5 Things Parents Should Do Before Sending Their Kids to Summer Camp

 I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Mabel’’s Labels. I received a voucher to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”

Prewrite post cards to your child to mail on your way back from dropping them off at camp. 
This is especially important if the camp is a good distance away from your home and/or if it lasts for a short period of time like 1-2 weeks.  By mailing a post card in the town the camp is in, it should be to your camper within 1-2 days, providing that little message from home to ease the beginning of the week homesickness.  As you drive farther away from home, you can mail one or two more.

Package up outfits in gallon zip lock bags for easy dressing.
Living out of a suitcase for a week or two can be challenging. Make it easy on your camper by prepackaging outfits in gallon bags.  Each bag can contain a shirt, pair of shorts, socks, and undergarments. You could even throw in any hair pieces that would be worn.  This makes getting dressed on those early camp mornings easy with a grab-and-go approach.  To maximize packing space, sit on each bag to squeeze out excess air to create a vacuum-sealed appearance.

Label your children’s belongings.
Living in a 20×20 cabin with 10-12 campers can lead to some confusion when it comes to keeping track of all those socks, shorts, shoes, flashlights, sunscreens, bug sprays… Need I go on?  A great way to make sure your camper can keep tabs on their belongings is to label them.  This can be done quickly using the Camp Combo from Mabel’s Labels. Customizing them online was so easy, that Bear was able to do it without much help.  They have lots of cute icons to choose from. The Limited Edition Camp Label Pack has labels that are just right for all your kiddo’s summer camp items to help them from getting mixed up with other campers or lost. And their labels are laundry, dishwasher, microwave safe, and backed by a 100% guarantee.  That makes them great for clothing, swimwear, backpacks, shoes, and toiletry items.

Help your camper to make a gift for their counselor.
Counselors work hard all summer.  They give up their fun breaks between college classes to make summertime special for lots of kids they don’t even know.  The gift doesn’t have to be anything grand.  Honestly, a cute bandanna, a bottle of good smelling bug spray, and a thank you card go a long way in making those hard working counselors feel appreciated.

Be prepared to hear those camp songs for months after your child returns from camp.
It’s been 15 years since I was at camp, but I can still sing most of those songs at the drop of a hat.  They’re fun, silly, and oh so contagious.  Once you get going, it’s hard to stop.  These songs connect me to so many great memories.  It won’t be too long before you know them all and can sing along too.