Are your kids' overnight summer camps running?

[alisoncooks]

My kids go to a week-long camp every summer. Oldest DD is scheduled to go for 2 weeks this year. We've gotten word that the camp is making some adjustments (capacity, etc), but they will begin holding session the end of June. (Just in time for my kids' sessions, forcing me to make the call.)

Anyone else deliberating? Or have your summer sleep-away camp plans been canceled for you? 

[prairiewindmomma]

Canceled

[wintermom]

Cancelled

[RootAnn]

Cancelled. But I just did priority registration today for next summer.

[EmilyGF]

Cancelled - kayaking the boundary waters.

[freesia]

Canceled 

[MEmama]

Canceled

[mom2scouts]

Mostly canceled, but the local Scout camp is still trying to find a way to go ahead. They are talking about so many restrictions that even Scouts who aren't too worried about getting sick aren't planning to go because they don't think it will be fun.

[Tap]

DDs isn't cancelled yet. It is in late August. I know the director tho, and they are expecting to cancel. They are holding out for a bit, just in case things change, but it won't be a surprise for anyone when they announce it. 

[Loowit]

Boy Scout summer camp was cancelled.  DS is sad because it would have been his last summer camp with the troop.  But his troop is talking about doing a week long campout this summer if we get to the phase that will allow that many to gather together.

[fairfarmhand]

Cancelled

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am a summer camp director.  I am planning for our late August camp but know that there is a strong chance that it will be cancelled.  We have to reach phase 3 in reopening in the county where we do camp in order to be able to legally have it, even with extra precautions put in place.  If it is cancelled, we will roll this year's preparations over into next year's camp. 

[athena1277]

All my kids’ camps were canceled.  One is doing a virtual camp instead, but that’s a pitiful substitute for spending a week with friends.

[Sherry in OH]

The summer camp my youngest was going to attend in late July has cancelled or rather postponed until next summer.

Scout camp originally scheduled for June was cancelled.   My sons' troop is attempting to get slots in a different camp that currently plans to be open in July.  I think it is unlikely that the camp will happen, but my sons are hopeful.   

All day-camps and summer workshops of interest to my sons have been cancelled.  They do not want to participate in the public library's virtual summer reading program.  

 

[Hilltopmom]

Whole summer cancelled. Dd, 17 was supposed to work there this summer. She’s been waiting for years to be old enough to be a counselor and not just a camper. She was so excited when hired. 
:(

[matrips]

Cancelled

[Plagefille]

Overnight camps cancelled. Some day camps are running.

[wathe]

Canceled, province-wide.  I wouldn't send my kids even if they were open.  The very idea of social distancing at a kid's camp is laughable to me - I think it would be impossible to do properly, and if by some miracle you could get a pack of kids and counsellors (who are mostly still kids themselves) to SD properly, all the fun would be sucked right out of camp.

[Starr]

Ours was cancelled. How does social distancing and camp even work together?

[Guest]

My son’s session is not cancelled because it starts in July, forcing me to make the call just like the OP’s. I paid the balance due, as they are guaranteeing refunds if it does not go. 

Part of me does wish they would just cancel or else that the governor of that state will just prohibit it so it doesn’t fall to me to decide. I would rather say no but the majority of the friends he goes with are planning to go if it is open. I know ds would seriously hate me forever if I am the only parent who withdraws. 

[YaelAldrich]

My daughter's creative arts camp (MD based) cancelled a while ago.  My oldest's NOLS trip in MT was cancelled as well.  My DS2's camp says they are going to open (VT) but with the boys mainly coming from NYC and the like I'm not thrilled.  My youngest's day camp says they hope it will go but they have plans to do a virtual camp if not (we don't want him on a screen that many hours a day no matter how well run it is.).  My daughter is thinking about running a small backyard camp for two families.  I just got our state's recs for summer camps - ay yi yi!  Might be re-evaluating.

[alisoncooks]

36 minutes ago, Quill said:

My son’s session is not cancelled because it starts in July, forcing me to make the call just like the OP’s. I paid the balance due, as they are guaranteeing refunds if it does not go. 

Part of me does wish they would just cancel or else that the governor of that state will just prohibit it so it doesn’t fall to me to decide. I would rather say no but the majority of the friends he goes with are planning to go if it is open. I know ds would seriously hate me forever if I am the only parent who withdraws. 

This is where I am. I had hoped the choice would be made for me...but alas. 😉

Oldest DD is especially desperate for friend contact. We've been fairly cloistered for months. It's also difficult because this is a camp we've had ties with for years; DH is currently scheduled to work a week there this summer. All the "regulars" will be there like normal. 

I'm still nervous about it. (We've paid the deposit but don't have to make final payment until camp begins...so there's still time to weigh things.)

[sbgrace]

Three different camps were up in the air (one shuffled date to late July first) and then cancelled, finally, in late May. 

[ScoutTN]

Denominational church camp in NC , yes. With adaptations and restrictions, of course. Dd is going in two weeks, Ds in late July.

Boy Scout camp, no. They are having eight all day badge days out there, though.

Piano camp at a lcoal university, no. Dd would have been a day student, but they do usually have some kids board in the dorms. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by ScoutTN

[alisoncooks]

44 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Denominational church camp in NC , yes. With adaptations and restrictions, of course. Dd is going in two weeks, Ds in late July.

Boy Scout camp, no. They are having eight all day badge days out there, though.

Piano camp at a lcoal university, no. Dd would have been a day student, but they do usually have some kids board in the dorms. 

Interesting... The camp that's still on for my girls is a church camp in NC. 

[ScoutTN]

15 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Interesting... The camp that's still on for my girls is a church camp in NC. 

Ours is in Brevard. Where is yours?

[alisoncooks]

1 minute ago, ScoutTN said:

Ours is in Brevard. Where is yours?

Beaufort Co. 

[ScoutTN]

7 hours ago, mom2scouts said:

Mostly canceled, but the local Scout camp is still trying to find a way to go ahead. They are talking about so many restrictions that even Scouts who aren't too worried about getting sick aren't planning to go because they don't think it will be fun.

Our Scout camp is running eight badge days, four weekends in July and August. 9am-4pm, bring your lunch, each mb group (or Green Bar) stays together and does not interact with other groups. They are offering most of the usual camp badges. $35.

Not as fun as camp, but I'll take what we can get! 

[WendyLady]

Dd19 was planning to work at a camp in Minnesota the whole summer, including a two-week canoe trip in the boundary waters.  On about Friday last week they made the call to cancel for the whole summer. They had hoped to host half of camp, and it was a both disappointing but not really surprising that it was completely cancelled.  It's a tough time to try to find a summer job... (any ideas?)

[mom2scouts]

1 hour ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I feel as though every kind of congregate living situation -- prisons, half-way houses, boarding schools, nursing homes, cruise ships, dormitories for migrant workers, assisted living, aircraft carriers etc . .  has proven to be a place of enormous spread.  Unless maybe the campers were housed in individual pup tents, I don't see how summer camp could be the exception.  I also think that you're going to see lots of registrations from people in places with high levels of community spread, whose kids are desperate for peer contact, which will lead to the virus spreading from those communities to communities that have been relatively spared. 

The Boy Scout camp that's trying to continue is making the requirement that all campers have their own tent. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

This is where I am. I had hoped the choice would be made for me...but alas. 😉

Oldest DD is especially desperate for friend contact. We've been fairly cloistered for months. It's also difficult because this is a camp we've had ties with for years; DH is currently scheduled to work a week there this summer. All the "regulars" will be there like normal. 

I'm still nervous about it. (We've paid the deposit but don't have to make final payment until camp begins...so there's still time to weigh things.)

Yes, we are in exactly the same place. My son has gone for a few years with the same group of friends and this was to be the last year of a certain level. Next year he hoped to be a trainee for counselor. 

What bothers me is that I don’t know what precautions they are planning, if any, or if they are viewing it more as, whatever is legal, that is fine. I don’t know if they are thinking this way, but they produced a couple videos about what the plan is (for now) and said nothing at all about how they are thinking about how the camp can go forward. Makes me nervous. I don’t actually think it is *impossible* to do the camp with distancing measures, no corporate singing, some sort of different arrangement for meals, and maybe have the sleeping cabins at half capacity. The great majority of the camp is outdoors - exactly the thing I love about it most - so I do think there are ways they can have the camp go forward and still keep risk fairly low. I just don’t know for sure if they are planning proactively or they are more just waiting around to see what’s legally allowed. 

[*LC]

The scout camp my kids' troop was to attend was cancelled. Another kid was to attend two residential on-campus camps at different colleges, to look at different programs/schools and both were cancelled. 

My relative, who lives in NC, has kids who attend and work at a camp in SC, which will be opening next week (not sure of date, but sure of the opening) with restrictions/precautions/rules. 

[Storygirl]

My girls were signed up to attend a week of camp in July with our church youth group. The camp made the decision this week to cancel all of their July camps.

Now I get to switch my concern to the fall school trips that we have already made deposits for, both in November. One is for my 9th graders and is the replacement for their cancelled 8th grade DC trip. The other is a band and choir trip to Disney. Ugh. I am anticipating that they won't be able to go, but we won't find out for a long time.

[Amy in NH]

Everything here has been cancelled.  All of the summer camps are cancelled, our 4-H events, interstate exchange, the fairs, and the Highland Games.

[easypeasy]

Everything was canceled for us. The sole exception is a 2-week long outdoorsy trip (not a camp) DS has scheduled for early August. We're crossing our fingers that maybe one thing will be able to continue-as-planned!!! Of course, it will be funny if this DOES carry on because it directly conflicts with DD2s move-in day for college, which we'd planned to do as a family.

Around here, all the sports are back on - some with better social distancing attempts than others. Most of the day camps are starting to poke their heads up and accept new registrations (because they canceled the camps for the entire summer, but now are giving a limited # of people the opportunity to sign back on).

It's all so difficult to navigate.

[Soror]

Scout and Church camp cancelled.

[Hilltopmom]

11 hours ago, WendyLady said:

Dd19 was planning to work at a camp in Minnesota the whole summer, including a two-week canoe trip in the boundary waters.  On about Friday last week they made the call to cancel for the whole summer. They had hoped to host half of camp, and it was a both disappointing but not really surprising that it was completely cancelled.  It's a tough time to try to find a summer job... (any ideas?)

Grocery stores are still hiring here. Ds’s camp job was cancelled too but I’d prefer she not work at a store this summer, so it looks like she’s going to be just hanging out a lot.

If daycares can reopen and accept volunteers, she will do that as she needs hours towards her CDA license.

[RootAnn]

14 hours ago, WendyLady said:

It's a tough time to try to find a summer job... (any ideas?)

How much exposure are you willing for her to have? Grocery stores, home improvement stores, but mostly fast food are hiring where dd#1 is. She applied to the two former and didn't hear back from any. She had three fast food places contact her within about two weeks of filling out applications.

[WendyLady]

3 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

Grocery stores are still hiring here. Ds’s camp job was cancelled too but I’d prefer she not work at a store this summer, so it looks like she’s going to be just hanging out a lot.

If daycares can reopen and accept volunteers, she will do that as she needs hours towards her CDA license.

 

1 hour ago, RootAnn said:

How much exposure are you willing for her to have? Grocery stores, home improvement stores, but mostly fast food are hiring where dd#1 is. She applied to the two former and didn't hear back from any. She had three fast food places contact her within about two weeks of filling out applications.

She has applied online for a grocery store and we will go do some driving around today to see what is open. Next week more stores will open, but for now it looks like fast food or grocery are her only options. And that's okay!  I'm fine if she just hangs around with me, but I know she would rather be working.

[mom2scouts]

2 hours ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I think that individual tents, and going as a troop and not interacting with other groups, would probably be the very safest model.  If they can pull that off, then maybe reopening would be reasonable.  

The only problem is that the boys go for merit badge classes at camp. Since every boy needs different merit badges, there's no way to do them as a troop. My Eagle Scout has no interest in repeating badges he got 5 years ago and could teach himself. They said if camps goes on, they will limit each merit badge class to five and everyone must wear a mask, but it still brings together people from multiple troops.

[Loowit]

7 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Wouldn't a better solution be to have your Eagle scout teach those badges to groups within his troop?  

I am not the person you are responding to but my 2 cents...

My eagle scout could teach the stuff for merit badges, but actual merit badge counselors have to be 18, so he can't actually sign off on blue cards.  Besides, he goes to camp for fun for himself.  He does a lot of teaching and working with the boys in his troop all year long.  He has been a Senior Patrol Leader for years, and is looking at becoming a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster.  Summer camp should be his chance for a small break, even though he still has responsibilities at camp for his troop.  My son likes to meet new scouts or meet up with scouts he met at previous camps.  It is a chance for him to have fun learning in merit badge classes that interest him if he wants to, or just hang at the lake and swim, or go on high adventure outings that are offered like whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and so on.

If the troops have to keep to themselves the whole time they can save the $400+ for camp fees and do their own campout.

[Meriwether]

Our camp has not canceled, but it will look very different.

[itsheresomewhere]

Everything is cancelled here.  

[Loowit]

38 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I totally get that during ordinary times.  I have two scouts.  I get why scout camps are awesome, and I'm sad my kids can't go this year.  But, I do wonder if just having groups go on camp outs, and maybe making some of the scout camp sites available for group campouts would be a better choice this year.

 

I'm sad my boys can go either.

I do think it would be nice if the camps could open up some of the sites for troops to use during the summer, but it would bring up some other issues that would need to be addressed.  Camping in their own site for each troop is great.  They can do campfire cooking, and each site has a kybo, but there is the issue of showerhouses and using common areas like lakes, shooting ranges, and so on.  I think they could potentially come up with some interesting solutions, but I don't think they could do it with the programming they are used to.  Our troop would rather just go out to a primitive non-scouting owned site and do their own thing.

[mom2scouts]

Our Scout camp just announced it is canceling summer camp. I can't think of a single one of our normal summer fun things that is available to us this year.

[LucyStoner]

The ones the boys have previously attended are all cancelled.  Two are scouting related, one is a private camp.  Also, the LGBT family and youth camp my nieces attend each summer is cancelled.  Western Washington.  

[Guest]

15 hours ago, Margaret in CO said:

Our Scout camp is cancelled. I had already been told I couldn't take boys as they frown on me turning 65 AT camp! We're still waiting on word from Philmont. 

Wait a second...what?! Does something dreadful happen to you the day you turn 65 that couldn’t happen when you’re merely 64? Did they say that? Did they actually say, “Sorry Ms. Margaret. As you will turn 65 *at* camp, I’m afraid you are much too ancient to lead a troop”? 

[mom2scouts]

Margaret, when I first met DH, he was helping with his old high school troop. We were only in our early 20's and we thought dh's former Scoutmaster was ancient, but we really didn't know how old he was. Thirty years later, DH's troop was checking into a Scout camp, but DH had waited outside. The other men came out and said the Campmaster had glanced at the list of names., mumbled something about DH's name, and told them to send DH into the building. When DH went in, it was his old Scoutmaster, now well into his 90's and still an active Scouter!

[IfIOnly]

No, April 3 day camp was cancelled. Their June week long camp is cancelled as well.

[wathe]

(ETA for clarity - this post refers to cub/scout camps)

 

I think even single group camps would be problematic with social distancing.  Here the rule is 2m from other people (Canada).  Maintaining a 2m distance from all people all the time at camp would be really difficult, I think.   I don't think we will be doing any camps this year, for both cost and risk-management reasons.

We do a lot of (mostly) self contained (water on-site, kybos on-site, usually a few picnic tables on site, but otherwise completely self-contained) drive-up camps with our cubs, and one all-section (beaver, cubs, scouts, venturers all together) camp a year.

We would massively have to scale up shelter equipment.  We provide tents for youth.  Our cub tents are big (6 person).  We place 4 cubs per tent.  In order to appropriately physically distance, we'd need to put each kid in their own tent.  Either buying a lot of new small tents (expensive), a few new small tents plus all the existing big tents (take up a huge amount of room on site) or have kids buy their own tents (accessibility will be a real issue, and will will lose kids because of $, which is unacceptable to us).  We would also have to scale up group dining/inclement weather shelter equipment, by at least a factor of 4.   We can't all pack into a pavilion or single 10x20 ft dining shelter and maintain 2m distance from each other.   More tables for physically distanced cooking.  Can only put 2 kids to a picnic table for eating (usually 8 cubs per table).  I don't think we'd even be able to  fit all of this into any of our usual camping places.

We can't get near the kids to provide any kind of physical help.  (Barring actually life-threatening emergencies.)  Putting on band-aids, assessing minor injuries, take out splinters, helping with shoe-laces, helping kids who pee their beds, stuck zippers on sleeping bags and jackets, applying sunscreen, comforting crying kids, administering meds, and all the endless loco-parentis small, simple, close-contact things we do (always 2-deep) without a second thought.  This is less of an issue for older sections, but still an issue, I think.

Behaviour management:  some of our kids who struggle with self-regulation, impulsive behaviours, and/or disruptive behaviours are just not going to be able to hold it together and maintain 2m from other people.  (For the most part, these are great kids who, under normal circumstances, do reasonably well with structure and re-direction, but there is no way they are going to be able to maintain physical distancing for days.)  This is an accessibility issue - we must accommodate, we want to accommodate, but I don't know how we can do it.  Having a parent attend with the child isn't always helpful.

Programming could be adapted.  But even this would be challenging - physical distancing plus no shared equipment plus enhanced risk-management eliminates most of our usual activities.  Downtime in camp would be really hard too (no card games, no sitting around a picnic table chatting, unstructured goofing around). Socially distanced campfire?  With no songs or cheers?  I think we would struggle to keep 8-11 year olds (cubs) engaged for a whole weekend while keeping them 2m from other people at all times.  I think the older sections will also find this difficult.

I don't think we will be able to do any camping this year.

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by wathe