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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children
Is this common in other places too? (Camp from young age)
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tp3




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 6:18 am
Camp is a wonderful place for a kid to feel independent in a supervised setting. There are so many positives to going away for a few weeks.
And yes, Brooklyn stinks in the summer. The cement burns all around you. Give the kids a chance to know grass.
Besides, there is a level of wildness in our streets from inner city children who are allowed to roam free all summer. It's just not a nice place to be.
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amother
Springgreen


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 6:26 am
dankbar wrote:
I went to camp starting from 9 yrs old but today most of the camps don't accept you before 12-13 yrs old. They don't have accomodations for younger kids anymore.

The cheders didn't have summer school for kids past age 9 so all boys needed to go to camp at age 10, but that changed too & most chedarim already have classes in city for kids till age 11-12.


True what your saying but in Williamsburg where I live there aren't really classes anymore for 11-12 year old . I think in bp it's more common . I don't go to the country and kept my boys home until they still had a class here . Once there is no class there is no choice but to send them away at age 11. My dd is in 7th grade and is going first half to camp for the first time at age 11. Most of her classmates are going even those that are in the country.
Also I think chasidish camps are much cheaper than non chasidish ones . Of course it's still an expense with all the shopping and bus fees and spending money ect .
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amother
Beige


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:13 am
In Far Rock/5Towns, kids start going to camp en masse coming out of sixth grade. Until then, majority stay home.

I don't agree with sending kids younger than 10/11 to camp. I think a lot of the younger kids at camp come from homes with issues.
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amother
OP


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:30 am
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:34 am
My parents were huge camp people they both went for years and years and loved it so they wanted us to have the same experience. I went the summer before sixth grade and I feel like it was a good age. My son wants to go now at the end of 4th but I dont feel he is mature enough. I would consider it for next year but most likely will send him the summer after 6th. In my area that seems to be the standard age.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:37 am
I think it's a city thing. In Lakewood, those who go to camp tend to go at a later age. Lakewood is much more suburban, and there really are excellent daycamps that have enough appeal to push sleepaway camp off to the later teens.

My DD (13) is B"EH going for the first time, and we really would have waited till next year (she was in no hurry to go, but it turned out alot of her friends were going and she didn't have good friends to go to daycamp with, so we decided to send her.)
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:40 am
amother [ Beige ] wrote:
In Far Rock/5Towns, kids start going to camp en masse coming out of sixth grade. Until then, majority stay home.

I don't agree with sending kids younger than 10/11 to camp. I think a lot of the younger kids at camp come from homes with issues.


I think this is true.

My mother A"H went to camp every single summer from age 5. But hers was the generation of parents who were holocaust survivors, raising their children without extended families, grandparents, etc.... Both her parents worked hard, and needed her in a structured program in the summertime. I think camp filled that need.

B"H now that we have stronger family units and we are out of that survivor mode, people are sending their daughters to camp more for the social experience, which has pushed the age up dramatically.
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amother
Springgreen


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:40 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?

I'm not sure but I think it is more of a new york thing . Other countries don't have 8-10 weeks of summer vacation . They have 2 weeks of camp or vacation with the family .
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amother
Tangerine


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:44 am
It’s not a NY thing at 10, 11, 12 there were kids from every state. If anything really far out places sent early.
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amother
Yarrow


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:53 am
Raisin wrote:
I don't know any non Jews who send such young kids to sleepaway camp in my country. Even teenagers only go very occasionally.

Its more of a Jewish thing. Not even frum. For secular Jews who might send their kids to non Jewish schools its important to make sure they stay connected and dont marry out, for frum Jews meeting peers in the summer and experiencing yiddishkiet in a positive way is important.


I grew up secular in the US, away from the tristate area, and never went to a Jewish camp. I went to girl scout camp when I was younger and band/music camp when I was older, but both of those only lasted a week. In the US, I think the whole "camp for the whole summer" phenomena is pretty unique to Orthodox (and maybe some Conservative or Reform) Jews.

By the time I was 16 I had a "real" summer job (on someone's payroll). Before that I would do lots of babysitting, pet sitting, yard work for neighbors to earn some cash in the summer. Before that? I guess I just enjoyed unstructured down time. Very Happy
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amother
Forestgreen


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:53 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?


In general American culture, camp at a fairly young age is very common among affluent families in the Northeastern US, less so in the rest of the country (though every camp has kids from all over the country, it's definitely more of a "thing" in the Northeast.) Among American Jews specifically, camp is a "thing" all over the US. And not just frum Jews. Conservative and Reform also make a big deal about sending to camp. Camp definitely more common among Jews than other groups for various historical reasons. It's long been known that camp has a significant impact on reducing intermarriage, and for a long time, even non religious Jews cared about that. Now, far fewer care, but will still send their kids to camp because tradition.
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amother
Calendula


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 7:55 am
Summer in the city is torture, even more so for kids living in crowded neighborhoods where there are only apartment buildings without backyards. City "camps" which are basically playgroups housed in school buildings keep the kids off the streets, but they're still in the city, still breathing polluted city air, still limited to urban activities and playing on concrete and asphalt. Many day camps in the Metro area are not better--they're housed in school buildings in Rockland County rather than the city, but they're still a not genuine outdoor lifestyle. Kids need an opportunity to see trees, play on grass, go hiking, meet birds that aren't pigeons and bugs that aren't roaches, and generally see a different environment where concrete isn't king. If the family doesn't go to "the bungalows" then the solution is to send the kids to camp if the parents can afford it. Doesn't have to be every year, but every kid should have the opportunity at least once..

10 or 11 is not too young, though you have to know your kids. If they're clingy, even 18 or 20 may be "too young." Sure, they get homesick, but nobody ever died of homesickness for a few days till they get used to their new surroundings.
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amother
Calendula


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 8:17 am
amother [ Yarrow ] wrote:
I grew up secular in the US, away from the tristate area, and never went to a Jewish camp. I went to girl scout camp when I was younger and band/music camp when I was older, but both of those only lasted a week. In the US, I think the whole "camp for the whole summer" phenomena is pretty unique to Orthodox (and maybe some Conservative or Reform) Jews.

By the time I was 16 I had a "real" summer job (on someone's payroll). Before that I would do lots of babysitting, pet sitting, yard work for neighbors to earn some cash in the summer. Before that? I guess I just enjoyed unstructured down time. Very Happy


Unlimited unstructured downtime is not a good thing for urban children. It's not as if they can go off on a hike in the woods behind the house, stay there all day and lunch on some fish they caught in the creek. What are they going to do, memorize the different grille designs of the cars parked on the street? Scour the trash cans for beverage bottles and cans they can return to the store to collect the deposit? You can't do yard work where there are no yards. Tempers flare when there's no escape from the heat. Violent crime in the city soars with the temperatures. Anyone who can afford to tries to get their kids out of the city for at least a portion of the summer. NonJewish urban kids can go to the country with the Fresh Air Fund; AFAIK there is no frum Fresh Air Fund.
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amother
Yarrow


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 8:33 am
amother [ Calendula ] wrote:
Unlimited unstructured downtime is not a good thing for urban children. It's not as if they can go off on a hike in the woods behind the house, stay there all day and lunch on some fish they caught in the creek. What are they going to do, memorize the different grille designs of the cars parked on the street? Scour the trash cans for beverage bottles and cans they can return to the store to collect the deposit? You can't do yard work where there are no yards. Tempers flare when there's no escape from the heat. Violent crime in the city soars with the temperatures. Anyone who can afford to tries to get their kids out of the city for at least a portion of the summer. NonJewish urban kids can go to the country with the Fresh Air Fund; AFAIK there is no frum Fresh Air Fund.


I was actually an urban child, just didn't live in the tristate area. No woods or creek nearby for me.

My point wasn't that sending to camp is an inherently good or bad thing, just that it's not done by everyone. Which I think was the OP's original question.
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 8:46 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?


It's common wherever there are frum people in a major city which has pritzus in the summer. Montreal does it. I'm sure other places do too.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 8:57 am
amother [ Springgreen ] wrote:
I'm not sure but I think it is more of a new york thing . Other countries don't have 8-10 weeks of summer vacation . They have 2 weeks of camp or vacation with the family .


Most of Europe, except for the UK, has 2 months off in the summer. I don't know individual countries - feel free to google - where I live it is 2-3 months off, depending on age and school. Younger kids have less. Some people have summer homes, others go away for a couple of weeks on a family vacation. Younger kids go to day camps. Older kids might also do day camps. Some Jewish families send their kids to overnight summer camps. I think it is insane that most families have their kids sitting home bored for most of 12 weeks, but they hang out with friends and seem to survive.

The Uk only has 6 weeks off. Summer camps are all about 10 days to 2 weeks long. And there are frum camps, and plenty of not frum camps too. (habonim, FZY, etc)
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Elfrida




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 9:01 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?


I grew up in London, and I never went to camp. Nor did any of my friends go to camp as a standard thing.

We had six weeks for the summer holidays, and normally went to France as a family for two weeks. Other than that we had some day trips, and a lot of down time. We got a membership to the local pool and could go there when we liked. We read, experimented with hobbies spent time with our grandparents, and explored London with friends. My grandmother taught me to knit every summer. I still can't knit.

When we were older and family holidays in France weren't practical anymore, my youngest sisters went to camp with a youth group for two weeks. They enjoyed it, but nothing out of the ordinary.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Mon, Jun 21 2021, 9:04 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have an answer to my original question? Is this only common in new York? Tristate area? Or do other countries also do this?


There are no overnight camps for ten year olds in England though as a PP mentioned, summer vacation is much shorter (5 weeks in most of the frum schools).

I don't know of any camps for that age in Israel either.

Definitely seems to be more of a US thing.
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