What is a summer camp?

A summer camp is usually defined as a supervised programs that children or teenagers attend. As the name implies, a summer camp is most often conducted during the summer months. The adolescents and children that come to the camps are sometimes named as campers. Many people might think of a summer camp as a outdoor place that offers activities like hiking, campfires, and canoeing. But there are many more different kinds of programs in today's day and age. Now there sometimes programs that are devoted to specialized activities like music, magic, performing arts, computers, mathematics, language learning, and weight loss. In 2006 alone, 75 percent of all of these programs added new kinds of activities for their children to participate in while at the program. This might be in response to the decline in enrollment in programs. This decline in enrollment might stem from smaller family sizes, popularity of electronic media, and growth in supplemental educational programs. All of these things often keep children inside for longer and much more easily occupied. Sometimes programs can be religiously affiliated, such as those programs that are run by those of the Jewish faith and the Evangelical Christian faith. Often the whole goal of a summer camp is education or cultural development, and the organization during those three months completely immerses the kids in that learning and culture.

At most of these organizations, the adults who are in charge are called counselors. They might also be called a cabin leader. Often different counselors are assigned to different groups of campers, who can be broken up by different units, huts, cabins, or bunks. These groups of campers usually participate in different activities as a group. The counselors usually do not sleep among the campers. They usually have a specific building or tent that they share with their fellow counselors. Often counselors are in their early twenties or in their late teens, either as high school students or in college and on their break. Sometimes campers stay overnight, but not all organizations are developed this way. At other organizations, the campers go home for the night. Sometimes, some of the them have the option to do either an overnight stay, or for some of the campers to go home each night. At these kinds of organizations, it could be that this is the first time that some of the children attending are spending an extended amount of time away from home for the first time. This can cause some stress on the part of the campers, and cause some homesickness. A study has been done that shows that almost 10 million kids go to these kinds of organizations annually. They also report that there are almost 12,000 organizations across the entire nation. Sometimes these organizations can be organized around already existing groups. Some of these activities will even allow some children to earn college credit for what they are learning. Usually that option is available for those children who are in grades 10 through 12.