Cruise Directing Summer Camps
Lessons learned when planning summer activities for our kids
Never have I ever…wanted to be a cruise director and yet, every summer, I take on a second job of being the entertainment director for our children so that they stay busy, fulfilled, and happy during the summers and Adam and I can continue working. It’s early February, which means it’s time to get organized for camp life.
Here is what you will get out of this post:
🤦🏼♀️ Parents whose kids aren’t YET old enough for summer camps - you will get a preview of what your life will likely entail and you can mentally prepare for what lies ahead. Skip it if you just can’t. I get it.
✌🏻Parents with kids doing summer camps - you will feel seen and validated that your craziness is also my craziness. If I missed stuff, please add your experiences and tips in the comments or send me a note.
🥳 Parents who are past this phase or people without kids - good popcorn post that you can read and feel gratitude that you are past this or will never have to do this.
PS If you are new to Mind the Beet and are here for career or product posts, check out these links: product-focused newsletters or career-development-focused newsletters
When I was growing up, my summers were either living at our “dacha” (summer house in the suburbs of Moscow) with my grandmother or hanging out at home with my sister once we moved to the United States (I was 10 at the time and my sister was 5). I think of these days fondly now but back then, I definitely remember being “bored.” There is lots of research confirming that boredom is great for developing an imagination and building resiliency, so this is a reminder for us all, that there are many ways for kids to spend a summer. We are all balancing what our families need against the resources that we have and the values that we hold.
Fast forward to me now being a parent and Adam and I have made a decision that we will be part of the summer camp madness. Given that we’ve made this decision, we try to optimize to make the most of this path and do it as well as we can manage.
Why camps and not a full-time caregiver at home?
Adam and I are both working full-time and do not have family nearby. We are fortunate that we can afford camps and believe that our kids will have more enrichment and fun over the summer in activities vs. at home with a caregiver.
The biggest trade-off that we end up making (other than cost) is that routines are thrown off and there is a different kind of chaos that we manage. Summer camp life means that there is a new schedule every week with a mental load to keep everyone organized and getting to the right places on time. In addition, there is the emotional complexity of our kids’ feelings and experiences at camps - sometimes they are great, sometimes they are ok, very rarely they are terrible and then you have to make a plan to address the issue.
Are camps about childcare or enrichment?
For our family, it is a little bit of both - as our kids are getting older, we are trying to support their hobbies and find camps that are interesting to them, where they can make or strengthen friendships, or where they can have a new adventure.
If this was strictly about childcare, we would hire either a summer college student or a full-time nanny to hang out with them, but we are finding that not to work as well as having more structured activities.
How long does this summer extravaganza last?
My definition of summer is the time between the end of the school year and the beginning of the next school year. So in the Pacific Northwest, it is approximately from 3rd week of June through Labor Day (10 weeks).
We usually do 1-2 weeks of family vacation during the summer, so this leaves 8 weeks of planning summer camps.
How long do camps last?
This varies greatly. But here are the different types:
Half-day camps - usually 9-12 or 1-4, week long. Examples include half days of tennis camps, bike camps, yoga camps, and outdoor park camps. Many of them have a “full day” option (9-3) as well. When you opt-in for the half-day camps, you still need access to a full-time caregiver over the summer to support pick-ups, lunch, and afternoon activities.
“Most of the day” camps - 10-3pm, 9-3pm. Most of the camps that we’ve been utilizing fall into this category. Most of these usually last a week but you can sometimes do multiple sessions. For example, we have done theater camps and have at times done two sessions or one longer 2-week session.
Overnight camps - we are just starting to crawl into this category but these can be a week-long to multiple weeks at a time. Last year we tried Camp Zanika and this year, we are going to try YMCA week-long camp for both kids. Most overnight camps seem to have a ramp-up, so for younger kids, you can do half a week of overnight as an option.
Where do I find camps?
Parks and Rec usually put on a lot of summer programming. Their brochures usually come out in March
Word of mouth - Neighborhood facebook groups and neighbors
Other places that usually have some kind of camp programming - local gymnastics studios, art museums, and zoos
When do I need to start booking camps?
There are two types of camps - Type A and normal camps.
The Type A camps fill up in minutes. For those, you should mark your calendar and wake up when registration opens to get the spots you want.
I found out the hard way in my area by missing the sign-ups for cool outdoor forest camps so then I would know for next year. So ask around which are the camps that fill up really fast ahead of time and act accordingly if you really want to get into one of those.
Then there are normal camps - registration for most opens between early February and April and you usually have a few weeks to get your act and schedule together and get a spot. However, it is still helpful to track when registration opens so that you can get your preferred spots and times.
Who does pick up and drop off?
Up until last year, we had a full-time (or close to it) nanny who would do the logistics and driving. This year, we have switched to a part-time nanny/household manager who manages this as well as augmented it with extra support in the mornings.
Our plan for the summer is to do a mix of our nanny + Adam and I driving + carpool with neighborhood parents to get kids from point A to point B.
How do I keep track of camp logistics?
End of spring break is usually the time when I start getting organized for summer. This year, I have found a camp organizer on Etsy and I highly recommend it (best $11 I have spent in a long time)
I also use text and WhatsApp groups to coordinate carpools and logistics with other parents which is becoming increasingly critical as our kids need to be in different places at different times. Both Adam and I are included on these as well as our household manager so that everyone can stay on the same page with who needs to be where and when.
Other tips:
Joint camps for siblings - If possible enroll kids into the same camp to simplify pick-ups and drop-offs
Early drop-offs and late pick-ups - The 10-3/9-3 camps often have the option to pay for early drop-off and/or late pick-up
Most camps have some kind of “end of camp” performance - whether it is a show or a bike parade. Plan your schedule accordingly
Keep your kids prepared - sunscreen, hat, extra snacks, water, change of clothes, a towel, and flip flops are packed for most days my kids are in camp. Getting a sunburn in week 1 does not make for a good start
Increase bath frequency - camps are dirty. So we try to bathe kids more frequently in the summer
