Summer camp

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A summer camp or sleepaway camp or residential camp is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps are known as campers. They generally are offered overnight accommodations for one or two weeks out in an outdoor natural campsite setting. Day camps, by contrast, offer the same types of experience in the outdoors but children return home each evening. Summer school is a different experience that is usually offered by local schools for their students focused on remedial education to ensure students are prepared for the upcoming academic year or in the case of high school students, to retake failed state comprehensive exams necessary for graduation. Summer residential and day camps may include an academic component but is not a requirement.

The traditional view of a summer camp as a wooded place with hiking, canoeing, campfires, etc. has changed with a higher number of camps offering a wider variety of specialized activities. Examples of such themes include the performing arts, music, magic, computer programming, language education, mathematics, children with special needs, and weight loss.

In 2024, the American Camp Association's National Economic Impact Study of the Camp Industry reported 20,175 camps in the United States.^[1] This is largely to counter a trend in decreasing enrollment in summer camps, which some argue to have been brought about by smaller family sizes and the growth in supplemental educational programs. Some summer camps are affiliated with religious institutions, including various denominations of Christianity and Judaism.^[2][3]

The primary purpose of many camps is educational, athletic, or cultural development. A summer camp especially for children may allow people to learn new skills in a safe and nurturing environment. Summer camp experience can have a lasting psychological impact on the development of a child.^[4]

The first organized camp is often credited to the Gunnery Camp, established in 1861 by Frederick W. Gunn in Washington, Connecticut. This camp primarily served as a place for young boys to engage in outdoor activities and develop physical skills.^[5] Girls camps in the United States began to appear around 1900; many of the early camps were located in New England.^[6] In 1900, there were fewer than 100 camps in the United States, but by 1918 over 1000 were in operation.^[7] Early camps for girls were located in remote, natural areas, and many camps featured a water venue. There were outdoor activities such as canoeing, archery, and hiking. Other types of popular instruction involved handcrafts, dramatics, camp and fire-making. Campers slept in wigwams, tents, or open dormitories. Any of these options encouraged a camper to take responsibility for maintaining her own personal space and to develop self-sufficiency.^[8]

Mimicking Native American traditions such as council fires and storytelling generated a sense of community and inspired campers to become conscientious members of a group.^[8] Typically, girl campers wore their hair in a version of native style. Uniforms were standard in most camps, but braided hair and headbands were common attire for campers. For camp ceremonies and pageants, girls would dress in special Native inspired dresses, at times even contributing to the handiwork.^[9] In this era, camps were considered to be a natural pathway for young girls to develop healthy bodies, self-assurance and a sense of community.^[10]

Today's girls' camps offer many activities, such as STEM Camps, sailing, and dramatic arts.