Camp fairs provide a wealth of information that will help you find a camp that is sure to be a happy adventure for your child. And fairs are fun experiences to boot!

by Charity R. Bartley Howard

When winter is knocking at the door, that's the perfect time to be thinking about summer camp. One way to prepare and find a great camp experience is by attending a camp fair. January through March is high season for camp fairs. Many parents may wonder how they are going to get the most out of a camp fair experience, especially if they have never attended one in the past.

You might just be thinking of sending your child to a camp that you attended as a child or to a local camp, but a camp fair will show you just how many different opportunities there are. As Karen Belcher, coordinator of the Canterbury camp fair, explains, “Camps range literally from A to Z, Academics to the Zoo. There are camps for cultures and religion, arts, scouting, travel and adventure, horseback riding, leadership, sports and special needs. The camps are day programs or resident, co-ed, boys, girls. Some even have family camps.”

The Canterbury Summer Camp Discoveries Fair takes place every March at Canterbury Middle School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Like at many other camp fairs, featured camps are for campers as young as 2 through high school age.

Another person who knows about camp recruiting is Christopher Lewis, the director of CampFairGuide.com. He helps with camp fairs around the country via his company, Project Globe. He worked at camps for several years then started recruiting.

CampFairGuide.com is a singular place that publishes all camp fair information in one place with details provided by organizers. Lewis explains that having such a location is helpful for camp directors and parents because there are thousands of camps available. This website allows easy access to upcoming camp fairs.

What you’ll experience at a fair

If you’ve ever attended a trade show, you’ve had a taste of what a camp fair is like.

Camps have a table with a display and marketing materials that inform those in attendance about their program. Lewis says, “Camps are encouraging people to sign up for the summer…there is a lot of information exchanged.”

Lewis feels a camp fair is “nice for people to get face to face with someone that actually works with the program.” He emphasizes, “Why would you send your kid off with a complete stranger without speaking to someone in person? Most parents go and talk to their teacher at the school, so why wouldn’t you go and speak to the person who runs the camp?”

There is a camp fair circuit across the country in hotels, gymnasiums and stores. The fairs are often free and present a variety of area camps. Most locations provide a directory of camps at the fair.

Elements featured vary. Some camps give toys or favors out at booths, they do demonstrations and show program show videos as well. For instance, at the Canterbury camp fair, says Belcher, “We have door prizes donated by the camps every 15 minutes. Some camps may even give away full or partial weeks to camp. There is free popcorn and a children's activity area with face painting, story writing and picture drawing. We will also have members from Parkview Hospital giving summer trauma prevention tips for families.

“Some camps will have activities at their booths,” Belcher adds. “For example, at the Canterbury Chess Camp booth, kids can challenge a high schooler to a game of chess. The Fort Wayne Ballet has a dance-related activity for kids. Last year they brought a ballerina for the children to meet.”

Asking the right questions

You just have a few minutes to learn about a camp to help determine if it is something for your child. That makes it important to ask the right questions.

Lewis explains, “We always say it is a big decision to send your kids away for two weeks to a complete stranger. Some people call on the phone and talk to somebody for a little bit or they find a program online and they sign up. There are some programs online you never even have to speak to anybody. And most parents I speak with who come to camp fairs are not comfortable with that. They want to know their child is well taken care of and will have a nice summer.”

Belcher suggests questions “about the camp mission, supervision, meals, facilities, activities and cost.  Many times camps will have early bird discounts available to people attending the camp fair. They have financial aid available. If your teen is interested in becoming a counselor in training, this is a great opportunity for them to come and talk with camp representatives as well.”

Lewis feels the most important single question is the camper-to-counselor ratio.

Not just for parents

Camp fairs are for the whole family and helpful for potential campers. Lewis says, “The parents are the decision makers, they are the ones spending the money, but it is nice for the kids to see what’s out there.” Potential campers are a major part of the process.

Belcher agrees. “Parents with younger children can send them over to the staffed activity area while they ask camp directors in-depth questions. The children enjoy going and looking at the camp displays, meeting someone from the camp, and asking questions.”

Although camp fairs are a key resource for parenting children, they are not offered in every city due in part to the short January to March camp fair season. Even when parents travel at least 30 minutes to a camp fair, however, Lewis says he has never had “a parent say it wasn’t worth it because they are always going to get information that they wouldn’t know if they didn’t go.” Complete lists of Project Globe's camp fairs can be found here.

Belcher recommends, “Even if you are not sure your child is ready for camp, come to a camp fair this year to do the research and begin planning for next year. Set your budget, get an idea of what your child's next summer could be like, and spend this year getting your child prepared for camp. You may find some half day or day programs that are just right for your child for this summer that will be a great transition to doing an overnight camp the next summer.”

 

Charity R. Bartley Howard lives in Central Indiana with her husband and two young sons. With degrees in journalism and English, she began her career in newspapers where she was a lifestyles editor. Her experience includes a wide variety from writing press releases to book reviews and editing articles and manuscripts.

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