Sun, s'mores, and a few kindred spirits may seem like all a kid needs to have a great time at summer camp. But as we heard when we asked for your best off-to-camp ideas, a few simple preparations can make a big difference in your child's experience. On the following pages, our readers share their favorite family-tested strategies for stowing gear, staying in touch, and easing homesickness. You may not see these tips on standard camp packing lists, but they just might help keep your kids happy campers from the first day to the last. Also, be sure to check out fun camping activities and recipes below!
SMART PACKING
Help your children keep track of their gear -- and keep it dry --
with these easy, field-tested solutions.
Photo Inventory
No matter how many lists or labels Pamela Willett used, her kids never came home from camp with all the items they'd taken -- until she hit on the idea of a visual packing guide. "We laid out each child's bag with its contents on the floor. Then we stood on a chair and took a digital photo of the items," says the Ithaca, New York, mom. After printing the photos on 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheets of paper, Pamela sealed each in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and tucked it into a pocket of the appropriate duffel. The result? When Allegra, then age ten, and Jacob, eight, were ready to leave camp, they could easily see which items they needed to look for, and nothing was left behind.
Double-duty Tote
The Brown family of Columbia, Tennessee, uses waterproof plastic bins instead of suitcases when shipping daughters Elizabeth, age 16, and Kaitlin, 12, off to camp. "The totes have hinged lids just like a trunk and are stored at the end of their beds, where they become a table too," says mom Sharon. They also keep gear from getting wet in rain or mud. The Browns use the 44-gallon Wheeled Tote Locker by Sterilite -- wheels and a handle make it easy for kids to transport -- which they purchased on sale at Wal-Mart for $13.
Self-service
When Brian MacIntosh of Irvine, California, went away to camp for the first time at age nine, his mom, Becky, packed his bag with everything she thought he might need. Trouble was, Brian had no idea what was in it. He borrowed a hat from a camp counselor because he didn't know his mom had sent one, for instance. So the next summer, she asked Brian to pack his own bag, which she then double-checked. "I find that if he makes an attempt at pulling needed items from the closet, he's more likely to remember what he has with him and use it," she says.
