Topic
Summer camps
How to pick one. What to pack. What to ask. When to stay home.
16 pieces
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age 8–10 · May 6, 2026
First overnight camp packing list
What to pack so the kid doesn't call home day two. The list that works.
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age 8–10 · Apr 30, 2026
The summer camp packing list that actually works
What to pack. What to skip. What every parent forgets.
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age 11–12 · Apr 29, 2026
Specialty camps. Pitching, kicking, goalkeeping
When a specialty camp is worth the money. When it isn't.
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age 11–12 · Apr 28, 2026
The "elite" camp label
Elite is a marketing word, not a credential. Three ways to test if a camp is actually advanced.
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Longer read · age 13–14 · Apr 27, 2026
The college ID camp pitch at 13–14
The recruiter's email arrives in March. Limited spots. Coach will be there. Here is what they are actually selling.
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age 8–10 · Apr 26, 2026
Single-sport or multi-sport camp at 8
Single-sport camps look better in the marketing. At eight, multi-sport almost always wins.
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Longer read · age 8–10 · Apr 25, 2026
Day camp or overnight. The real age cutoff
Most parents send their kid overnight too early. The age on the brochure is not the right number.
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Apr 24, 2026
How to evaluate a summer camp in 10 minutes
Eight questions. Two minutes apiece. Watch what they answer with, not just what they say.
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Longer read · age 8–10 · Apr 23, 2026
The first overnight camp at 9
The night before drop-off. Letter rules. The phone-call expectation. The homesickness window.
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age 11–12 · Apr 22, 2026
Three camps in three weeks
The burnout calendar. Why this is more common than parents realize.
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Longer read · age 8–10 · Apr 21, 2026
The friend-group camp vs the right camp
Three of his friends are doing the same camp. The camp is not the camp you would have picked. What now.
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Longer read · Apr 20, 2026
How to vet a camp for safety
Your kid focuses on the fun. You focus on keeping them safe. The questions to ask before you sign the check, especially for overnight.
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Longer read · age 8–10 · Apr 20, 2026
When your kid doesn't want to go to camp
Sunday night. The camp starts in twelve hours. The meltdown is real. Three things to figure out before you decide.
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age 8–10 · Apr 19, 2026
When your kid forgets gear at camp
It will happen. The label-everything rule. The replacement strategy. What not to do.
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age 5–7 · Apr 18, 2026
Lunch, aftercare, and what "full day" actually means
Full day varies wildly. The aftercare question nobody asks. The lunch options most camps don't explain.
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age 5–7 · Apr 17, 2026
Week-one camp drop-off
First day. Five years old. The thirty seconds at the gate that decide the week.