About the Camp Program |
| Q: | What is a typical day at camp? |
| A: | A typical day at camp is broken into five main parts of the day: meals, cabin time, structured free choice, skill classes, and all-camp activities.
During structured free choice and skill classes, campers are supported to make individual activity selections. There is a lot to choose from! Swimming, boating, arts and crafts, pottery, ball games, side porch board games, independent reading to name just a few.
All camp activities are a mix of many different games- some are done by cabin, some by age, and some are the whole camp mixed up on teams. Whatever the case, activities are led by program staff and supported by cabin counselors.
Some favorite all camp activities are: pillow polo, capture the flag, exploration night, egg drop, counselor hunt/whistle chase, and carnival.
Teen Campers have a mix of typical days like what is listed above, and trip days. On trip days, teen camp will leave camp for a day or overnight hike, canoe paddle, or camping location. Additionally, Teen Camp will often use the afternoon activity session blocks to prepare for t
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| Q: | What programs are offered, are "Teen" and "Base Camp" different? |
| A: | During our overnight camp sessions we offer three programs: Base Camp, Teen Camp, and Leadership Camp (CITs).
Base Camp is for our youngest campers up to age 12. This program is our largest and stays in our main camp (also called Base Camp) for most programs and follows the daily schedule listed above.
Teen Camp is for our younger teen campers who are ages 13-15. This program does a mix of Base Camp activities and local trips to waterfalls, the Appalachian Trail, waterways for canoeing, and campsites.
The oldest camper program, Leadership Camp, is for Counselors in Training (CITs) and is by application only. Our CITs learn how to support campers, lead activities and develop personal leadership skills.
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| Q: | Where do campers sleep and how are cabins assigned? |
| A: | Campers sleep in one of our 11 camper cabins on cabin row. Cabin sizes are 6-8 campers and 1-2 counselors. These cabins all face our pond and are simple wood structures with electricity, bunk beds, and big screened windows (no AC). Bathrooms and showers are located centrally in one stand-alone bathhouse that is a short walk from cabin row. Additional toilets are provided by porta-potties in several places around camp.
Cabins are split up by age and gender. Guardians can select the appropriate cabin type for their camper during registration.
Campers can also indicate one bunk request. Additional bunk requests can not be accepted due to the small size of our cabins. All cabins are located close to each other and siblings or friends not grouped together in the same cabin can still spend time together during the day.
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| Q: | When do campers go to sleep and get up? |
| A: | Base Campers return to their cabins at 8:30 PM. Teen Campers sometimes have a later activity. Lights out starts at 9:00 PM and individual cabin lights will stay on longer depending on the age and needs of each cabin.
Wake up time starts at 7:30 AM and includes three wake-up reminders. Morning music is put on the loudspeaker at 7:45 AM to help everyone get up. The entire camp does attendance and a short morning word of reflection at 8:15 AM before breakfast.
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| Q: | What if my camper gets homesick? |
| A: | Missing home is a very normal part of camp. Everything is different at camp, and it’s easy to miss caregivers, favorite things, and normal comforts. Counselors are trained to support all campers with homesickness. If a camper struggles in larger ways with homesickness, our health care team will also support the camper and will reach out to a parent or guardian for guidance and to keep them informed of how the camper is doing.
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| Q: | What happens on a rainy day? |
| A: | Rainy days at camp are sometimes the best days! Changes in weather give us the opportunity to change up our routines and see camp and our community in a new mode. The main lodge is well equipped to hold the entire camp through a daytime storm and so the most typical response to a rainy day is to move everyone there and do special activities. Sometimes it rains for days and days and days- and those sessions are particularly unique and memorable! Making it through wet and muddy sessions is a great badge of honor.
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| Q: | Are teen camp hikes hard? |
| A: | Teen campers often go hiking and the hikes vary in several ways. They hike on the camp property- easy hikes that take them to new views and places to swim. They hike to nearby waterfalls and those hikes are more challenging (2-8 mile day hikes), and they hike on the Appalachian Trail for overnight hikes. The Appalachian Trail hikes are planned specifically for the individual group, after trying out a day hike. They are challenging, but require no prior hiking experience and camp has packs and other gear to lend if a camper prefers not to purchase supplies just for the program.
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About Camper Registration Logistics |
| Q: | When is pick-up? |
| A: | Pick up is at 10 AM on the last Saturday of your camper’s session.
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| Q: | Do you offer financial assistance or scholarships? |
| A: | Yes! Making camp accessible to campers is of utmost importance to us and scholarships have been a part of our camp program since it was opened nearly 100 years ago. To apply for a scholarship, a family should fill out the brief application when registering. The application will ask how much a family can afford for each week of camp (the number therefor would be doubled for a two week session) and we do our best to match that need.
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| Q: | What should I do if I'm having trouble uploading camper health documents? |
| A: | Sometimes it can be difficult to upload the necessary documents needed to finalize your camper's enrollment. These include a physical, insurance card, and immunization record. If you are having trouble please email info@smithpark.org and we will get the documents added to your camper's profile.
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| Q: | Do eight year old campers come for two weeks? How do we have contact while they are away at camp? |
| A: | It is common for our youngest campers, 8 and 9 year olds, to come for two weeks. Writing letters and postcards is the easiest way to keep in touch. There is no cell reception or email. Additionally, phone calls are possible via the camp’s landline in case of emergency or if a parent wants to check-in with camp staff.
This summer we also offer one week sessions and these can also be great for campers of many ages, and are a favorite way for two week campers to lengthen their stay.
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About Camp Food & Safety |
| Q: | What are the COVID-19 restrictions for this summer, will you mandate vaccination for campers and staff? |
| A: | Our plan for COVID-19 mitigation and response will be released on May 15 and will life info sessions with our camp director. In 2021, camp ran safely using a large variety of mitigation methods and those can be viewed on our website on our website here: https://campwawa.org/covid-19-safety-information
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| Q: | Is camp food good? What about allergies and restrictions? |
| A: | This is a really common question- and yes, the food is good! Meals are served family style in our dining hall. Campers eat with their camper cabin and each meal a camper represents their cabin as the “Waiter” and sets up, serves the food, and cleans up the table.
Main courses vary each day. A typical breakfast will be bagels, spreads, fruit and sausage. A typical lunch could be grilled cheese, potato tots, veggie sticks and soup. And a typical dinner is spaghetti and meatballs, roasted broccoli and dessert of “Dirt and Worms.”
In addition to the standard main courses, all breakfasts offer a yogurt and cereal bar, and all lunch and dinners have a soup, salad, and sandwich bar.
Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and other dietary needs are accommodated for all meals. Allergy substitutions or changes are also made by staff as needed.
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| Q: | How bad are the bugs, and what about ticks? |
| A: | Mosquitos at camp can vary tremendously depending on the weather. A session that comes after a week of rain can have a lot of mosquitos, whereas a session in the rain or during a dry period of the summer can be somewhat more bug free. Campers that have large reactions to bug bites are encouraged to pack light layers and appropriate bug spray.
Similar to the mosquito population fluctuating, ticks can also vary each summer. Tick checks are done each evening, after hikes in the woods, and during showers.
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