You know how it goes. Your kid is bouncing off the walls, the dog’s hiding under the couch, and your iced coffee’s sweating in your hand while you scroll camp websites, trying to figure out which one won’t be a regret wrapped in a tuition check. First clue you’ve found a good one? You can feel the vibe in their photos and words, and it’s not all curated to look like a Patagonia ad. The kids look sweaty, a little messy, but they’re smiling real smiles. You want a camp that feels alive, where your kid’s not just another backpack in a line but actually known by name. If they’re offering a call or in-person open house, do it. You’ll catch a whiff of how the counselors talk to the kids, how kids talk to each other, and whether the place feels safe and genuinely fun instead of forced fun.
The right camp will have that layered hum of laughter and scrapes of knees on the soccer field, counselors who remember your kid’s goofy stories, and a schedule that’s structured enough to keep kids from forming a roving feral gang but loose enough for them to breathe.
What Safety Really Looks Like
Look, no parent wants to helicopter all summer, but you’re not sending your kid off with strangers in the woods without knowing who’s on the other side of drop-off. Skip the websites that just say “we take safety seriously” and check for specifics. Do counselors get actual training or is it just “let us know if you see a bear”? Are there lifeguards with real certifications if there’s a pool or lake? Do they have a nurse on site or on-call? You don’t need them to wrap your kid in bubble wrap, but you do want to know they’ve got enough adults around to handle a splinter, a homesick meltdown, or a bigger emergency.
While you’re at it, check if they allow phones. Some parents love the idea of a tech-free experience; others want to be reachable. Neither’s wrong, but you’ll want to know before your kid’s out in the woods reenacting Lord of the Flies with no way to text you about it. It’s all part of raising thriving children in a world where it’s too easy to hit autopilot on big decisions.
When Screen-Free Isn’t Just A Buzzword
Now, let’s talk about the reason you’re even looking in the first place: you want your kid to get off screens and experience something real. It’s not enough for a camp to slap “screen-free” on a flyer and call it a day. The best camps design activities that are so good, your kid doesn’t miss the phone. That’s the sweet spot. Whether they’re building a go-kart from scrap wood, learning to make dumplings from scratch, or hitting a nature trail with a counselor who actually knows birds beyond “red one” and “blue one,” you want them to come home with stories you couldn’t script.
This is where a Portland, Richmond or Berkeley summer camp can really shine. These places tend to have that edge of creativity, grit, and local pride that trickles down to the campers. Your kid might come home asking to compost or build a backyard fort. Let them. You’re paying for a camp experience, not a holding cell.
Staff That Don’t Phone It In
If the staff are burned out or just there to collect a paycheck before college starts, your kid will feel it. Good camps have counselors who aren’t just warm bodies but people who light up around kids. You’re looking for places that actually train their staff on how to lead, not just babysit. The staff should have backgrounds that make sense for what they’re teaching. If it’s a sports-heavy camp, have they coached before? If it’s an arts camp, are they working artists or students studying the craft?
The way staff handle discipline matters, too. It shouldn’t be “we don’t tolerate any nonsense,” but it also shouldn’t be chaos. Look for clear policies about bullying, and ask how they handle conflicts. The best camps teach kids how to problem-solve with each other, not just how to line up in silence for lunch.
It’s also worth asking about counselor-to-kid ratios. The smaller, the better, especially for younger kids. You don’t want your child to become background noise in a group so big the counselor is just doing headcounts while trying to remember who’s who.
Your Kid’s Personality Matters
It’s tempting to pick the camp with the most activities, the flashiest facilities, or the name everyone’s dropping at the playground. But the best camp for your kid is the one that actually fits your kid. Got a kid who loves reading and quiet creative projects? A camp that’s all-day dodgeball might be a nightmare for them. On the other hand, if you have a kid who’s got a motor that won’t quit, a wilderness survival camp or a place with high-energy sports might be exactly what they need.
Ask your kid what they’re excited to do, and actually listen. You’ll get a sense of what they’re craving this summer, whether it’s meeting new friends, trying new things, or just having a place to feel comfortable outside of school. And remember, it’s okay if your kid tries something and doesn’t love it. Part of the camp experience is learning what sparks them and what doesn’t.
The Right Kind Of Tired
When summer’s winding down, and your kid climbs into the car on the last day, you’ll know you picked the right camp if they’re sun-kissed, a little dusty, and chattering about the counselor who taught them a card trick or the friend who shared their gummy worms on a hike. They should be the good kind of tired, the kind that comes from running hard, laughing a lot, and learning something about themselves in the process.
That’s what you’re looking for. Not perfection, not the camp that promises to turn your kid into a prodigy, but the place that lets them be themselves, grow a bit, and have a blast doing it. You’ll know it when you see it—and when you do, it’ll be worth every packed lunch, every labeled water bottle, and every frantic Target run the night before camp starts.
