Send your kids to camp this summer

If you are still scrambling to find things to keep your child occupied, have you considered sending them away to camp? A tradition that my own family has kept for generations, camp is a great opportunity for kids to exert independence while making new friends and having tons of fun being active.

Be sure to check out the complete list of Day and Away Camps by CLICKING HERE.

My personal favorite camp is 4H Camp, held in the woods of the Las Posadas forest in Angwin, California (Napa County). For 6 days and 5 nights, kids receive the full camp experience. In the morning, campers can wake up early and attend a “Polar Bear Swim”, supervised by a lifeguard and teen staffers while they swim in a cold pool that is still warmer than the freezing air outside. Every camper belongs to a “tribe”, giving them a better opportunity to meet other campers and make new friends, and ensuring they won’t get lost in the shuffle. Tribes compete with each other to receive the most “tribe points” for things like joining in the most activities, winning daily competitions, or members going above and beyond their camper duties.

All meals are eaten in an open Dining Hall, and the food is unexpectedly good for being camp food. Evenings are ended with a camp fire celebration, where songs are sung, tribes perform, and camp spirit burns bright. And at the end of the day, campers settle into their sleeping bags under the stars until they wake to do it all over again. 4H Camp also offers several exciting hikes, a craft shack, education sessions, carnivals, and is accompanied by a camp theme decided on by the teen staff.

Speaking of the teen staff, the whole camp is put on by a very capable group of teenagers who have worked all year long to create a fun and memorable camp program. While adults are available for assistance, the teens are the ones who oversee the whole week.

4H Camp is looking for campers aged 9-14, as well as adult chaperones. Campers do not have to be members of 4H. The camp fees are kept incredibly low at only $240* for non-members for the entire week. Chaperones can attend for a mere $23 (though each adult chaperone must pass be fingerprinted and go through an orientation).

There are two sessions of camp:

Camp I – Monday, June 27 to Saturday, July 2 FULL
Camp II – Sunday, July 3 to Friday, July 8 (Camp 2 still has many open slots)

Applications due by June 15th!

For information on how to attend, visit the 4H camp website at http://www.sonoma4hcamp.org. From there, you can read more about camp, view photos, and print out the applications to apply for camp. If you have questions about camp, please call the 4-H Office at 707-565-2681.