I love talking and packing my kids for camp. I am all about lists, piles, labels and more. I strongly suggest that you pack with your child so they can help take ownership in their own organization and packing experience. They are going to be in their own cabins trying to figure out how to get dressed, shower, make their own beds, etc. The more involved they can be in the packing, and knowing what's in their duffels, the better off they will be while they are at camp.
Where Should I Start?
The sooner you begin the less stressed you will be. But before you begin make sure you have a plan in place in terms of how you are going to organized everything and your timeline for packing. I like to set up a table in my basement or garage to put everything on. I keep all the camp stuff I've accumulated from past years and new things I've bought in my basement until I'm ready to start.
After you have established where you will be packing, make sure you have the right bag(s) for camp. I will tell you from personal experience both, packing and moving bags around, that bigger is not always better. My kids' use this bag . It's large enough for me to pack them for 24 days with no problems. When you back in larger bags, I have found that they get too heavy and that's when the straps rips from pulling.
Next, every camp has their own packing lists. You probably have a lot of the items on the list already but there are going to be some that you need to purchased or rebuy. So again this is why I would recommend starting early. Use the list that the camp provides as your guide and then create a supplemental list for/with your child. What I like to do is print our camp's list and then create a list of things I need to buy and the quantity. This makes camp shopping much easier.
How Do You Pack?
When I start packing my kids we first go through the camp's list and lay everything out that we already have in the house. Then we add in anything from our own personal list within that category. Once we have gathered everything and laid them out on the table I make 2 lists-one is for everything I need to buy and the other is a list of items that we have but are holding out from packing. I also put the things are we missing on sticky notes and put those next to the pile of stuff I have laid out. For example if I am missing a toothbrush, I would simply write "toothbrush" and put that sticky note next to the pile of their toiletries.
When you are packing remember that they are going to camp. That being said I would not recommend packing things that could break, get damaged or that your child would be upset if it didn't come home.
After you have gathering all of your items, it's time to start labeling everything. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING (well with the exception of socks and underwear)! There are a few different ways to label your items. Things I know I am going to toss after camp get labeled in Sharpie (most toiletries) other items get labeled with sticker labels (I like Mabel's Labels and Label Daddy). I don't love the stamps because I have found that they bleed through light colored shirt.
After you have all the items, you can start bagging them. I bag my items a few different ways-packing cubes and using a variety of Ziplock bags. Clothes are put int packing cubes by category (t-shirts, shorts, long pants, socks, etc). I label the packing cubes with sticker labels and then take a piece of duct tape to write the contents of the cube. I do it this way so that I can use the packing cubes year round and also so that the following year I can switch it up if needed. I also keep one aside for items that they would use at Circus Day, 4th of July, Maccabiah games, etc.. I do put their Shabbat clothes in a Ziploc bag and label it "Shabbat" for my younger daughter. For my older one I just put it in her packing cubes and she figures it out. Ziplocs are the best for packing towels and toiletries. I put their towels in the jumbo sized Ziplocs and use various sizes to pack their toiletries. I always double bag things like shampoo, conditioner, face soap, toothpaste,etc.
A few tips: Check the fan you're sending with your camper. Sometimes to get to the batteries you need a screw driver. If this is the case, make sure you pack one. If you are if you are packing things like posters or family photos, I recommend that you pack the way you would like it hung (sticky tape) along with the item so that counselors or your child knows how to put it up and with what. Another tip is to unpack the white shirts you bought for tie dying or to be printed on and label them. I also like to put extra batteries in small storage containers.
Do I Need to Pack More?
You know your kid best. A lot of time and experience goes into putting together a packing list. However there might be things you will want to make a few more of. Just remember clothing wise about 1/2 way through the session laundry will get done.
There are also items that you will want to add or at least think about if your camp doesn’t mention them on the packing list. Some campers like to personalize their space. They like to decorate using posters, pictures, a calendar, etc. They might also want a fun pillow case, frisbee, coloring things or games to play.
My kids like to use a foam mattress pad on top of the camp mattress. While I do not think the mattresses are that uncomfortable, they apparently like a very plush bed. For kids who read a lot at night like to send in a headlamp or reading light for them.
Letter Writing
There are a few organizational details or “special” things to know that won’t be on the packing list. I suggest writing and sending a letter or two to your child before they get to camp. This way, they will have mail to open the first few days of camp. Depending on the camp, you might be able to send 1 way emails to your camper. I like to buy fun cards for my kids for my kids at Trader Joes. Another fun thing to do is to send personalized post cards to your camper using the pictures you find on the camp website. Lots of people like InkCards and Postagram.
I suggest putting your camper’s return addresses on envelopes (along with stamps) to make it easier to write as well as creating address labels. I suggest making address labels for your camper(s). Inside of their clipboard I made an example of how to address post cards and envelopes since my kids hadn’t done much letter writing before. Practice doing this at home before you send them away for the summer. At our camp the people who work in the office are like sleuths and can help fix any errors before the mail leaves the office. They even put stamps on when needed.
If you are not sure what to write to your camper(s) about I've got you covered. Write to them about what's going on at home (paint a humdrum picture of what's going on at home-you don't want to make them feel like they have been missing out on anything), express your excitement about camp. Let them know how proud you are of them for meeting new friends, trying something new, etc, tell them a funny joke or share a funny story or give them a sports update.
One thing I have learned over the years is that campers LOVE getting mail, but if you talk about how much you miss them and how empty the house feels without them, it might make them feel sad. Your letters should remind them that they are loved an supported and that you are so excited to hear about how much fun they are having at camp. I have also found that short daily notes are better than the long detailed ones.
"Come pick me up NOW!" This phrase might be in a letter you get. Try not to worry and remeber that letters are often written during down/quiet time at camp. Though the camper might be sad for that moment in time, they probably are not sad the entire time they are away. They are most likely having fun, trying new things, making new friends and simply being campers. That doesn't change the fact that they might still miss you and probably feel it the most during the quiet times at camp. If your camp is like the one I send my kids to, please know that the staff is usually on top of it and will probably be in contact with you if the homesickness is more than is to be expected. Also remember that letters usually take a few days to arrive and usually things have changed for the better since they were written.
I am a parent and I know how hard it is to hear that your child is struggling. If/when you get a sad letter, feel free to contact your child's camp to check in on them. Also write them a letter telling that it's okay to be homesick but let them know how proud you are of them. Talk about the good things and remind them that "nothing much us happenning at home". Kids get major FOMO (fear of missing out) for whatever they think they are missing at home.
Camp Birthdays
There is something special about celebrating your birthday at camp! One of my kids celebrates her birthday at camp and loves everything about it. In her duffle I pack a bag labeled "___ Birthday 7/2" inside of it are decorations for her cabin (bought at the dollar store), something for her to share with her whole cabin (bracelets, colorful hair extensions, press on nails, etc), a little gift for her and a special birthday card.
1st Day Apparel/What to put in their bus (or car) bag
Lot of kids will come to camp some sort of camp apparel-village t-shirts or shirts with the camp name on them. In addition to that most have some sort of bag with them. The bag usually includes a water bottle and whatever else did make it into the duffle (comfort items, clothes that were needed and didn't get packed, etc)
HOW DO YOU UNPACK ONCE YOUR CHILDREN ARE HOME?
Do you mean other than throwing it all away?!
My biggest piece of advice I would tell someone is to unpack outside-either in your garage or on your drive way.
I make piles for laundry, things that need to be put away in bedrooms or around the house and things I need to put back into the camp bags once they are cleaned (CrazyCreek chair, towels, theme day stuff, bedding, clipboard, etc). Oh and I also make a giant pile for garbage. On average I probably do about 10 loads of laundry when my kids get home from camp. EVERYTHING gets washed. There are families who send their laundry to the laundry mat or another cleaning company after camp.
For the items that will and could be used next summer, I make sure to keep an inventory list and store them until the camp packing fun begins again next year.