Holiday Gift Ideas—Give the Gift of Camp

Toys? Games? The latest electronics gadget? Each holiday season, parents and grandparents are faced with the hard decision of what gifts to give their children. This year, as part of your holiday gift list, consider the "Gift of Camp."

The American Camp Association (ACA) offers a Web site resource where parents and grandparents can print out an ACA Camp Gift Certificate and tuck it in a new backpack, roll it in a new sleeping bag, or wrap it around a new flashlight. The Web site can be found at: www.CampParents.org/giftcamp.php

In addition, the American Camp Association helps families find ACA-accredited camps that serve almost any interest, ability, budget, and age. Parents can search ACA’s online database of nearly 2,400 camps by visiting www.CampParents.org.

Last year, more than 10 million youth benefited from a camp experience. According to Dr. Christopher Thurber, a board-certified clinical psychologist, “Camp is a wonderful change of pace, environment, and context. At camp, young people can shed their old reputations and feel free to be the person they know they are. At camp, young people can relax and learn life skills — such as making friends and playing fair — that will serve them and the people whose lives they touch.”

In addition:

Camp is one of the few communities for children and youth that proactively promotes positive human development www.acacamps.org/research/research_book.pdf.
"Camp is one of the few institutions where young people can experience and satisfy their need for physical activity, creative expression, and true participation in a community environment. Most schools don’t satisfy all these needs," Peter Scales, Ph.D., and senior fellow with the Search Institute.

Camp is the perfect gift with benefits that last a lifetime!

The American Camp Association works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-accredited camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.

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