Product Description

This resource includes information on how to decide when the time is right, how to find and evaluate different kinds of camps, how to prepare for the adventure, and how to prevent homesickness.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #243578 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 247 pages

From Kirkus Reviews
Clinical psychologists Thurber and Malinowski use their own experiences as campers and camp staff to guide parents in the search for the perfect camp experience for their children. Chapters include the rationale for overnight camping, choosing the right camp, preparing for it, forestalling homesickness, getting the most out of the experience, and a short section written for children. The authors describe traditional overnight, specialty, religious, and special-needs camps and give pros and cons for each type. Without pushing their own point of view, other than that overnight camping is wonderful for most children, the authors compare camp philosophies and structures. They stress that parents should match camp styles and values to their own child's needs. There are many sound suggestions to help children adjust to camp and to prepare children for leaving home, become more independent and enjoy the camping experience. Practical advice includes a sample of a good letter to send to your child, as well as the do not send kind. Lists of questions to ask, checklists of things to consider, or suggestions for helping children cope, preparing for opening day, and sidebars are breezy and helpful. Included are bibliographies of books and Web sites of camping organizations and companies that outfit campers. A good choice for the parent collection. (Parent Collection) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
"...a common sense, meat-and-potatoes guide for all families interested in camp. It's well-researched, thoughtfully written, easy to read, and-most important-reflects the love and knowledge the authors have for kids and camps." -- Mary Pipher, PhD, Parent and best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia

"...a comprehensive, invaluable, and powerful preparation tool for parents and prospective campers. You'll soon recognize the tremendous opportunity and gift you'll give your child with a positive camping experience. A compelling read from cover to cover." -- Peg Smith, Executive Director of the American Camping Association and mother of two

"...a great piece of work, full of practical information. Especially helpful is advice to parents about conversations they should have with their children before they go to overnight camp. Highly recommended reading for families and camping professionals." -- Bob Ditter, MEd, LCSW, Camp consultant and author of In the Trenches

"...a remarkable accomplishment...the best in its field...required reading for every camper's family and for every camp counselor. It is the most comprehensive and scientifically sound coverage of the camp experience available. The authors are both camping veterans and distinguished investigators. This is *the* book my son and I are using to prepare for his first overnight camp." -- John R. Weisz, PhD, President of the Division of Clinical Child Psychology, American Psychological Association, and father of four

"...the definitive resource for the entire family. The authors are knowledgeable and passionate, and they answer every conceivable question about overnight camp thoroughly, expertly, and sensitively. Particularly helpful for novice campers and their parents are the sections on coping with homesickness." -- Tom Giggi, Parent, teacher, coach, and 40-year camping veteran

"A commonsense, meat-and-potatoes guide for all families interested in camp." -- Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia

From the Author
Jon and I had so much fun writing this book! We love camp, we love kids, and we're so excited that parents and camping professionals now have a resource that enhances the overnight camping experience for their children. Our research has shown that first-year campers who use the preparation strategies in "The Summer Camp Handbook" have a significantly better time at camp, and are less homesick, than those without the preparation. Our hope is that many families new to camping will recognize its powerful impact on children's lives and buy our book. We also hope that camp directors will buy the book in bulk, and gift it to parents of first-year campers. Armed with the knowledge of what makes a great camping experience, parents, children, and camp directors alike will enjoy unforgettable summers for years to come.

Here's how we see it: Almost all young people love overnight camp. (Nearly 7 million of them go each summer!) However, if you choose the wrong camp, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons, or without adequate preparation, then it could be a miserable experience. With more than 6,300 overnight camps in the United States, picking one could seem impossible. This book will help you make all the right choices about when to go, where to go, how to get ready, and most of all how to make sure that camp is a tremendously positive experience. We'll give you valuable camp information you can't find anywhere else, plus experienced answers to the toughest questions you have about overnight camp.

Customer Reviews

I wish I had found this book a year earlier!
This book really covers what you need to know before you send your child to sleepaway camp. The part that was most helpful to me was the research the authors have done on homesickness. Before I got this book I was guessing about how to handle my daughter's homesickness, and I came up with one or two of their recommendations. But after I read this book I felt I understood how to handle this with my daughter and also what the camp and counselors can do to help. There's a great list of all the things you can do. And everything the authors said rings true with my experience.

It's well written, easy to follow, and has parts written just for kids to read. There's even a section to tell kids how to get the most out of camp - from general guidelines on how to treat others to good advice on how to deal with living with lots of kids in a small space.

Every parent, camper, counselor and camp director should read this book! Parents will have a more relaxing time while their kids are away, campers will know better what to expect and how to have the most fun, counselors will know better what to do, and camp directors will have fewer problems with kids AND parents.

A book for every parent
I bought Chris Thurber's book on Friday, and watched him on NBC's Today Show this morning (June 9, 2003). Seeing him in person confirms what I thought: he is a camping expert with a wealth of helpful information for parents and kids alike. I feel so much better sending my son to camp knowing that Chris and Jon's research has helped us prepare in a way that will maximize the fun and minimize the homesickness at camp. Buying this book is a small investment in a positive experience whose benefits, I am sure, will last a lifetime. (I found the perfect camp for my son by visiting the American Camping Association's web page: acacamps.org.)

Why I'm thrilled I have a book to recommend to families
I am a psychotherapist and mother of four,and I cannot express how pleased and grateful I am that I now have, for the first time, a wonderful resource to recommend to parents. Moms and Dads can read and use this book WITH their children to find the camp best suited for their child. All the wonderful suggestions for preparation, especially the emotional insights, make this book a real gem! Summer camp is SUCH an influential experience, that no child or parent should make camp decisions without first reading THE SUMMER CAMP HANDBOOK.