The Big Question Choosing The Right Type Of Camp For Your Child—Single Sex Or Coed? Traditional Or Specialist?—Can Make All The Difference.
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hen searching for a sleepaway camp—or resident camp, as some call them—there are many factors families need to consider. The most basic decision involves the type of camp, but even that has its subtleties. One must consider the pros and cons of a general camp versus a specialty camp. Likewise, do you want your child in a coed or single sex setting—or a kind of hybrid known as brother-sister camps? Here are the key differences between camp types. It is not that one type is better than the other, of course. It is simply a matter of where your child will be more successful and happy. Single Sex Camps – Single sex camps don’t have campers of the other sex at camp. At single sex camps, female campers may be more willing to try new things and feel less self-conscious since boys are not around. The way they look, how their hair is, or the type of clothes they wear
all become less relevant. (Note: There are single sex, coed and brother-sister camps that have uniforms for this reason as well). For some boys, a single sex environment will allow them to be more sensitive and not feel like they are going to be judged. Finding it easier to center their program on the interests of just one sex, many single sex camps go for more of a specialty mix than a general mix, with a focus on certain activities or themes, like sports or arts. “After we explored several options, we chose an
all-girls camp for our daughter,” said parent Barbara Leshinsky. “I wanted to counter the social pressure most kids face in school. I also felt convinced that the all-girls camp would prove to be valuable to help build her self esteem during her adolescent years. My daughter is also extremely athletic and I knew she would be challenged athletically and not afraid to express her competitiveness or ability.” Although campers spend their daily activities, evening activities and special events with children of the same sex, single sex camps often have regular socials with nearby camps of the opposite sex. The number of socials with another camp usually increases with the age of the campers. Coed Camps – At coed resident camps, the girls and boys have many shared facilities, including the waterfront, dining hall, and sports fields. Coed camps have a clear separation of boys’ bunks and girls’ bunks. Gail Gold chose a coed camp for her three girls. “Camp is like a mini version of the real world. A coed camp has given my girls a chance to experience friendships
with boys and build strong social skills in a safe, nurturing environment,” she says. “The girls have a distinct living area away from the boys which allows them to have bonding with other girls but they get to experience other camp activities with the boys at camp—they get the best of both worlds.” Even though coed camps have shared facilities, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all daily activities are coed. Each coed camp is different: some camps have some coed daily activities, other coed camps keep daily activities separate, but the boys and girls come together for meals, some evening activities, canteen, and special events like carnival, color war and off-camp trips. Brother-Sister Camps – BrotherSister camps are two camps on the same property or close by to each other. They usually have the same owners but each camp has its own traditions while also sharing traditions between the two camps. Each camp has their own facilities including different waterfronts and dining halls. Brother-Sister camps allow girls and boys
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New York Family 2012 Ultimate Guide To Summer Camp