Where “general” or “traditional” camp programs have historically been the norm, specialty summer camp programs for kids and teens — which focus on one just one activity or a few related ones — are growing in popularity year after year. Nowhere is this more evident than along the southern California coastline, where surf camps are one of the fastest growing segments in the specialty camp sector. The increased interest in the sport, especially among children, has led to the proliferation of surf camps up and down the coast. Just take a stroll along the beaches of San Diego or Los Angeles and you’ll see group after group of happy campers learning to surf from their caring camp counselors and surfing instructors.

If your child has expressed an interest in learning to surf, sign him or her up for a summer surf camp experience!

But how can you tell you’re picking the right one?

When you choose a surf camp, it’s always wise to narrow your search down to one that’s earned accreditation by the American Camp Association. If a surf camp has achieved this status, it means the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice industry standards running the gamut from program and activity quality to camper safety to staffing and supervision and more.

If the surf camp you’re considering is not accredited by the American Camp Association, then you should ask the camp director why that’s the case. If you are not satisfied with the answer, it’s time to move on to the next surf camp.

Surf camp accreditation status is certainly not the only criteria to rely on when choosing a surf camp. You must also be sure the counselors and surfing instructors are experienced, qualified and have basic safety certifications in CPR, First Aid and lifeguarding. (While the ocean environment is tremendously fun, it demands respect, too. So you want to be certain your child is being instructed by capable and qualified staff who are equipped to handle any potential scenario that might come up, particularly with respect to your child’s safety at the beach.)

Concerning the individuals who will be supervising and teaching your child to surf, you want to choose a surf camp with experienced instructors who are caring, nurturing, and capable of teaching children of all ages, temperaments, and ability levels whether they are beginning, intermediate or advanced surfers.

You also want to make sure the surf camp incorporates a heavy dose of beach, water, and sun safety learning components into its program so your child gets them most well-rounded surf camp experience possible.

In addition, the surf camp should provide new equipment (including surfboards and wetsuits), and the camp program should take place only in ideal learning environments such as oceans with soft sandy bottoms and consistent wave activity.

In addition, there should be a public lifeguard supervising the surf camp program at all times.

Often overlooked in a parents’ search for a surf camp is to confirm whether the camp has a high profile sponsor connected to it. For example, if you choose a surf camp that is sponsored by Billabong or Quicksilver (which are huge companies and very well-respected in the surfing industry), you can be fairly certain you’re on the right track because these organizations will generally only attach their names to trusted surf camps with respectable camp programs.

We hope this article has helped you learn how to choose a surf camp.

Copyright Eric Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

Tags: Camp, Choose, Surf

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Los Angeles is rich with a host of summer camp opportunities for your child. An increasing trend among Los Angeles families is to send their kids to several summer camps over the course of the summer, versus the traditional way of picking a single camp alone.

A confluence of factors — principally, kids’ diverse interests plus an increasing array of available specialty camps and flexible enrollment packages offered by Los Angeles area camps — has fueled this trend. And for your son or daughter, it’s a pretty good deal!

By attending a variety of summer camps rather than just one, your child can enjoy many different experiences which would otherwise be unavailable to them. And there’s definitely no shortage among available camps in Los Angeles!

A recent online search revealed the following types of summer camps (among others) in metropolitan L.A. alone: Surf camps, beach camps, science camps, technology camps, music camps, acting camps, Jewish camps, cooking camps, space camps, horseback riding camps, academic camps, rock star camps, nature camps, entrepreneurship camps and traditional camps.

Remember, this is just a partial list!

If you’re considering a Los Angeles summer camp for your child this summer — or if you’re considering more than one — here’s how to discover what’s available.

A great place to start is by asking your friends for recommendations. Assuming they’ve got kids of their own, your friends can usually direct you to some of the more popular Los Angeles summer camps. The internet is also a wonderful resource, because it offers numerous camp-specific Web sites that allow you to filter your camp search by geography, camp type, and other criteria to suit your needs.

For example, LA Summer Camps.com and LA Surf Camps.com are two great places to start.

Here’s hoping your child enjoys many safe and fun camp experiences this year. With so many available opportunities, there is surely a multitude of Los Angeles summer camp options designed to meet your needs!

Copyright Eric Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

Tags: Angeles, Camp, Experience, Summer

Many parents joke that they are going to have to take out a second mortgage to pay for college, but what about for overnight camps?  What are the costs and is it worth the benefit?  We help send our kids to college because we know that this investment will help them secure better-paying jobs and a brighter future.  For a camping experience, however, is it worth it?

For some of us, camp was one of the most cherished growth experiences in our childhood and we feel the gift of camp is one that we will bestow upon our kids no matter what the cost.  For those of us who did not grow up as campers, we have to decide what all the buzz is about and make a determination if we can afford it or not.

As a former camper, counselor and teen tour leader, I believe that camp is a priceless gift that you can give your child (of course, as long as you find the right fit).  Camp experiences pay off in all sorts of “emotional intelligence” dividends:  self-esteem; self-reliance; self-awareness; empathy; the ability to listen, cooperate and share; self-control; the ability to wait in line (delayed gratification).  Research shows that developing these skills leads to greater success in school and deeper and healthier relationships.  And these early, positive growth experiences are fairly good indicators about our success as adults.  So, now that you are convinced that camp is all it is cracked up to be, how much does it cost and how are you going to pay for it?

Types of camps.  There are two types of camps:  agency camps and private camps.  There is a pretty big price differential between the two.  If cost is a concern, agency camps – like YMCA, JCC – make camping much more affordable.  They can do this because they are subsidized by agencies, therefore making your summer tuition less.  You can expect to pay about $500 – 650 a week.
Private camps are not subsidized, so the camper is paying for all of the costs to run a camp:  insurance, staff, equipment, capital improvements.  In the Midwest, you can expect to pay between $750 – $1000 a week for a private camp.  In Missouri and Southern Illinois, private camps are a little cheaper because they do not offer the extensive water sports, like sailing and water-skiing, like camps in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan).
Discounts.  There are other ways to save, as well.  At most camps, early enrollment discounts are offered.  So, if you do your homework early enough, you can take advantage of this discount.  In addition, if you are trying to provide a camping experience for more than one child, be sure to ask for a sibling discount (assuming that one camp can suit the needs of all of your children).  Lastly, if you are looking at camps on the East or West Coast, be sure to ask for a “Midwesterner’s discount.” Our camps in the Midwest are traditionally less expensive (if you can believe that after looking at the costs of camps).

Extras.  When budgeting for camp, you should also ask the program director about extra costs such as optional activities, spending money, special clothing and equipment, or trip insurance.  A camp may offer horseback riding, but is there an additional cost for participating in this activity?  When your son or daughter goes to the camp store, do they have an open-ended account or is there a set amount?  If it is open-ended, you will be the one responsible for that bill at the end of the summer so you should have a conversation with your child about proper spending.  If there are out-of-camp trips, you should find out whether or not those are included with your tuition.
Scholarships.  Almost every camp – private or agency – offers some amount of need-based “camperships.”  Jewish Federations, church groups and YMCAs give out scholarships for camp.  Many private camps have foundations to send needy kids to camp which, besides being a good thing for those kids, help to diversify their population.   Most camp directors are altruistic, giving individuals that would like to see every child in a camp.  Some camps even give “scholarships for life.”  So, once a child qualifies, they are promised that scholarship for however long they attend that camp.  For older kids, there are programs like Summer Search (www.summersearch.org) whose aim it is to send at-risk youth to leadership development programs like wilderness trips.
Camp is a wonderfully enriching gift you can give your child.  If you want to send your child, there is probably a camp out there to welcome them.  Happy camping!

Tags: Camp, Paying

With Christmas fast approaching, while children set out to enjoy their time off from school, parents have a million things to do and we’re scrambling, looking for somewhere safe to place them. We still have to work …we need to take care of errands and last-minute shopping…then there are chores at home.

Camp Essentials is hosting a two week Christmas day-camp for children ages 5 to 17. The camp will run from 8:30am to 2:30pm each day between December 14th and 24th at the St. Joseph’s Boys’ RC School. Outside camp hours, there would be supervision between 7:00am and 4:00pm. Not only does Camp Essentials expose the campers to a wide range of activities, but parents can be assured that the venue is very well secured, with a nurse on site should any emergency arise.

Though a camp with provisions for children ages 5 to 7 may seem like a really wide bracket, one huge ‘disco’ is not to be anticipated at Camp Essentials. Children are grouped according to their ages; so the only time your 5 year old will ever see my 17 year old (apart from breaks and at lunch- for which supervision is efficient) is during swimming trips, field trips and open secessions like talent shows or show and tell- to which parents are most welcomed. Actually, since parents are expected to be protective of their ‘babies’ spur-of-the-moment visits are never discouraged.

Instead of sitting at home, here is an opportunity for kids to make new friends while they have fun and enjoy Christmas.

Tags: Camp, Essentials, TRINIDAD

Buying sleeping bags can be a difficult task, with prices ranging from a few pounds to a few hundred. Ultimately you have to ask what you want to use it for. The sleepig bag is an important part of the kit. If you are hiking then you ideally want something that will pack tightly and is quite lightweight, such as a compact sleeping bag, although you have to be careful as these sometimes don’t provide the best insulation. Temperatures drop at night more than ost people expect, even in the middle of sumer so you should make sure you’re prepared. A sleeping bag traps the warm air around your body which provides the best insulation possible. The best sleeping bag is one which allows moisture to escape while keeping warm air trapped.If you are in a couple, you might prefer a double sleeping bag (there is no better central heating than the body heat of someone else.

Slepping bags are given temperature rating based upon their intended use. One season sleeping bags are designed for use in the sumer months only and aren’t suitable for camping in the winer (they just won’t keep you warm). Two season sleeping bags are suitable for the extended summer months (from early spring to late autumn, but aren’t suitable for sub zero temperatures. Three season sleeping bags will provide warmth in temperatures which are slightly sub zero and four season bags are designed to be used all year round and will be the most expensive type of sleeping bag.

Temperature ratiings should be taken as a general rule, remember, temperatures can drop below zero in spring, particularly at higher altitudes so you should follow specfic directions of the manufacturer. The amount of heating that different people will need can vary widly, with some people requiring more warmth than others.

What you sleep on is also very important, a good ground mat provides great insulation and is very important when camping.

If you are just planning on camping in the summer, you probably don’t need to spend too much, if you are looking at trecking, climbing, mountaineering etc then you really want to look at the top end, as the cheaper models simply won’t keep you warm enough. You might also want to consider a “bivvy bag”, as this can be useful in emergencies, or if temperatures drop lower than expected.

The fill in sleeping bags can be made of a wide range of things, most commonly goose, duck or down. Down is the warmest and often most expensive but not very good if it gets wet.

You may aso want to look out for a bag with a 2 way zip so you can stick your feet out the bottom. Double sleeping bags are also available and singles that join together to form a double. Insulated zips are also important if it gets very cold. A good ground mat is also an essential. They are only cheap and provide excellent insulation.

Tags: Buying, Camping, Next, Sleeping, Trip

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