About
I am a mom in San Francisco with two small children, a boy age 6 and a girl age 4. Last spring I entered the wonderful world of summer camp planning. I spent many hours planning my son’s summer. Because I work full-time, camp was not optional.
But I hoped that all my efforts would result in my son eagerly awaiting each new adventure that camp brought. I realized half-way through the summer that I made some mistakes. Like, having a six-year old in six different programs (with different friends, settings and counselors) might have been a bit too much.
I started this blog in 2009 to give parents support and thoughts on planning their kids’ summers. I’ll be posting interviews with Camp Director’s and pointing out helpful sites and events. It’s a companion to the website, Sign Up For Camp, that will make it easier of parents to plan summers. If you have tips on summer planning, please let me know.
Now, Sign up for Camp has 1000′s of summer camps nationwide and includes the camp’s full schedule to make it easier for parents to mix and match camps and coordinate schedules with friends.
I want to recommend a camp to you- Camp Pathfinder in Ontario, Canada (www.camppathfinder.com). Kurt & I have been both campers & staff over the years and remain deeply committed to its mission. The director, Michael Sladden & I are close friends and I would be happy to connect you.
Best wishes for your blog & summer camp efforts.
Best,
Ryan Arthurs
http://www.ryanarthursphoto.blogspot.com
Congrats! I think this website is an awesome idea and I loved that you started with 3 camps I had never heard of (instead of the most well-known ones). I’m definitely interested in Wanderers Camp!
Caroline
As I am an organizer and leader of a fine art camp, I found your questions and tips from all of your interviewers helpful, insightful and thought provoking for families trying to figure out the whole camp adventure. What a great idea for a blog. Thanks for your work!
Best,
Kebby
Great, great concept. My wife has spent many hours over the past few weeks figuring out summer camp options for our daughter (including a complex spreadsheet outlining all the options). There are so many variables to consider and it’s great to have everything pulled together in one place.
It also looks like a great opportunity to get tips and learn from others. For example, your comment above, “…having a six-year old in six different programs (with different friends, settings and counselors) might have been a bit too much. ” is super helpful.
Really excited to spend some time exploring the site — and finding really fun camps for my daughter to attend over the summer.
Thanks
Jim
Just discovered this site – what a great idea! I’d like to add a camp in Tucson, Arizona. The International School of Tucson. I go there every year with my children to visit my mother for a month. All day with us is too much (for my mother!) so I put them in the International School’s Spanish camp during the day, and then we spend the afternoons and weekends together. They love the program, they get challenged and I get to see my mother. btw – I met a family from Phoenix and another from San Diego who do the same thing as me.
Best
Steve
I like your site, from a children author in Concord, Ca.
Camp Kesem Berkeley is a free summer camp to Bay Area children whose parents have or have had cancer. The website is http://www.campkesemberkeley.org !