Perfectly Practical #223 - Summer Camp & Technology

Diva is now back from her fourth year as a summer camper.

Each year I notice a more mature young lady return home than the one we dropped off the week previous.

Summer camp fosters a sense of independence, teamwork, and an appreciation of the outdoors.
This year, it also kindled a love of tubing.

I don't know about you, but we like that Diva is cut off from all things electronic while at camp.  She can embrace nature and silence and relationships and experience life without flickering screens and beeping distractions.

That being said, just because we want her to be plug free doesn't mean that we want to be.  Summer camps are clever and know that by using the technology available, they can keep parents happy (we all want to see photos of our kiddos having a great time right?)

Here are a few ways to connect with your child's camp experience:

Follow your camp on social media - Many camps post daily pictures on Facebook, words of wisdom on Twitter, the day's happenings on YouTube, and/or idea boards on Pinterest.  This is a great way to interact with other camp families as well.

Subscribe to the camp's email newsletter - The camp could send you last minute changes in schedule or alert you to a new activity offering your camper may be interested in trying.  This is the simplest way to keep up with the latest camp news.

Download their app -  Each year I've kept up with the carryings-on at Diva's camp via their website, Facebook, etc. but this year they added a new way - there's an app for that!  I was thrilled to play with their app that was personalized for our camper.  When she was tagged in a photo, it came straight to our app.  We also received newsletters, videos, and other photos each day.  There was even an option to send short emails via the app to our camper.

If you have a first time camper this year, or even a returning one, you may want to look over the following posts for a few tips regarding your happy camper:


Summer Camp Preparation

Packing for Summer Camp

And for you Mommas out there:

What you can expect to feel like when dropping off your camper