Multi-Family Vacation Idea: Rent a Large Vacation Home in the Outer Banks
Planning a relaxing family vacation can be a challenge, especially as children get older and everyone has a different definition of “relax”. Sometimes it is difficult to choose between a week away at the beach and a trip to see distant relatives. That’s why many families are choosing to do both at the same time.
Renting a large beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina may be the perfect solution. There are approximately 11,000 vacation homes and rentals in the Outer Banks, each offering an alternative to pricey resorts and cramped hotel rooms. read more…
Sending your child off to college might bring back some bittersweet memories of when they spent their first summer at overnight camp. As parents, we want to make everything perfect for our children, but then we realize that the value of these experiences comes from what they learn on their own. Protect your child’s items by applying personalized clothing labels to their possessions.
It may be a lot more difficult to leave your child at their college dorm than it was to wave as the camp bus pulled away; but there are some ways you can help them get prepared for campus life.
Simple organization is all you need to prepare your child for their first experience in the world of higher education.
For starters, you will want to make sure they have enough storage space without using up every inch of space in their dorm room. Consider space-saving, stackable storage solutions like milk crates, and dual-rod closets with bins for stacking sweaters and t-shirts. read more…
So you’ve decided this is the year to start sending your child to summer camp. By now you have most likely filled out the forms, chosen your child’s camp activities, and shopped for durable camp clothing, but if this is your first experience with summer camp, there may be a few other things your child will need.
Spending the summer away from home is a great experience for kids, but if it is their first time at camp you will want to make sure they are fully prepared. Part of that preparation is making sure their most prized possessions don’t get end up in the camp Lost and Found. Veteran campers understand the importance of using personalized clothing labels and waterproof clothing name tape on everything your child owns.
Below is a checklist of what should be labeled when your child goes to camp, using personalized clothes labels.
- All clothing, including underwear, socks, swimsuits and pajamas
- Sleeping bag
- Sheets
- Blankets
- Shoes and flip flops
- Towels
- Sporting Equipment
- Musical Instruments
- Books
- Cameras
- Outerwear
- Personal electronics
- Personal care items
- Hairbrush
When labeling items like swimsuits and clothing, be sure to use waterproof clothing name labels. These are usually available in stick-on style labels or as clothing name tape.
Personalized clothing labels are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, so they can be used on everything your child brings to camp. Look for the type of labels that are extremely durable and wash-proof. This will prevent them from falling off or fading. For clothing, iron-on or sew-on clothing labels are often preferred, since they stand up to the wear and tear of summer camp. Click here to view our Personalized clothing labels.
A few summers ago, when my daughter was going to an overnight camp for the first time, I was a nervous wreck. After all, it didn’t seem that long ago that she was homesick at sleepovers, and now she wanted to spend the entire summer away from home at a summer camp?
Even though she seemed to be excited about it, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she got scared or lonely or the other girls were mean to her? Would she want me to come and pick her up in New Hampshire? That’s when a good friend suggested I buy her an interactive camp journal. The camp journal she bought her daughter was what helped her get through those first weeks at overnight camp.
Keeping a camp diary seemed like a great idea to me, but when I mentioned it to my daughter she wasn’t thrilled; that is, until she saw what arrived in the mail a few days later. “Camp Journal: An Activity Book, Record Keeper & Photo Album All wrapped in One” is the book that I bought her. Well, let me tell you, this changed everything!
Every time I would speak with my daughter that summer, she and her cabin buddies were playing one of the games in the book. It was loaded with ice-breakers, silly songs and fun activities that kept her summer camp cabin busy all summer. When she brought home her treasured camp diary, it was filled with autographs, pictures, memories and a record of her favorite activities.
My daughter is so excited about summer camp now that she invites a different friend to come with her every summer, but before summer camp starts she always presents her friend with a brand new camp journal. Memories from overnight camp really can last a lifetime; and there is no better way to experience it than with an activity-packed summer camp diary or journal.
Sending your child off to summer camp can be a terrifying experience for parents, especially if your son or daughter has a tendency to get homesick. While more than 95% of all kids who attend summer camp feel some degree of homesickness, only one in fourteen will be so distressed by it that they end up returning home early. The good news is there are many strategies parents can use to minimize homesickness and help kids get the most out of their summer camp experience.
• One way of doing this is by sending them off to camp with their own personalized camp stationery. By letting your children know how much you will look forward to receiving their letters, they will still feel connected to their home and family.
• Involving your child in the decision-making about summer camp is another way for them to “take ownership” of their time away from home. The more a child wants to go to camp, the more likely they are to make the best of it and have fun.
• Buying camp supplies and special gear for their camp activities will help your child visualize their camp experience too. Why not ask them to help you apply their camp clothing labels to all their clothing, personal items and gear?
• Some children enjoy keeping a diary or journal while at camp. A camp diary can help kids get through short periods of homesickness by giving them a place to record their feelings.
• If you know of other children who have had positive experiences with summer camp, let your child spend some time with them. Sometimes a kid-to-kid chat will answer all of their concerns.
Whatever you do, never promise your child you will come and get them if they feel homesick. Not only will this undermine their burgeoning independence, it may send a negative message about camp in general, and their ability to cope without you.
Ultimately, most parents find that any homesickness disappears once their child gets acclimated to camp, and kids end up wishing they could stay a little longer.
If you’re planning to send your children to overnight camp this summer, then it helps to start planning ahead. Choosing the right camp is the first step. Is your child athletic? Are they more of a computer nerd? Are they interested in learning something new? Today there is a summer camp for every possible interest.
Depending on which camp you choose, a list of supplies will be sent with your initial paperwork, and most will recommend the type of clothing, sporting equipment and special “extras” your child might need.
No matter how much you think you are prepared with all the right supplies, clothing, and gear; there is always a last-minute rush to get everything together before the big send-off.
If you’ve never sent your child to camp before, you may not realize the importance of attaching iron on clothing labels to every piece of clothing. This is particularly important when their clothing will be laundered at camp, but even if they are only there for a week, several items are bound to end up in the Lost and Found. Using iron on clothes name labels will prevent these items from going home with someone else.
Sturdier camp clothing labels can also be used to label sporting gear, bicycle helmets, towels, shoes, books and sleeping bags. Just remember, if something is important to you it should be labeled.
Camping is a great experience for kids, and it is one that shouldn’t be missed. One way to make it even more memorable for your children is with camp diaries. These special journals are a great way for your children to capture their most important memories, collect autographs, and fill with photographs when they get home.
Gone are the simpler times when children could run and play without worrying about all the dangers in the world around them. Not anymore. Today’s parents need to be much more cautious.
Just the thought of a child getting lost in a public place is enough to make most parents take every precaution to prevent it. But what happens when a small child is found? If that child is too young to talk, or is afraid of strange adults, it may be very difficult for them to find their way back to familiar faces.
Unlike adults, small children cannot always provide the necessary identifying information to be returned safely to their parents. Since they carry no identification, it can be next to impossible for officers to find a child’s parents. This is why it is more important than ever to make sure your child wears some form of identification on his or her clothing.
With iron-on clothing labels, a child’s parents can be notified immediately that their child has been found. Clothing name labels can also include important medical information and emergency contact numbers.
Even many adults are starting to use clothing name labels in their clothing, particularly if they regularly jog, hike or walk outdoors. Any time you plan to be outdoors or in public without identifying information, it makes sense to wear some form of identification on your clothing. If applied correctly, garment labels will last for the life of the clothing.
Sending your daughter off to overnight camp for the summer can be a difficult decision, but if you went to summer camp yourself as a child, you won’t want her to miss out on this experience. How do you know if she’s ready to be away from home this long?
Before you start packing her bags, and putting camp clothing labels on all of her summer clothes, consider these guideposts for determining if she’s ready.
If you daughter is at least seven years old, she may be ready for overnight camp if: read more…
When parents send their children to summer camp, it requires them to let go a little and remember that their child will be creating a lifetime of memories. It is a time when parents get some time together as a couple, and their children get to go experience a little independence from Mom and Dad.
If you want to help your child make memories that will last a lifetime, why not send them to camp with a camp diary or camp journal? Not only will it be a great way for them to wind down from their activities at the end of the day, it will be also become one of their prized possessions as they grow up. Kids can get autographs from fellow campers, write about their daily adventures, and even fill up their camp journal with photos when they return home.
Whether your child is going to a special soccer camp, writing camp, tennis camp or just an all-around overnight camp, they will appreciate having a way to express themselves in writing over the summer. If your child tends to get homesick, it might be a good idea to write a sweet note of encouragement to them on the inside of their camp diary and let them discover it when they get to camp.
These are such a novel idea that I wish I had one when I was a kid. It would be so nice to revisit those memories of campfires and polar bear swims, cabin nights and food fights as an adult. A camp journal or camp diary makes an excellent gift for your child on the last day of school, or you can buy several of them and give them to nieces and nephews as well.
When the last marking period starts to wind down, it’s time for many working parents to start thinking about summer camp. Choosing a camp that is appealing to your child’s needs and interests is always a challenge, but even more importantly, parents want to make that camp experience rewarding and enjoyable for their child. One way to cut down on the stress of preparing a child for summer camp is to make sure they have everything they need to make camp memorable.
Before sending your child to a day camp or overnight camp, be sure to have enough durable summer clothing and swimsuits. Any parent who has seen the condition of clothing at the end of the camp season will tell you how important it is to use iron on clothing name labels on all t-shirts, shorts, bathing suits and towels. This will ensure your child isn’t missing an important piece of clothing, and everything that is brought to camp is returned at the end of the summer.
Personalized nametapes are usually the best choice, as they are durable enough to withstand camp laundry and they stay in place, even if your child is involved in numerous activities and sports. Iron on clothing labels can be used throughout the school year too, on coats, jackets, sporting equipment and camping gear.
Once your child is equipped with everything they need to make summer camp enjoyable, you can spend time preparing them mentally for the wonderful experiences they will have. Camp is an opportunity for your child to explore the world around them and develop new social skills as well as a stronger sense of themselves. So “let go” and let them enjoy the carefree days of summer. They will come back refreshed and full of lifelong memories!
