How Summer Camp Grows Great Kids

Summer camp grows great kids!  Why?  They have to learn a lot of skills - like paying attention to people who are older than them but not quite adults, like how far away the bathroom is in relation to when they need to use it, like keeping track of their own stuff, like that there are worse things than mosquitoes, although we still haven't figured out why God invented them in the first place, that nature, regardless of our opinions on things like mosquitoes, needs to be respected, and that even if someone in our cabin is REALLY annoying, we have to work together if we want the clean cabin award.


Summer camp grows great kids - and if your child is blind or visually impaired or has other disabilities, it is even more important for THEM to go to camp than for your sighted children.  It is sometimes hard to find the right camp, but it is good for them - and for you as parents - to be away from each other for a while.  For some families, finding the right camp means the camp where their child will be allowed to do more for themselves than they do at home - those are families whose adults and older siblings and sometimes even younger siblings just LOVE to do stuff FOR the blind child in the family.  Or maybe it just became a habit, because blind children don't "see what needs to be done".  While it may be gratifying for you, it really doesn't foster independence in your child! (Just so you know, my son is chopping rhubarb and strawberries for pie even as I write this!).  For some families, it gives your child the chance to be pampered more than you would like, and if your child doesn't like it, then they have to figure out how to politely advocate for themselves!  A little pampering is OK, but you really do want to impress upon the staff how much your child CAN do for him or herself! 


There are a number of camps that "take" blind children, but only a few which really are designed FOR blind children.  Our church camp loved having both of our kids at camp, and they have been going nearly every year since they were 5 years old.  This is more of a pampering camp!  But both of our kids went with us to Family Camp at Camp Tuhsmeheta, a camp for blind and visually impaired children near Greenville, MI when Greg was two and Krista was only 7 months old.  We have been attending there as a family and Greg has attended many times, ever since.  This is a camp that really focuses on building life skills.  Greg also attended Bear Lake Camp near Lapeer,  MI one summer, and a lot of kids really like that one, too.  Baycliff, near Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, has a fantastic reputation, especially for kids with multiple impairments.  We have our hearts set on Camp T, but I would continue to encourage you to look at all your options and find the one that's best for you and your child.


If money is an issue (isn't it always?), and you qualify for free or reduced lunch for your children in school, or if you have a Bridge card, the Michigan Department of Education Low Incidence Outreach can, in most cases, provide scholarships.  You can find them at msdb-outreach@michigan.gov.