It’s normal for anyone to feel anxiety as well as excitement, as they prepare for a new experience. However, Centauri is a warm and nurturing community, and a great deal of support is available to new campers as they settle in, make friends and grow comfortable at camp. On the first day of every session, our top priority is making sure all campers feel supported, and start forming the bonds that will make their camp experience unforgettable. Here are 5 things you can do, as parents, to help prepare your son or daughter for a first summer at Centauri:
- Go through the website together. Look at the ‘typical day’, and discuss the types of experiences they will have at camp. Talk about things that may be familiar, and others that might require some adaptability. Discussion points might include food, bed times, group living, and so on.
- If you are concerned you will miss you child, don’t share this with them too often! It can be tough for parents to send their child off to camp – even harder than the first day of school. Every summer we welcome kids who feel guilty because their parents might be missing them too much, and this can affect their happiness at camp. Instead, focus on the positives – the terrific new experiences they will have, the skills they will build, the friends they will make. You will get to be part of all this, afterwards – parents often tell us their kids talk nonstop about their camp experience, all the way home on the final day!
- Allow your child to be part of the preparation. Go through the camp manual together. Involve them in deciding what to pack. This is part of the excitement, and a way to help encourage conversations about camp.
- Ask your son or daughter to make a list of questions they may have. Their counsellor will call them a few days before camp, to introduce themselves, and they will have time to ask those questions then.
- Remember to make a deposit in the tuck account before the first day of the session – this will mean less time standing around in lines when your child arrives at camp. And if you think it will be helpful, write letters! Mail the first letter 5 days before your child leaves for camp, so they receive mail almost right away.
- We welcome over 500 campers every summer, and last year the number who left due to homesickness was… 2. Almost all kids settle in quickly, and thrive. However, there are many things you can do to increase your child’s likelihood of success. Never ask them to call home at bedtime. Don’t promise them they can go home if they feel homesick – most kids who experience mild homesickness overcome it quickly, and go on to have the time of their lives.
Julie