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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children
Would you send child to backyard camp or big camp
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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2020, 8:31 pm
They are the same price. Professional camp has longer hours and offers snack and lunch but is about 10 min further drive for me. Reason it’s the same price is because I get a tax credit for the big camp as it’s legal......daughter is 4 years old going into pre 1a. Is there an advantage of keeping her in a one group, mommy morah setting over a big camp?
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2020, 8:52 pm
I love backyard camps.
- in larger camps the younger bunks are overwhelmed by older grades. In backyard camps they are the stars.
- In large camps staff is typically young and not invested. Backyard camps staff wants it to work, older, and very involved.

Assuming references of backyard camp are good and It’s safe (supervision, life guards...) I’d for sure send to backyard camp over big camp.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2020, 9:36 pm
sky wrote:
I love backyard camps.
- in larger camps the younger bunks are overwhelmed by older grades. In backyard camps they are the stars.
- In large camps staff is typically young and not invested. Backyard camps staff wants it to work, older, and very involved.

Assuming references of backyard camp are good and It’s safe (supervision, life guards...) I’d for sure send to backyard camp over big camp.


I had a wonderful experience with a backyard camp led by a trained morah and didn't always have the best experience in day camps.
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amother
Royalblue


 

Post Sun, Mar 01 2020, 9:54 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
They are the same price. Professional camp has longer hours and offers snack and lunch but is about 10 min further drive for me. Reason it’s the same price is because I get a tax credit for the big camp as it’s legal......daughter is 4 years old going into pre 1a. Is there an advantage of keeping her in a one group, mommy morah setting over a big camp?


I find back yard camps are run by 7th and 8th graders and they spent a lot of time in the heat.
But really depends on your location and which backyard camp you're sending to.
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essie14




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 3:44 am
I don't trust teenage backyard camps, but if it's a certified and trustworthy mom or morah, I would probably keep a small child in a convenient backyard camp. It would have to be just as legal as the big camp.
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notshanarishona




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 3:52 am
I like bigger camps because there are more adults responsible and there is someone to complain to if things go wrong . Also, they typically have better trips, supplies, specials, etc. than a backyard camp .
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 4:46 am
The backyard camp is a small camp run by a kindergarten teacher with a married assistant.
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amother
Blush


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 4:49 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
The backyard camp is a small camp run by a kindergarten teacher with a married assistant.


If so, I'd definitely keep a 4 year old in the smaller camp. A big camp is very overwhelming for young kids.
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notshanarishona




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 4:49 am
Then I would trust it as long as I liked the morah . The one advantage of a backyard camp is that you can choose the camp based on the morah vs a regular camp where you don't have a say.
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Elfrida




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 5:05 am
Quote:
Also, they typically have better trips, supplies, specials, etc. than a backyard camp .


Is that what a four year old really needs in a camp, though?
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notshanarishona




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 5:55 am
It depends on the 4 year old ... my daughter was complaining of being bored in one camp where in her words they just colored or played on the swings all day . Some kids need structure .
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rachel6543




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 5:58 am
You could always send your child to both camps. A few weeks at one camp & then a few weeks at the other.
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#BestBubby




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 6:01 am
rachel6543 wrote:
You could always send your child to both camps. A few weeks at one camp & then a few weeks at the other.


If you do that, do the backyard camp first, so your DD won't say it's "boring" compared to
big camp.
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Moonlight




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 6:03 am
rachel6543 wrote:
You could always send your child to both camps. A few weeks at one camp & then a few weeks at the other.

Whats the point? Same price.... another transition?
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amother
Papaya


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 6:26 am
A nice and well run back yard day camp usually has less downtime than big daycamp!!
Ans staff has more experience!
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watergirl




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 6:34 am
Insured vs. noninsured. How is it even a question?
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amother
Navy


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 6:36 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
The backyard camp is a small camp run by a kindergarten teacher with a married assistant.


That's what I ideally choose for my kids at that age. Assuming you like the personality of the morah.
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amother
Tan


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 8:50 am
I send to the bigger camps as I need the hours (I work full time).
I also like that many of the big camps give swimming lessons and the backyard camps don't.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 9:56 am
amother [ Tan ] wrote:
I send to the bigger camps as I need the hours (I work full time).
I also like that many of the big camps give swimming lessons and the backyard camps don't.


I've done both, based on what I needed and my kid needed.

My favorite was like what the OP described - a Morah and assistant situation. Like I sent my big girls to a certain backyard daycamp where it was run by an experienced Primary Morah, and her teen sisters assisted her. Best ever. Warm, well-run, great balance between free play time and structure, cute projects, and loads of attention.

Later, I sent my younger child to professional daycamps geared to younger kids (Yeladim/Shemesh and Shevach in Lakewood - they run like up to about 2nd grade) because at that point I really needed the longer hours and transportation, especially for this particular kid (who, unlike her older sisters who would spend time unwinding/playing when they got home even if I was still working for a bit, needed alot of attention from me and lots of stimulation).

No way would I send my four-year-old to the youngest bunk of a large daycamp that is geared to ages preschool thru upper elementary school. There can be exceptions, but I can tell you from the perspective of my DD's who worked in such settings as counselors, that the younger bunks are often understaffed and underspent on (they budget much more for the older bunks, and expect the younger bunk counselors to entertain too many kids on too little resources).

And insofar as the trips someone mentioned, let me tell you what it was like for DD to keep track of 25 preschoolers in an amusement park with only 2 other staff members (and they wanted her to do it with only one staff member - the regular; she had to beg for the second, it was given very grudgingly.) Is this what you want for your child?
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amother
Oak


 

Post Mon, Mar 02 2020, 1:13 pm
I send to a big camp and have sent to a backyard camp in the past. The big camp I sent to is run very well. Preschool is a completely separate division than the older kids with their own programming and the counselors have been super energetic and dedicated. There are no trips for 3 or 4 year olds they have a lot of fun entertainment come to camp instead. I absolutely loved it. The only thing I preferred about backyard camp was not having to wait on a carpool line.
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