Tips for Camp

Two white campers smiling and having fun at Camp Kupugani in Illinois.

6 Tips For Preparing Your Child For An Overnight Summer Camp

Summer camps are an excellent way for children to learn new skills, make friends, and have fun. However, sending your child away for an overnight summer camp can be a challenging experience for both you and your child. Here are some tips to help you prepare your child for an overnight summer camp. Start With A Day Camp Or A Sleepover If your child has never been away from home before, consider starting with a day camp or a sleepover at a friend’s house. This will give your child a […]

How to Prepare Your Child for Overnight Camp

Even though it’s winter, it’s not too early to start planning for summer. If you’re the parent of a prospective first time camper, consider your goals for your child. Summer is a great time for her (or him) to try new things. Whatever new experience you’d love to introduce, be sure that s/he is involved in choosing a program. That way s/he keeps a sense of control, which helps to ward off any transition issues if s/he’s going off to a sleepaway camp. As a good parent, you also want to make sure that you […]

15 Ways to Cope with “Camp-sickness”

Now that it’s autumn and campers are trying to find rhythm of the new school year and trying to get used to non-camp life, sometimes there can be a struggle missing the good times you had over the summer. Here are 15 ways to cope with camp-sickness! (1) Write to your camp friends. (2) Teach your friends/family camp songs. (3) Tie-dye EVERYTHING you own. (4) Stalk the Kupugani facebook/instagram pages. (5) Do the Kupugani Beat after every meal. (6) Wear some Kupugani swag. (7) Sing the announcement song every time […]

How to Tie-Dye Like a Legend at Summer Camp!

With summer rapidly approaching, it is past time to get serious about preparing for camp. So today, we discuss the importance of creating the perfect tie-dye! Tie-dye at camp is like air to a human. If you see someone wearing tie-dye in public, either they love the Grateful Dead or attended summer camp and can’t give up the sweet fashion trend. There are folks who are certified tie-dye masters. (The author has been considered as such…) Such masters are often asked at which store they purchased their seemingly-professionally made garb, […]

Tips to Prepare First Time Overnight Campers

Okay, so you have made the excellent decision to give your child the gift of an overnight summer camp experience, and he/she has never been to sleepaway camp. Yikes, what now? No need to panic, everything is going to be fine. In fact, everything is going to be great. Throughout this process, always keep in mind that sending your child to summer camp is one of the best things that you can do as a parent to help you raise an emotional healthy, well-adjusted, and self-sufficient human being. Just take […]

How to Enjoy (Objectively) Deciding About Camp

Often at this time of year, most families thoughts turn to summer planning. As director of our camp near Chicago, I’ll often get questions from families trying to figure out whether their child is ready for a camp experience. Sometimes the question is disguised as a comment that their child can’t possibly be ready, but that comment often belies the parent’s own misgivings. We’ve designed a couple of fun, insightful quizzes to help provide answers for questioning families. Take a quiz! Have fun and let us know what you think!

Should Siblings Attend Camp Together?

At our children’s summer camp outside of Chicago, we have sessions for girls-only, boys-only, and a blended session (with intentional opportunities for them to interact). So there are options when considering the best option for a single child. When there are other siblings in the family, you should also consider whether it’s better for them to attend camp together, or to be able to have their own individual camp experience. Here are some useful factors to analyze about siblings going to camp together: Single-Sex or Not Consider whether the individual […]

Resist the Urge to Pick Up a Child Early from Camp

As a camp owner, I often see parents struggle with the idea of sending their children to camp and wanting to pick their child up early from camp. They can’t pinpoint exactly why they’re worried (and often conflate their own fears by saying/thinking that their child is the one who’s not ready); in truth, the very notion of their child navigating an unfamiliar environment (even a loving and supportive one) without their help makes them deeply uncomfortable. Indeed, if you ask a sample of parents what their biggest parental challenges […]

My Anxiety About Sending My Child to Camp

I think there are 3 hurdles parents must overcome when contemplating about sending the first-time camper to camp: parents understanding how powerful the camp experience is and that it helps the child to grow, become independent, feel confident in their ability to handle things without parental intervention, etc.; parents feeling comfortable with their camp choice—will they care for my child and provide a safe environment? what happens if….. parents overcoming the void that is left when the child leaves (some parents might not want to send their child back to […]

10 Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for Camp

Have them sleep over at a friends house for a night or two so they can get used to not being around you. Make sure that they have stationery and stamps so they can write home (and help reduce your “childsickness”!) If they have cell phones or other electronic devices, have them practice not using them for periods of time; at camp, they won’t be able to use them. Let your child help pack their luggage for camp, so they know where everything is and what they are bringing. Discuss […]

10 Things a First-Time Camper Should Know

At our intentional summer camp program near Chicago, Illinois, we recognize that it’s natural for a child to be nervous about attending summer camp. To ease a child’s mind, here are ten things that every camper should know before enjoying their first sleepaway camp experience. 1. After the first day or two of camp, you will have made new friends. 2. If you ever have a time that you become homesick (which is normal, and 95% of campers get it at some point…including many returning campers), you can talk to […]

10 Great Ways to Prepare for Camp

Even though winter is fully upon is in the Midwest, we are busy preparing for this summer’s great versions of our girls-only and boys-only camp programs! As we’ve been visiting with potential camp families at camp fairs, a common question is how they should prepare for a first-time camp experience. To help your child maximize a camp experience, here are ten ways to help that happen! Talk with other parents and friends to learn from their camp experience. Ask the camp director to tell you about other camp families in […]