. They had days full of activities, met friends from different places, and had a blast! You may ask yourself if your child is ready for sleep-away camp. In Seven Signs Your Kids are Ready for Sleep-Away Camp, Tanni Haas provides some helpful thoughts. It may be that your child is ready, but you are not. If you are still a bit nervous about sending your child too far away, there are some overnight camps here in our area.
If you think your child is not quite ready (or you are not quite ready) for sleep-away camp, but you still want your child to have that full-day camp experience, check out the options in Sarah Lyon’s article The Camp Next Door: Day camps offer much of what an overnight camp offers, but you still get to tuck your kiddos in at night.
I hope you have as much fun reading this month’s Summer Camp Issue as we had putting it together. Also, check out all the fun events scheduled this month in the Family Calendar. With spring just around the corner, we enjoy even more community events in the area! Hope to see you there!
Author: Lynn Knighton
Lynn has called the Mobile Bay area home since 2006 with her husband Brad and their 3 daughters. Following the sale of her Abrakadoodle franchise, Lynn still wanted to serve families and help them thrive. Becoming the Publisher of Mobile Bay Parents was the perfect opportunity. Now she invests into family's lives each month by providing the with the area's #1 go-to resource for moms and dads.
