A Kids’ Summer Camp We Want to Attend

I never attended a summer camp as a youth, but I read enough books set at summer camp to feel like I’ve been to one. I can practically taste the s’mores, feel the mild homesickness, and smell that bonding that comes from having so much fun in close quarters in a short span of time. Plus, I just watched Wet Hot American Summer for the first time, so I’m pretty sure that would have been an accurate depiction of what a camp in the 80s would have been like for me.

Camp these days looks slightly more awesome than depicted in that movie — at least the camp Pali Adventures, a traditional yet unique camp experience for kids and teens ages 8 to 16. Campers design their own summer camp adventure by selecting one of 21 specialties as their morning focus, and then each afternoon they choose from more than 70 electives offered for summer 2015. So, say your child loves water sports. His mornings will be filled with kneeboarding, water skating, tubing, jet skiing and more. There are creative specialties for those into fashion and fine arts, and performance specialties for those into dance and drama. There is even a Girl Power specialty camp that empowers girls to participate in all kinds of activities from ropes courses and zip lines to laser tag and skateboarding.

Those afternoon electives I mentioned? They include everything from archery to log rolling to yoga to bungee trampoline and more. Campers basically get to try it all, and it’s all just good, clean, active fun. Plus, it’s a tech-free zone, so kids can’t space out in front of their cell phones even if they wanted to! Seriously, if only I were a teen again, I’d be saving all my pennies…

Did you go to camp as a kid? I went to cheerleading camp all through high school. And while there were no bonfires and s’mores, I still have super fond memories! —Erin