Do your kids attend a sleep away summer camp?

[4kids4karen]

I thought we had dodge the summer camp bullet this year and DD finally stopped begging to go back. I actually said if her friend Susie went (who has never went before and we thought was a slim chance of going) then she would go. Just got the text that Susie may be going to camp... so of course she wants to go to.

This camp we would have to fly her to. She has been several times before and loves it. It is a great camp. Just trying to save money. One week is going to be over $2k if we are counting travel costs.

So, who else has kids that travel to sleep away camps?

 

[Klayfish]

Ours don't, simply for the reason you mentioned. Cost. I'd love to always be able to give them what they want, but sometimes we just can't (or don't feel it's worth the money).

 

[soccerdad72]

Both our boys have, yes. Nothing in the ballpark of $2,000, though. I think the most expensive one we've done was a soccer camp and that was maybe $700 for 5 days. We've only done camps that were within a day's drive, though.

 

[Kathy Muniz]

My daughter has done an away camp for the last 5 years or so (she’s almost 16 now), but it’s only to NH and we’re in CT so our church and a few local churches rent a bus to drive the kids up. So it’s less than $300 for the week.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Our kids have had great experiences at the summer camp we send them to and most years have make it a priority to budget it for them. That being said, there have been a couple of years here and there that we just couldn't afford it for them.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Ours don’t, but if they did it would be a MUCH cheaper camp we could drive to. It’s just never been enough of a priority over other Summer conflicts to make it happen.

My sister & I both went to camp a couple times as kids for a week at a time.

 

[leebee]

DD went to Girl Scout camp for several sessions, but we could drive her and it wasn't in that price range. For many summers she wanted to do ballet summer intensive programs, but we just couldn't afford it. Average price is about $1000 a week, with room and board, and you really need to go for 2-8 weeks. We just didn't have that kind of money to invest in her dance training. She understood, but it was heartbreaking to see her qualify for some really excellent programs but not be able to attend (but she wanted to audition with her friends, even though she knew going in that we weren't going to be able to afford it).

 

[Runnergal]

Mine went to a camp in NH for the first time last summer. Just for 2 weeks. They loved it and are going again this year. There is a bus that takes them there and back. It is $1300 per kid, which ends up being cheaper than most day camps near me.

 

[E&Cmom]

Mine haven’t yet. My eldest asked last year but decided to go back a a musical theatre day camp she went to the previous year before instead. This summer we are going to Florida for 11 days and at the end of the Month she is going to Edmonton for a band trip so she doesn’t need to go to camp.

 

[loves to dive]

My son went to 4H camp for about 4 years when he was young but it didn't cost that much. He also went to a church camp a couple of times with his cousins but it was free. Both times he went in buses and they were in state.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Both of mine have gone to overnight camps. There is an excellent YMCA camp about 2 hours away that is $600/week. There is also a camp that focuses on missionary experiences that is around $300/week. Scout camps for the oldest are also around $300 per week. $2000 sounds awfully high and they wouldn't be going for that price. Is there anything closer or less expensive that she might consider?

 

[4kids4karen]

Both of mine have gone to overnight camps. There is an excellent YMCA camp about 2 hours away that is $600/week. There is also a camp that focuses on missionary experiences that is around $300/week. Scout camps for the oldest are also around $300 per week. $2000 sounds awfully high and they wouldn't be going for that price. Is there anything closer or less expensive that she might consider?

No, this is a very specific camp. The weekly rates vary from around $1000 to $1600 depending on the chosen week. It would be over 16 hour drive so we normally fly. Which means three round trip tickets (one for her, one for the parent dropping off, and one for parent picking up). I am considering letting her take the return flight home alone. The camp charges extra to transport the kids to/from the closest airport which is a more expensive airport. Then the rental car (need one for both drop off and pick up) and one night hotel cost (the night before check in).

Many kids stay multiple weeks. Next year she will be eligible to apply to be a junior counselor. Which means paying for one week and she would stay an additional two weeks as a junior counselor free.

She meets up with previous year camp friends if they can all attend the same week. One of her friends stayed three weeks last year but said friend older sister was a junior counselor who had to be there for three weeks.

 

[RangerPooh]

We send our DDs to the Girl Scout camp that they use to attend in northern Idaho when we lived in WA. It's much nicer than the local GS camps. While the camp session is less than the local ones, the flight adds quite a bit. This summer our older DD13 isn't attending, but rather staying local to attend both orchestra and coding camps. This means that DD11 is flying cross country to attend a week at camp, then three weeks with her bff in WA. I have purchased both of our tickets out there and mine home, but still need to purchase her ticket home. Debating whether she flies alone or if one of us flies back out. While it costs quite a bit, we like the camp and know that she has the opportunity to spend time with her best friends.

 

[Minnesota!]

I have begged my kids for YEARS to try the camp I went to as a kid...I absolutely loved it. No interest, no interest, no interest.

I gave it one more shot this year (older son will be "too old" to be a camper next year) and to my shock, he said YES! Signed him up that day. He goes for 5 days and it is just under $700 all tolled, but it is SO worth it.

Both kids are going to an (over night, 3 nights!!) sports camp this summer, too. It's expensive, for sure, but still cheaper than the tuition I pay 9 months a year.

 

[Kae]

Not Camp but DD goes on a trip with her Theatre Group each summer she has gone to Canada for a Shakespeare Festival, Chicago and New York for Workshops & shows. And this year WDW!!.

 

[sam_gordon]

I thought we had dodge the summer camp bullet this year and DD finally stopped begging to go back. I actually said if her friend Susie went (who has never went before and we thought was a slim chance of going) then she would go. Just got the text that Susie may be going to camp... so of course she wants to go to.

This camp we would have to fly her to. She has been several times before and loves it. It is a great camp. Just trying to save money. One week is going to be over $2k if we are counting travel costs.

So, who else has kids that travel to sleep away camps?

Don't make promises your wallet can't cash.

My kids have gone to overnight camp. Eldest went to a 4H camp and a softball camp, all three have been to church camps, DS has been to soccer camps. All the camps have been in our state and cost <$1k.

 

[4kids4karen]

I have begged my kids for YEARS to try the camp I went to as a kid...I absolutely loved it. No interest, no interest, no interest.

I gave it one more shot this year (older son will be "too old" to be a camper next year) and to my shock, he said YES! Signed him up that day. He goes for 5 days and it is just under $700 all tolled, but it is SO worth it.

Both kids are going to an (over night, 3 nights!!) sports camp this summer, too. It's expensive, for sure, but still cheaper than the tuition I pay 9 months a year.

My youngest son always says no to camps too. I even looked up computer coding camps at various colleges and he still said no. He went to day camps at our science museum when he was younger but has no interest in any sleep away camps.

Older boys did boy scout camps, scout hiking trips, band camp at the colleges, etc. I sent them to a sleep away camp about two hours from my house (middle school sge) and now as adults they talk a how bad that camp was. They compare it to the boy scout camp facilities, etc. The cabins did not have a/c (Summer in Central Florida) It was ran like a 50’s style camp by a lovely Christian couple, but very low budget camp. They gave my boys a 50% scholarship for being military kids or I wouldn’t have been able to afford it back then. No pool but they had a lake to swim in. LoL. A lot of outdoor activities. They had to walk to a central location for the bathrooms.

 

[larissawbb]

Mine had always gone to summer camp. I thought it was worth every penny. It was the only time my husband and I got uninterrupted time together.

 

[4kids4karen]

Don't make promises your wallet can't cash.

My kids have gone to overnight camp. Eldest went to a 4H camp and a softball camp, all three have been to church camps, DS has been to soccer camps. All the camps have been in our state and cost <$1k.

I never said my wallet couldn’t handle it.

We have no interest in 4H or church camp. This is an elite camp for action sports with state of the art facilities where many pros attended as kids and visit as guests in the summer. There are kids who come from overseas to attend this camp.

 

[sam_gordon]

I never said my wallet couldn’t handle it.

Don't make promises you're not willing to keep. You said if Susie goes, your child goes. So, if Susie goes, you send your child.

We have no interest in 4H or church camp. This is an elite camp for action sports with state of the art facilities where many pros attended as kids and visit as guests in the summer. There are kids who come from overseas to attend this camp.

Well bless your heart. You asked if anyone had kids that traveled to sleep away camps. I'm sorry the sleep away camps my kids attended don't meet your high standards to qualify me to answer your question.