The latest from the Alpine blog

It is perfectly normal for a boy to be nervous about camp for the first time (and even the second and third time).  This does not mean that camp is a bad idea for your son or he should not come.  Rather, it is a teachable opportunity for a parent and son.  

The best thing parents can do before camp is stay extremely positive and highlight all the fun activities that he will get to enjoy at camp.  A camp tour in the spring is a good idea so that he can see where he will be in the summer.  We are glad to arrange these tours with a little advance notice.  

It is very important that a parent does not make a “pick up deal” with his son.  A “pick up deal” is when a parent promises to come pick up their son if he is not having fun at camp.  Studies have proven that once this deal is made a boy will not make the effort to get into camp and overcome his fear, but rather, will only focus on going home.

The four week session is the heart of camp.  Junior Camp is only a taste!  In a four week session, a camper has the time to unplug, settle in and really experience camp.

We are committed to hiring a Christian staff.  Campers are able to see their counselors live out their faith.  Over 26 days, they see them reading scripture, singing hymns, scoring the winning point in an ultimate frisbee game, losing in a staff basketball game, being excited about an overnight, getting tired after being in a cabin with eight ten year olds while still having patience with them.  At Alpine, we only want to further and compliment what you are teaching your sons at home.  Sometimes, those things that you have been teaching him at home, really click with him at camp when he sees a “cool” college guy doing them as well.

When a boy comes through the front gate of camp, he gets to leave a world full of technology, worries, and stress.   Once at camp, he can unplug from all of that.  He can get away from all the noises of the outside world.  At Alpine, we want boys to be boys.  We want them to have a chance to be still in the midst of God’s creation but we also want them to run and play and get dirty!  There are so many things for a boy to do from swimming in a river to riding a horse to biking on a trail to climbing a tower to catching a fly ball to throwing a football to casting a fly rod.  

A month at camp allows a boy the time to make lasting friendships.  Many times, a former camper will show up to college and be instantly reconnected with old camp friends.

During camp, a boy has the opportunity to make decisions and gain a healthy sense of independence.  We believe it is crucial for a child to be able to do this in a nurturing environment.  While at camp, he will make mistakes, win games, lose matches, make friends, and all of this happens in a place that will point him to Christ.

A summer at camp will give him tools that he will use the rest of his life.  He will take what he has learned at camp to college, the workplace, marriage, fatherhood and so many other areas of life.

Every child is different but there are some guidelines and signposts you can look for when making this decision.  The first is simple: What does your son say?  If you talk with him about it and he is excited and wants to do it then that is a great sign.  Obviously, not every child will come right out and enthusiastically declare that he is ready.  Just because he isn’t jumping up and down about camp doesn’t mean he’s not ready.  Here are some more signs.

If your son has spent the night away from you on more than one occasion (even just with grandparents) then that is a great sign that he is ready for camp.  His performance in school is another good indicator for young boys (1st – 2nd grade).  If his teacher says he makes friends well and does fine with the separation from you, then that is a great sign.

Your son’s personality is another great indicator.  You might have three boys with three totally different personalities and you can quickly say that one will be ready earlier than another.  Your son who is more independent and easygoing might be ready a year earlier than your son who is more cautious and likes to be around you more.  Sometimes birth order plays into this.  In general (but not always) younger siblings are ready a little sooner than an oldest child because they have been around older brothers and sisters and “act older”.

As far as age, most boys are easily ready for Junior Camp after having completed the 3rd grade with a great many ready after 1st or 2nd grade (again, that depends on personality type).  For First Term and Second Term, most all boys can easily handle 25 days after 5th grade with a large majority ready after 3rd or 4th grade.

All of these factors are simply designed to help you determine when your son is ready for camp, whether that be after 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade or even a bit older.  There is certainly no hard and fast rule.  We believe all boys need camp even if they are still a little hesitant before they come (which is perfectly natural for all boys!).  If you have a child with special physical or mental needs it is best to give us a call and we can discuss whether Alpine is right for your son.