Jul 11, 2025
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Have you ever been to summer camp? (read text under poll before answering)
yes, a day camp // 3 days or less
yes, a day camp // 4-6 days
yes, a day camp // 7-10 days
yes, a day camp // 11+ days
yes, a sleepaway camp // 3 days or less
yes, a sleepaway camp // 4-6 days
yes, a sleepaway camp // 7-10 days
yes, a sleepaway camp // 11+ days
no
not applicable / results
Pick the last option on this poll that applies to you! For example, if you’ve been to a 5-day day camp and a 3-day sleepaway camp pick the second option because it is further down in the poll
For the number of days, pick the highest number of days for one individual experience, not total
If you don’t know what these words mean (I’m aware this may be an America-centric poll)
Day camp - you go to camp in the morning. You stay there for a few hours. You go back home before bedtime and go to bed at your house/apartment. Then, you go back the next day and so on
Sleepaway camp - you go to camp and stay there overnight for multiple days. Then you go home after camp is done
If you went as a camp counselor you can pick whatever
August 20, 1934, Inwood Hill Park.
Following the consolidation of the City's parks system under Commissioner Robert Moses in January 1934, the Parks Department announced plans to establish day camps for 2,500 children, with both an educational and recreational mission. The activities were jointly managed by Parks Department play leaders and staff from the Board of Education. The day camp depicted here was at the northern tip of Manhattan near the "old House of Mercy," and afforded views from the bluffs overlooking the Hudson. The programs consisted of games, nature and geology studies, arts and crafts, story telling, drama, and community singing among various activities, and children were provided free transportation and lunch.
Photo: NYC Parks Photo Archive
I love being a summer camp counselor.
~a rant~
There are these three age levels: 5-7, 8-9, 10-13. Each comes with their own set of issues but I can safely say that middle schoolers are my favorite group to work with.
No filter, gen alpha, rude, hearts of gold.
They will say the most out of pocket things, and I quote, “tonight I will sneak into your house and tickle your toes in your sleep.” And they ask the most invasive questions about your life “do you love your boyfriend” and why you do things “you just had your period weeks ago and now you can’t swim again?” But all they want is for you to listen and to make you laugh.
The 5-7 year olds are sweethearts who hug anyone they learned the name of. But they’re also pathological liars who poop on the floor and cover it up so everyone can have a 40 minute investigation.
The 8-9 year olds beg me every week to join their camp. All the girls want is to know every detail of your life. And all the boys want is to hang on your every limb like a jungle gym. But I don’t want to switch camps, the 10-13 year olds are reality tv I get paid to watch.
Now, mind you, these kids go too far sometimes and I’m not afraid of giving them the discipline they need. They have a hard time when people are different from them. Everything is a joke to them. Their “observational humor” is just plain mean and mocking. They are not for the weak of heart. But they each are going through something. And their worlds are so small that everything affects them and weighs on them and they’re only middle schoolers.
The same little girl that jokingly threatens to break into counselors’ houses came to camp with heavy chest and back pains. I recognized them immediately because that’s where my anxiety manifests. This 12 year old child was carrying so many expectations that she was on the verge of an anxiety attack in the first 30 minutes of camp that day. She likes to joke about her mom being mean to her but one day she told me that her mom, who is divorced and raising her on her own, is very aggressive to the point of verbal abuse. Well this little girl, who makes fun of all the other kids at camp and I had to put in time out the week before for being disrespectful to me, she put so much pressure on herself because we were doing a camp event and she didn’t want to let down her team. So much pressure that when she tripped during the race she had an anxiety attack because she thought she failed them.
I have these two little (“little??” One of them is taller than me :| ) boys that are at two very different stages of their gay/bi awakenings. But they are always together. And always play fighting and touching each other and I constantly have to yell at them to stop cause there is no touching at camp.
The older one (13 turning 14) understands that he is 100% not straight but in a way that’s like, coming to terms with the fact that he’ll live his life feeling different. He has a massive case of gay voice. The little girls make gay jokes and call him “zesty” and ask if he likes Frank Ocean. But he plays along and doesn’t care much cause he’s just as dramatic as they are and they all interact the same. All of these girls have clung to him like a safe older brother, especially since he’s the tied oldest and second biggest kid in camp but vibes with the girlies. I can tell that he hasn’t fully accepted himself but he’s far out of the denial stage.
The younger boy (12 turning 13) is not out of denial. He is the sweetest, chillest kid at camp but he’s funny and silly and all around: campers, counselors, and directors all love him. But he’s been going through it this past week and won’t talk to anyone about it. On Monday he was completely normal, getting ready for the big camp events but all of a sudden at the end of the day he goes silent and hides from everyone. Now, the next day he told his counselor that it wasn’t anything to do with camp and that it was “personal issues.” But we’re told by the directors when there’s family problems and this behavior appeared random and on occasion throughout the week afterwards. So the only conclusion the other counselors and I have is that he’s having some personal changes and they’re freaking him out. It all falls into place when we realize that he went silent that day after a joke rumor got made about him kissing the other boy under the table while they were cleaning a craft. I’ve never seen a little boy think that much, that hard a day in my life. I’ve seen gay panic, I’ve experienced unexpected gay crushes, I’ve never witnessed a full on gay crisis that brought this child into contemplation.
But, I will say, the most adorable thing happened. All of the little girls tried to cheer him up. The older boy attempted to comfort him and ask what was wrong but respected his space when he said he wanted to be alone. Then all of the other boys at camp stopped playing their games to come over and just sit by him. Not bothering him or anything. This little cutie pie has the whole camp in an emotional chokehold.
I get why they’re going through gay crisis though. The older boy isn’t ugly by any means. The boyo is a stunner by middle school standards. 5’7, athletic, respectful, funny, intelligent and causally competitive. The younger boyo is not bad either, he keeps trying to seem nonchalant which makes him act more mature than the other campers. And he’s got a baby mustache that’s sad by any real standards but very visible for a 12 year old. So like, it makes sense for this to be like the first crush that you don’t realize is a crush until you look back and are like, “oh I was obsessed.” And it is so hilarious and painful and tragic to watch. Because it’s summer and summer ends and the older one will not come back the next year and they do not go to the same school.
Middle schooler feelings are so intense. And summer camp should be where they can release.
My sassy 10 year old who side eyes and lets me chase her around begging her to be my friend. My 13 year old boy who keeps saying he’s a counselor in training but doesn’t want to put in the work by letting the 5-7 year old girls chase him around all day. My 12 year old girl who hates everything we do so I force her to practice thinking of one thing she liked about each event. My 12 year old boy who screams cuss words but refuses to tell the truth anytime we call him on it. My 12 year old girl who always says “it wasn’t me” whenever her friends are acting a fool around her. So many other quirky kids that I love. This is my favorite age group to work a summer camp with.
And I’m not even including my wonderful co-counselors.
The kids really respond well to the love we put in. A couple of “popular” girls even begged the director to make more space for them to come back next week despite the roster being full.
I lowkey just wish they would all feel just a little more comfortable with telling the other counselors and I what’s on their minds when they’re silent. Or that these two little boys would for once keep their hands to themselves.
Okay friends.
Since there are so many of y’all out there, i’m doing some research & want your help/opinions.
If you’ve ever been to summer camp or worked at a summer camp (preferably sleepaway) PLS hit me up in the dms/ask box/on anon/in the comments about your experiences, favourite things, best memories, why it was special, etc.
I both attended & worked at a camp, but i want to know your stories & adventures to get some writing inspiration going!
school theater + working w kids is always a fun mix of dialogue, enjoy some of my favorite mix ups
that time i told a kid to 'strike your bedroom' (clean, i meant clean.) and he told me in a very serious voice that 'hitting is bad. don't do it.'
one time i was showing middle schoolers around the theater and they wouldn't stfu (some were my old campers) and i just yelled, very loudly: ‘what sound do you make with a closed mouth kiddos?’ - my 3 old campers then YELLED 'NOTHING!’ before closing their mouths and making a yell sound before being quiet, and i was mortified.
i had two people asking me how to do 2 separate things something involving rewording a thing and setting up cues on the board and i told them to settle it with rock paper scissors before remembering that i actually had to help them. that they weren’t arguing and were actually just both confused. fml
a kid once told me she'd be done with snack in 10 minutes and i responded with 'thank you 10' and now this kid says that EVERY SINGLE TIME i give her an amount of time. apparently she’s been doing it to her parents as well 🤦
and my personal favorite mix up: i use 'h-o-t-t-o-g-o'/‘you can take me hot to go!' as a call and response with my 5 year olds (they LOVE it). i will sometimes yell that to a big room of adult sized people that i need to be quiet. (they will respond and then be quiet + confused, it's hilarious) on the other hand, i have accidentally yelled 'yo! please just shut it!!' to 15 small children. i felt *horrible* and have only done it once to this day but it haunts me
Today, my old council announced that they are selling off my old camp. The camp that I was a PA at, ran a Just Juniors camporee at, did my Bronze Award at, and spent my first two years as staff at.
The council spent years allowing my camp to fall into disrepair. When I worked there (2013-14), things were falling apart and every year when I visit it’s no better. It is a good little camp - day camp and troop camp.
I’ve spent the afternoon thinking about this. After coming to the conclusion that I cannot express my disappointment publicly to GSNWGL, I can express it here.
They are selling off 3 camps and 2 office properties in favor of expanding a more limited number of facilities and creating a mobile unit. In their email it sounds much nicer, they’re “divesting” from properties. This is a fancy way of saying that it isn’t worth it to them to maintain these resources. My boss says this isn’t uncommon right now.
So I am sad. Sad for my loss, and sad for the loss of generations of Girl Scouts to come. This camp isn’t my home now, but it was a place I felt at home.
¡Excelentes obras de arte de los niños que participaron en el campamento de hoy en Ponce!