This summer, we had the opportunity to feel that magic once again.

If your child gets off the bus showing a variety of symptoms that you’ve never seen before, they might be campsick.  Do they feel the incredible desire to be back at camp?  Have they not stopped telling camp stories?  Do they try in every way to incorporate camp life into the “real world”  Don’t fight it… embrace it!  Here are some helpful tips to help make your campsick child’s transition back to the real world a little easier.

Have the hot chocolate ready in the morning, with extra marshmallows. 

Start a chant when you have milk and cookies (but you can really start a chant for just about everything)

No need to dress up, but wear blue & white on Friday night and Saturday morning, and also if you venture out together as a family.

Wear jerseys, and play a basketball game against the family next door.  After you win, run around the house in celebration (recommendation: keep the celebrating outside)

Blast the Jackson 5 when you play.

Sing the Welcome Song when someone comes to your house.

Sing at the table.

A lot.

Turn off your cell phones and play games at the dinner table.

Have a cookout on Wednesdays.

Play 1-2-3-4 lift the table off the floor.

Lay a blue towel on the floor, and stand on it while paddling, while imagining being on Lake Balfour.

Put up a tent in your living room (or make one out of blankets), and make s’mores.

Light the lamps of Beauty, Truth, Fortitude, and Love.

Play elephant freeze, and have a talking contest.  Play the rain game.

Set up a 1 day color war in your backyard.  Don’t forget to buy the face paint!!

Stop everything just to see the sunset.

Honor each other at the end of the day.

Don’t forget Super Clean-up and personal inspection is on Friday. (We’ve got this routine going. Hopefully, you can keep it up) Rap about the grime under their beds.

This is your chance to go thru their things, throw out the old water-bottles (if they actually made it home), and start picking thru the trunk, once it’s delivered.

Don’t be surprised if they only want to talk to their “Camp Friends”.

Don’t worry.

You are still the most important people in their lives.

Slowly but surely, you’ll start to recognize your child.

Aside from some physical changes, and the “camp sickness” that they might have come home with, we hope that they’ve returned with some extra confidence and independence.  How lucky we have been to have spent the summer at our favorite spot away from screens, homework, and tests, and just be kids again. We’ve been away from the news of the outside world, protected in our camp bubble, and back with our friends.  

This summer was different for everyone.  

We ate outside under a tent, and then inside and sang so loud that the walls shook.

We socially distanced, and then got to hug. 

Turns out, that being at camp this summer was the best thing ever. The fact that we were forced to miss camp last summer was devastating. We didn’t get to feel every emotion, every experience, every moment. But, this summer, we had the opportunity to feel that magic once again.

And don’t be surprised if everyone is starting day 1 at home with a new countdown to Summer 2022.

Special thanks to all of the camp families for your messages of support and of gratitude, which have now, more than ever, been especially motivating and greatly appreciated.  

Keep in touch with us.  We get camp sick too.

You don’t even have to book a phone appointment!