E10 | S U M M E R C A M P S & S C H O O L S | M A R C H 2 0 1 4
adventures & education
Easy Pickings, Happy Campers Advice Summer camp, that American tradition, is changing. Gone are the days of sending kids to the woods for six weeks of macrame, cookouts and social awkwardness. Now, there are camps of all kinds to fit any kid’s tastes. Solving the puzzle of keeping your kids occupied over the summer has become more complex than ever. Enter CampEasy.com. Founded by former television journalist Brooke Salkoff, a mom of two from McLean, Va., who was frus-
trated by the camp planning process, CampEasy is a search engine that helps parents and kids find summer fun. After two years of running CampEasy and years of sending her children to camp, Salkoff has become a bit of an expert on all things camp. So Express sat down with her for an interview.
you go off and learn how to sail — these kids are going on vacations that are more expensive than what the parents are doing. Why so many? Camps are becoming more specialized as a way of differentiating themselves. Instead of baseball camp, there’s third baseman’s camp.
So, what’s camp like these days? Camp has changed dramatically. We used to think of camp as this rustic — getting out in the wilderness and spending nights in a cabin. Now, there’s a camp where all you do is travel up and down the East Coast and go on roller coasters. There are trapeze camps, community service camps, camps for little kids. There are camps where
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The creator of CampEasy offers tips on finding the right program for your kid
Trout Unlimited Tri-State
Conservation & Fishing Camp Ages 13-17 coed June 22-27, 2014 Near Shenandoah National Park www.fisheyeguyphotography.com
SUMMER ACADEMY an intellectual adventure
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How do I know if my child is ready for camp? I think the parent is going to know. If the child has expressed interest in a specific activity and would want to be engaged in that for an extended period of time, and can handle being away from the parent for an extended period of time.