Summer Camp post card or letter

[SMT224]

I've skipped this the past couple of years, but figured I'd do it again this year - the infamous "Summer Camp Post Card"! Or maybe even in letter form this year!

 

This is a way for the Scouts to actually communicate with their parental units and let them know they are (or maybe are not) having fun at summer camp.

 

It's a multiple choice with space for comments. I might do it as a letter this year, as the card had been a bit small for all the comments the Scouts seem to want to add. But if that's the case I might have to add more choices.

 

We usually have them fill it out on Tuesday evening and get it in the mail Wednesday. It usually get to the parent Friday or Saturday.

 

Anyways, here is what I have so far. Please add any additional items that might be fun! Thanks!

 

***********

 

Greetings from Summer Camp!

 

Dear _________, Date:________

 

Im having fun at camp: yes, no, not sure yet, what me worry?

Went swimming today: yes, no, not sure, havent found pool yet

Total number of mosquito bites: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000+

Getting enough food: yes, no, not sure yet, havent found food yet

Dining hall food: tasty, good, bad, alive, biohazard, unidentified, yummy

The weather: hot, cool, nice, rainy, sunny, breezy, freezing, not sure

Merit Badge Classes: fun, lots-of-work, interesting, easy, boring

My tent: cozy, buggy, dark, smelly, nice, scary, inhabited by Trolls

Troop fire: tiny, average, big, huge, massive, forest fire, like 1000 suns

Bottles of water drank (Pool/Lake water doesn't count): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Bought at Trading Post: candy, ice cream, knife, t-shirt, flash light

Send: money, candy, ice cream, cookies, TV, emergency crews, the Army

Summer Camp: great, fun, too long, too short, just right, not sure yet

 

Much Love,

 

Comments:

 

 

[SSScout]

Works for me.

How do you deal with the address? I was surprised when I discovered some Scouts that did NOT know their home address!

 

We once had a camp director who insisted that (on tuesday, as it happened), no one got dessert at dinner (banana splits!) unless they presented a stamped, addressed envelope for home!

 

Another day, he insisted that campers (it was a small camp) must present themselves with evidence that they had had a recent shower! Damp hair, damp towel, etc.

 

 

[SMT224]

Yep, not only do they not know their home address, they have no idea how to put the address on the postcard!

 

I bring a TroopMaster printout of everyone addresses, but still have to guide them as to how to print it out on the postcard. Since I'm leaning towards doing a letter this year, I guess I could do self addressed envelopes... but really would rather have them learn how to address a letter!

[OldGreyEagle]

I suppose suggesting they start the missive off "Hellow Muddah, Hello Faddah" would be lost on them

[moosetracker]

I have kept some of my sons first (and only) postcards from camp between his tiger/wolf summer year.. Both say the exact same thing..

 

"I am having fun, funning"

 

(I am sure there was some misspelling in that too, can't remember what though.."

[Engineer61]

Our troop has done both...sending mail from camp and having mail sent to camp.

 

The result is usually the same...our Scout got homesick.

 

Showering? Yeah right...I'd be happy if he didn't come home from camp with athlete's foot from not changing his socks for a week.

 

 

[GKlose]

I attended summer camp twice, with my brother in law -- Yawgoog, in Rhode Island. I don't know if they still have the tradition, but in order to gain entrance to the dining hall on Tuesday night, everyone must supply a stamped postcard or letter to home.

 

Here's the funny part of the story, the years that I attended: my brother in law is employed by the USPS, and is a former carrier. One year at Yawgoog, he created a character. A super-hero carrier named "Mail Man!", complete with cape and mask and everything. Used parts of his uniform too (summer uniform over navy blue tights). It was a very funny character...he swooped into the dining hall on Monday night, and using a big prop envelope, showed how to properly address the envelope and include the return address. Tuesday night, everyone was all set with their postcards home.

 

He made an appearance again on Tuesday, where he again swooped into the dining hall, struck a super hero pose, and then surveyed the crowd. Then he disappeared again, never to be seen again.

 

Mild-mannered brother-in-law showed back up at the dining hall table about 10 minutes later. We had to tell him he missed everything :-).

 

Guy(This message has been edited by GKlose)(This message has been edited by GKlose)

[Stosh]

When I went away to summer camp my mother would hand me 5 pre-addressed, pre-postaged post cards. I was expected to write a little something on the left side and drop in the mail every day. Every night at supper I would write and drop off at the trading post on the way back to the site.

 

Worked for me and worked for my kids.

 

Writing home is something that should be between the parent and scout. I don't think it's the camp's, or troops' responsibility for the scout to be forcefully respectful to the parents.

 

With cell phones, most kids talk to their parents too much anyway. A lot of kids today do not know their addresses because snail mail is not something they are accustomed to.

 

 

Stosh

[BartHumphries]

They're only away for a week. If parents aren't helicoptering or enabling ("If you get worried, just call, I'll be right by the phone and can come pick you up any time...") that's barely enough time for most kids to notice that their parents are gone. Let it wait, then sit down with some good food and hear all about everything that happened at Scout camp in more detail. If parents ask for a post card, they're going to get the post card version of events and the kids will complain about how they already told you everything when pressed for real details. If parents find themselves dreadfully missing their kids during that week, well, perhaps the parents need to start up an extra hobby or something.

[SeattlePioneer]

That looks like a fun idea. I would really like to read the cards before they were mailed out --- I suppose that would be a no go.

 

Good idea though ---one I never thought of when I was going to camp as a SM or adult leader.

 

I wonder how many parents are anxious to get a card, and how many are happy to get none?

[Scoutfish]

WOW! Over in these here's parts...the scouts would have to write the letters on the first day in order to make sure the letters got home before they did.

 

If they mailed the letters/post cards on Wednesday, the scouts would actually get home in time to get the post card/letter out of the mailbox themselves after the mailman delivers it thjat afternoon!

 

[BartHumphries]

Same here. I'm always amazed at the non-rural people who can get letters within a day or two of the letter being mailed. Not to mention people who actually have their mail delivered to their house -- the USPS refuses to deliver mail on the windy twisty roads where I live, so each household gets a free PO box. My parents only check theirs every week or two.

[SMT224]

I'm glad some understand that this summer camp card or letter is solely intended for FUN. Fun for the Scout to fill out, fun for the parent to read. That's it. An added benefit is that the Scout learns how to address postal correspondence.

 

Some commenting on my post seem a bit crabby about all this. We don't expect that parents are going to be hyperventilating awaiting this communication from their Scout whilst he's off at camp - that's not the intention. Nor does it really matter if it arrives before or after the Scout comes back from camp. It's just a fun item to add to the accumulated scraps of his time in Scouting. Our experience indicates that it adds to the overall parent/son communication, and helps him better tell about summer camp.

 

My intent in posting this was to see if anyone out there had done something similar and if they had any creative suggestions for additional elements to add.

[Papadaddy]

I thought parents and scouts just texted each other every 10 minutes.

[Reasonable Rascal]

I have begged, pleaded and downright (almost) threatened and in the past 4 years have received precisely 1 (one) letter from home for a Scout. This year I have 4 boys staffing at 2 different camps - that is to say 2 boys each of two camps. Since I know how parents are I am the one sending letters and packages.

 

One camp - Levi Levi, by Kingman, AZ - has limited if any mail service, so I was proactive and wrote letters to be left with the camp director to be handed out on Saturday, Monday, Wed. and Fri. Also sent a package to be delivered on Wed. The 2 boys are CITs for the first time so I did what I could to make them feel appreciated. The letters and package were handed over when the boys arrived so I know they were delivered to the camp any way.

 

I try every year to get boys to write home as well, with limited results. If I have 10 kids I might get 6 letters by Thursday.

 

Last year I had my old Scoutmaster (Dad), my Den Mother (Mom) and Scout dad (Brother) send letters to the boys at camp, addressed to the troop in general. That was the only mail any received all week, and they actually fought over who got to read them next.

 

They did write a letter in return.

 

RR