How did we get here??Latenite and overnight trips in day cam

amother

Candycane

Thu, Aug 01 2024, 6:13 pm

My 9 year old (turned 10 this summer) was waiting and waiting to hit this milestone of ‘late nights’ in day camp and beyond excited for the big trip first half- American Dream water park on one of the girls camp rental nights. Camp provided dinner. They were back shortly after midnight. She was exhausted from all the running around to the rides all evening but had such a blast and it certainly was her highlight. I’m glad the day camps do this for the older divisions (going into 5th grade+) in my neighborhood (5 Towns).
I send a different daughter to a day camp with late nights in the past and they required parents bringing the girls home, giving dinner, and then bringing back for a late night once or twice per week. OMG do not plan on sending there again! Felt like I spent my summer in the car. And definitely felt like the camp was being cheap avoiding serving dinner at the parents’ cheshban. Better not to have late nights altogether, or maybe one or two really exciting ones per half.

amother

↑ Azalea

Thu, Aug 01 2024, 6:21 pm

amother Plum wrote:

I don't get it, why couldn't the kids be picked up at 1:30??? Why did they have to stay in camp?
And from which park did they get home at 1:30? The latest my kids got home from a Waterpark was about 11:00. Also monsey daycamp.

idk. my daughter did love it and the kids are so psyched for this first taste of overnight camp.
she came home at 8am and slept from 8am till 3pm. then was fast asleep by 8pm again.

amother

↑ Blushpink

Thu, Aug 01 2024, 6:26 pm

amother Bottlebrush wrote:

I’m gonna chime in.
DD9 had a late night trip tonight to a water park. The asked that the girls be picked up from camp 30 mins early and returned to camp an hr later - dressed for the water park and having eaten dinner. After I picked her up (and a friend) I didn’t have enough time to go home and give her dinner cuz my other pickups are then. So I got her, drove around for 10 mins and did my other pickups. Got home with my 4 kids around 45 mins before she needs to be back in camp. Popped in a few pieces of pizza into the oven and fries and told her to change and grab snacks and drinks etc. by the time the food was ready she needed to leave back to camp so I told her to take her food into the car, piled everyone back in and drove her back. Got home and brought everyone in and my phone rings it’s DD, in the rush she forgot something important and she needs me to rush back cuz they are leaving RIGHT NOW. Piled everyone back into the car .. again. Rush back drop off her forgotten items.
It’s Thurs night. Her pickup is late.. rest of my kids have been dragged around in 95 degree heat for an hr and are cranky. I’m frustrated. Vent over

My dd day camp had us bring all the things she needed overnitr along with her to day camp in the morning so wasn't as rushed but this meshugas of bringing home bringing back has got to stop. Bh I'm in a good carpool and she was happy to take a tuna sandwich (which she prepped herself) for dinner but its still hard on the mothers.

↑ flowerpower

Thu, Aug 01 2024, 8:06 pm

amother Bottlebrush wrote:

Ok so here they leave at a certain time straight from day camp, have a fun bbq and play games in a park and then go to the water park. They come back from the water park straight to day camp and go on their usual buses. No making busy mothers drive 3 times in the same day for this. Thats crazy!

↑ keym

Fri, Aug 02 2024, 6:53 am

lucite wrote:

I would love to hear from the day camp directors why they do this,
Another mother with kids all ages n hate these trips

I'm close to directors and I said earlier.

1) the boys camps can't reserve a park until at least an hour, even more past closing time. That gives time for everyone to get changed, leave, lifeguards dressed, park cleaned.

Within Lakewood, Sahara Sam's can be reserved as early as 7, so a camp can go from 7-10 and be home at 11:30.

But age 11+ kids don't want to go to Sahara Sam's, they want to go to 6 Flags New England or Kalahari or Great Wolf Lodge or whatever. Those aren't available until 8:30 or 9 the earliest.

3 hours at the park. (So 8:30-11:30).

Then around an hour to an hour and a half to get dressed, daven maariv, load busses, take attendance. These things actually take a lot longer than expected.

True, we as mothers can say rent the park from 7-10, 2 1/2 hours drive, be home at 1am.

But everything takes time. Making sure the female lifeguards are gone. Time for everyone to get changed. Park time. Changing back. Maariv. A snack . Bathroom. Loading the bus and attendance. The inevitable bus getting lost and broken down.

Im going under my screen name to say that I'm actually thrilled with these trips. I send to camps that don't send boys under 4th grade, and 4th grade is optional and I evaluate with my child.
But im thrilled to give my boys the opportunity to go to these water parks in a totally tznius environment. We don't do these trips otherwise because it's hard and complicated to keep it only boys or only girls, and it actually makes me so happy to be able to let my 12 year old expensive these resorts or theme parks.
And for me, if the way we can accomplish giving my over age 10 children an opportunity to experience Six Flags or whatever is by doing these late nights and camps renting them late, etc, then ok, we do it once or twice a year.

I don't know. Throw tomatoes. Im happy for my kids to experience this. And if I feel it's not good for a specific kid at a specific age, then I look for more toned down camps that don't do this stuff until later.