How to Choose a Speciatly Summer Camp

July 3rd, 2009
Shelly Cartwright asked:


Specialty summer camp programs have continued to grow in popularity each of the past several years. In fact, they’re the fastest growing segment of the entire summer camp industry. A “specialty” camp generally focuses on one or more related camp activities (just beach and surfing activities, for example), versus a traditional summer camp which typically offers a more generalized program with activities such as arts & crafts, horseback riding, nature study, sports and games, archery, and dance and drama, among others.

Specialty camps have historically appealed to “older” kids (generally ages 10 or 12) because their lifestyle interests begin to take shape at this age and they become more interested in specialized fields of study or play as they grow. But in recent years, specialty camps are seeing more enrollment from children as young as preschool age whose parents may want them exposed to more specific camp activities than they’d get at a traditional camp.

Like traditional camps, specialty camps offer day or resident/sleepaway camp experiences. (At day camps, children are generally brought to the camp each morning in a bus or van, spend their day at camp, and then return home in the late afternoon.  At resident camps, children “live” at the camp — typically in bunks, tents or cabins — for up to several weeks at a time during the summer.)

There seems to be no limit as to the types of specialty camps available. If your child is interested in a specific area of interest, you can be sure there’s a specialty camp designed for them. For example, a recent internet search revealed the following types of specialty camps: beach and surfing camps, cooking camps, boating camps, camps for children with special needs, weight loss camps, boot camps, football camps, general sports camps, ski and snowboard camps, camps for children with cancer, baking camps, tennis camps, acting camps, academic camps, entrepreneurial camps, family camps and camps for twins, among others.

Where’s the best place to start your search for a specialty camp? We always suggest picking an American Camp Association (ACA) Accredited camp, regardless of the type of camp you choose. By choosing an accredited camp, you can be sure the camp meets or exceeds up to 300 best-practice industry standards relating to child safety and supervision, transportation, program and activity scheduling, food service, and more.

The ACA maintains a free Website where you can search for a specialty camp among any criteria that’s important to you such as by type of camp, location, gender, price, and ages served.

Go to http://acacamps.com to start your search. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a beach and surf camp in Los Angeles or a cooking camp in Wisconsin, the specialty camp you’re looking for will be right there on the ACA’s Web site.



How to Find an Aquatic Sports Summer Camp

June 16th, 2009
Shelly Cartwright asked:


What’s the best way for your child to be safe, have fun and beat the summer heat? Sign them up for a water sports or aquatic camp!

Summertime and aquatic activities go hand-in-hand. According to Theresa Torrone, a volunteer for the American Camp Association (ACA), “Water sports camps are one of the fastest growing segments of the specialty camp field within the summer camp industry as a whole. There’s a water sports camp for kids and teens everywhere.”

Also known as aquatics sports camps, water sports camps generally offer surfing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, boogie boarding, body surfing, parasailing, swimming, inner-tubing, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, boating and related activities.

What if your child doesn’t have previous experience with these activities? Torrone says not to worry. “Most water sports camps accept kids from every aquatic background, so your child can participate and enjoy the activities safely and have fun no matter what.”

To cover your bets, however, Torrone says to “always check with the camp director first just to be sure.”

Sometimes parents think a water sports camp is out of the question if they don’t live close to the ocean. But Torrone says your kids can still get the full benefit of attending a water sports camp no matter where you live.

“Some of the premier water sports camps in the country use lakes, reservoirs and pools as their primary activity base. The ocean is fun, but it’s definitely not essential to enjoying a premier aquatic camp experience.

“For example, jet skiing, wakeboarding and fishing camps often take place at lakes or rivers. They don’t require a beach or ocean for kids to have fun.”

When asked about surfing camps, Torrone said, “I suppose if you want to learn to surf, or attend a surf camp, you’ll need to find a water sports camp at the beach. But even if you don’t live by the beach, you can go to an overnight surf camp. There are a number of them across the country.”

To find a list of water sports camps, Torrone suggests contacting the American Camp ACA. “The ACA’s a great resource. Whether you’re looking for a surf camp, jet skiing camp, wakeboarding camp, or just a swimming camp, the ACA can provide you with a list of accredited programs all over the country.”

Torrone says you can also look on the Internet. “If you want a surf camp,  SurfCampSearch.com, a free online surf camp directory. If you want an all around aquatic sports camp experience, including surfing, try Aloha Beach Camp in Los Angeles. And last I checked, ussportscamps.com and localsportscamps.com also have comprehensive listings of water sports camps everywhere so you can find a great program.”

Whatever camp you choose, it’s always wise to involve your child in the decision-making process. “If your child is involved in picking the water sports camp they’ll eventually attend,” she said, “they’re going to end up loving it that much more.”



Camping in Himalayas

June 16th, 2009
dev seo asked:


 

Himalayas, as we hear the name, our mind flashes with great mountains, lush blue sky belt, panoramic scenes, tranquilizing ambiences, to put in “A Living Paradise on the Earth”. The best way to experience and explore the heaven is to camp in Himalayas. Camping in the hearts of Himalayas means a moment where there’s no hustle bustle of city life, no tension, no pollution; just surrendering our souls to the Mother Nature and unveil its hidden dimensions.

 

What makes Camping in Himalayas so special?

People come to camp in Himalayas for different purposes; some for a break, some for comprehending nature, and some for adventure and so on. Everyone finds here something to gain for themselves! Meditation, intrapersonal communication, adventures, exploring and much more, genre of activity may be different; but the destination is common- camp in Himalayas. Feel the eternal vicinity to the lonely rocks, spine-shivering glaciers, dense forests, unseen wildlife, mountain people and their culture and tradition; everything via camping in Himalayas.

 

Routes to Camp in Himalayas: Himachal, Garhwal and more……..

Himachal is the best pass to Himalayas that offers all the required and modern infrastructures for camping! In addition, you get here the best view to Himalayan range as well and no wonder is the first choice for camping! Garhwal is yet another wonderful route to Himalayas, imbeds some of the exquisite camping sites! Nainital, Munshiyari, Dharchula and many more, Uttaranchal gives you plentiful options to camp. The local authorities whether are from Himachal, Uttaranchal or any other; everyone heartily welcomes campers!

 

Camp in Himalayas: Few Handy Tips

Several tour packages and offers have made your camping in the Himalayas pretty simpler! Offers and tour packages like corporate camping, student summer camps and more have made easy to categorize and customize your camp needs and shapes! Even you can opt for seasonal camps like summer camps and many more! However, Himalayas is quite different from other camping sites; few below tips can help you out while camping:

 

Plan and Manage your camping trip; make some back up plans for any emergency. Best is to transfer your trip to a reliable tour operator!

 

Get the full camping kit that has all the small to big tools. Thoroughly check the quality of the kit, stress on the modern kits. Things like oxygen masks, first aid box, and communication tools must not be missed out.

 

Look out for the season, you will not wish to spoil your whole camp trip sitting inside your cabs or just camps.



Choose the best package that means you can enjoy to the max when you choose right kind of package, for example, office people can enjoy camping maximum if they go on corporate tours.

 

Camping in Himalayas is once-in-a-life-moment, and you must experience the exquisiteness of the great Himalayas. So what makes you waiting, pack your bags, stretch your nerves, Himalayas is calling you!

 

 

Peak Adventure Tours, India leading Adventure Tour Company offers all outdoor and adventure tours like trekking in Himalayas, camping tours, expedition, snow trekking, glacier, family trekking, mountain biking, jeep safari and more.

Visit PeakAdventureTour.com for exploring tour itineraries, fixed departure tour date and more.

 



Are Specialty Summer Camps Giving Traditional Camps a Run for Their Money?

June 9th, 2009
Eric D. Naftulin asked:


Could this be the end of summer camp as we know it?

Have traditional summer camps — where kids enjoy horseback riding, archery, take nature hikes, sing songs and make s’mores around the campfire — seen their final days?

Probably not. But given the way specialty camps are gaining traction among today’s youth, traditional camps may be losing their foothold.

According to Theresa Torrone, a volunteer for the American Camp Association and the owner/operator of her own beach and surf specialty camp in Los Angeles, California, “Specialty camps appeal to kids with very specific interests. Rather than participate in a wide variety of general camp activities, they’d rather spend their summer focusing on just one specialty activity instead.”

Torrone cited cooking camps, dramatic arts camps, and surf (also known as surfing) camps among some of the fastest growing genres in the specialty summer camp field.

“As a volunteer for the American Camp Association, I visit various types of camps each summer, and I’m intimately familiar with many others. I can tell you that the specialty camp sector is growing like gangbusters,” Torrone said.

Given the fact surf camps - where kids learn not only how to surf, but also about surf etiquette, wave judgment and selection, ocean science and water safety - are becoming more prevalent, is Torrone concerned about the inevitable added competition for her own camp?

“Nah,” she said with a smile. “The more kids who experience camp at the beach, the better. If they come to my camp, great. But the most important thing is that they get to experience the ocean environment somewhere. I’m glad there are so many available opportunities for kids to learn to surf at camp.”

 Most likely, the traditional camp experience will last forever because many parents feel that sending their kids to a traditional summer camp is a virtual an American pastime.

But specialty camps are gaining ground fast…of that there is no doubt.

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



How to Choose a Surf Camp

June 6th, 2009
Eric D. Naftulin asked:


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.



Special Summer Camps for Holidays

May 20th, 2009
Ron Victor asked:


Summer camps are special camps offered to kids, children and adults to enjoy their summer. Summer camps are camps offered for kids, teens, girls and boys during summer. Overnight camps, youth camp, children’s camps, boy’s camp, adventure camp, arrowhead camp, coed camp, kid’s camp, girl’s camp, residential camp, sleep away camp and teen camps are offered to the people around the world. Summer camps will be offered by the specialized institutions, schools and many other academies. Generally, this kind of camps is offered in most of the states and countries and they are offered for the benefit of the customer.

It is a special camps offered during summer for kids, children and adults. Summer camps satisfy the requirements of the people around the world. Summer camp come up with special and different kinds of summer programs and the people seems to enjoying the special programs offered. Overnight camps, children camps will be very interesting and almost every student participating will be enjoying. Overnight adventures can be enjoyed by girls, boys and teens and coed camps are also offered in the summer camps. Children camps are special camps which should be taken by the children during their holidays.

Summer camps for kids are special camps which should be organized, supervised and controlled by experts, professionals and many other individuals. This kind of camps will be offered to the people based on the individual age limit, interest and health condition. The prices vary for the camps offered and the each camp for kids, teens comes up with variable price consideration. Huge number of institutions, schools and academies are interested in offering the camps for the kids and adults during their summer for competitive price consideration.

It is said to be the best, exciting, wonderful, educative experience for the people who requires. Students will be more educative if they choose the right camp for their summers to spend their holidays. Summer camps comes up with innovative, specialized programs such as guitar, singing, dancing, horseback riding, indoor games, outdoor games, fashion design, Hollywood stunt, extreme action adventure, water sports, secret agent, broadcast journalism and acting. Children, kids and adults gain more experience and knowledge from the field and help them to settle at the time of need.

Different programs will be available in the overnight camps and the camps will be more exciting, educative and more useful for children, kids and adults. Educational camps, outdoor camps are offered for reasonable and competitive price consideration and with the help of the experience and knowledgeable professionals and experts. The main purpose of creating summer camps is to develop the creativity and extra activity of the kids, children and adults and to learn skills and knowledge in the field. This kind of activity develops self confidence, friendly relationship among the people.



The Los Angeles Summer Camp Experience

May 12th, 2009
Eric D. Naftulin asked:


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.



Camping Gear - Choosing the Right Camping Gear

May 10th, 2009
Jonsky asked:


Choosing camping gear is not about buying the latest, most popular or even the most expensive equipment. Camping equipment should be affordable and suitable for your needs.

The key to choosing the right gear is to know what you will encounter on your camping trip. How long you will be camping also influences what camping gear you would need.

Consider which gear is essential based on the terrain and weather conditions. You can still have many choices of gear which are still practical and functional even if you are on a tight budget.

It’s easy to get distracted by all the gear you see in camping stores but you need to focus on the camping gear that you will definitely need and would later prove useful to your needs.

You also wouldn’t want to carry too much gear and equipment if you can. The rule of thumb is to carry not more than a third of your body weight.

The strongest camping and hiking gear may be too heavy or lack the features you need so evaluate the conditions of the terrain and decide if you really need gear that may be overkill. Contact the local tourist office to find out about weather conditions and terrain before you start buying new equipment or before you pack what you have already.

Sometimes you will go through a variety of conditions and terrain in the same camping trip so make sure you take this into account when choosing camping gear. For example if you go on a mountain hike, the conditions and terrain would be different at the top of the climb than at the beginning.

If the weather is unpredictable bring rain gear and pack your gear in a waterproof enclosure so that it remains dry.

Making Your Own Camping Checklist

A camping checklist is something that evolves as you gain more experience camping. It not only makes sure that you carry everything that you might need but it also can be used to make sure that you don’t carry too much camping equipment.

To make a dynamic camping checklist that you be useful for different occasions make a note of which camping gear you did or did not use and alter you list accordingly.

The camping list may change from each camping trip as you encounter different conditions. This is the trial and error method for choosing the right camping equipment for you.

As you take notes on which equipment works best for different situations and which gear you wish you had or how much of the camping supplies you had used up in your camping trip your list will become better, more useful and more customized to your individual needs.

Making your backpack lighter

While the camping gear checklist can possibly make your backpack lighter by reducing the number of camping, it may take a few camping trips to get it right.

With new technology camping equipment are increasingly lighter and smaller with new designs and materials. Choosing a lighter alternative to the same piece of gear can significantly reduce your overall load. It is not necessary to sacrifice certain essentials just to make your backpack lighter.

A lighter backpack will help you travel more quickly and cover more distances in a day and put less stress on your knees, shoulders, neck and back.

These 5 tips will help you reduce the weight of your backpack.

• Get rid excess - Don’t bring extra changes of clothing more than one. Don’t bring more than one cooking pot.

• If you are hiking in a group or someone else try to share some of the camping gear that can be conveniently shared like camping tent, camping stove, insect repellent etc.

• Replace camping equipments with lighter versions of it. Lightweight components and simple designs can almost maximize function while minimizing weight.

• Use camping gear that can perform different functions.

• Use travel size versions for consumables like soap and toothpaste and try to reduce packaging.

Traveling with a big load on your back is not fun and most times unnecessary. If that’s what you’ve been doing you’ll appreciate how easy it is to travel with a lighter load. Keeping your body in shape can help you carry your load better still.