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Is your child asking you if he can go to camp this summer for the first time? If he is, you're probably thinking of a number of camp-related things, such as where to send him, how much it will cost, and what to expect. This article will provide you with basic summer camp information to get you started.

Types of Camps

Generally speaking, camps can either be day or overnight camps. The difference between these two types is those belonging to the latter provide accommodations to kids for a specified period of time, usually ranging from one to nine weeks. Day camps, on the other hand, do not have facilities to allow for a residential program.

Overnight camps are mostly coed, meaning boys and girls get to mingle when doing activities. However, there are also camps that only accept boys or girls, with especially-selected activities. Another type of camp is the brother/sister camp. Interaction between boys and girls here is kept to a minimum or is altogether absent.

Aside from the said classifications, another bit of summer camp information you should know is that camps are likewise grouped according to their philosophy/focus, and how specialized their program is. There are sports camps, for example , wherein the activities revolve around a specific sport, such as baseball or martial arts. There are likewise academic camps that focus on a particular course, such as Science or Math. Then there are special needs camps for children who need special attention and/or cannot manage in a general camp, such as those with health conditions.

Activities

If you're just looking for a general camp that offers fun activities for kids while teaching them to be more self-reliant and more sociable, you should make it a point to know what activities to expect in your average camp. This way you will be able to gauge if your child is really ready to go to camp. The following are the most common camp activities:

Sports - It is safe to say that a camp is not a camp without sports in its program. That said, there are different types of sports that your child will learn while at camp, and these can either be individual - like gymnastics - or team sports - like baseball and football.

Arts - Camps often offer kids the opportunity to explore their talent in performing or learn and/or develop skills under creative arts, such as the following: photography, filmmaking, wood- and metalworking, and crafts like crocheting and cross-stitching.

Education - Most brochures providing summer camp information emphasize the inclusion of educational activities in their program to assure parents that their kids will also learn while having fun. The activities in this category are designed to promote academic enrichment - like gardening activities to encourage children to study Biology; or are meant to help kids cope with lessons in school, such as an ESL program to aid foreign students studying in the US.

Adventure - Camp activities are not complete without making a foray into the "wild". As such, camps also have adventure activities such as hiking and camping outdoors.