When people think of care packages, they often think of brownies or other goodies, but many camps don't allow food or discourage it because of the critters and bugs it attracts. As a former counselor, believe me when I say that it's not a lot of fun to find a home-made jelly roll covered with ants under a camper’s bunk. That's why we at the Summer Camp Handbook have always advocated non-food care packages. Which brings us to Sealed With a Kiss.

What I really like about eswak.com is that for nearly 30 years they've built their camp business on non-food care packages. Sealed with A Kiss gives you the choice of sending a pre-designed, themed package ("Boys Greatest Hits" or "Diva's Delight" for example) or a custom package made up of a variety of items. If you choose the custom option, they ask you if your child has already received one this summer. If so, they mix the items so no two packages are the same. They claim an inventory of 800 items and the choices seem to be well balanced between individual items and things to share with a whole cabin. I also like the fact that some of the packages are sizable so you can send enough for a whole cabin.  You can even design your own package from the ground up.

The care package sent for review was the ready-to-go package called the “Teen Spa Party”. It’s marketed at teen girls so they can have a cabin party to do everyone’s nails. It came with several nail brushes, seven colors of nail polish, nail lacquer, polish remover, colorful emery boards, nail stickers, hand cream, and six sets of slippers with toe separators. Despite being delivered on a rainy day, the contents were well protected and arrived safely and quickly. The contents were packaged with colorful confetti instead of foam peanuts. Overall, for the right girl, I think this would be a fun gift appreciated by a whole cabin and is certainly worth a parent’s money in terms of quick delivery, quality of contents, and presentation.

We take pride here at SCH to give honest, camp-oriented reviews, so I do have a couple minor concerns. First, while the confetti packing is colorful, I worry that it’ll end up all over a cabin and will annoy some counselors. I found it almost impossible to remove the items from the package without scattering the confetti around the room. Second, because this package has nail polish and remover, it's certainly only for teens who are mature enough to handle such items. Because Sealed With A Kiss has items for both children and teens, use good discretion when choosing a package. But overall, we think Sealed With A Kiss is a great option for parents.

Ok, so the giveaway! One lucky SummerCampHandbook.com reader will win a series of 3 summer camp packages from Sealed  With a Kiss.  How do you register?   Email your name, phone number and email address to bpetty@eswak.com and make the subject line "SUMMER CAMP HANDBOOK GIVEAWAY".  Value is limited to $200 retail value including shipping.  Everyone who registers will receive a coupon code for 20% off shipping.  Must register by 11:59PM (PST) June 12^th. Please visit  www.eswak.com to check out the amazing selection of care packages and care package items they offer.

Special thanks to Sealed With A Kiss!

Source: Active Network

For this reason, I love Camp Talk by AroundtheTableGames.com. The product is 50 small cards attached to a cool carabiner with a small LED flashlight (perfect for finding the bathroom at night). Each card has a question designed to spark conversations among kids at camp, such as "What would your friends say that they like most about you?" This is what camp should be about, and I highly recommend that camp directors buy sets of these inexpensive discussion starters for their counselors. Parents, consider getting one before your son or daughter heads off to camp, or include it in a care package during their stay. If you have questions, contact Beth at Around the Table Games. She's super nice. Rating: A

Less charming (and far less common, thank goodness) are the confessions of camp directors who hear from outraged parents in November that one of their teen campers contracted a sexually transmitted disease or became pregnant at camp.  Equally, if not more upsetting, are horror stories from campers that they were physically or sexually abused at camp.  Nothing could be more upsetting to children, parents, and camp professionals.  Camp is supposed to be a sanctuary from the outside world.

Although extremely rare, unwanted or unsafe sexual or physical contact between campers or between campers and camp staff can be avoided.  Here are the essential steps all parents should take:

1. Have frank, frequent, and age-appropriate discussions with your son or daughter about the privacy and protection of his or her body.  Teach them to emphatically refuse unwanted touch.  Teach them to report unwanted touch and inappropriate intimate behavior until someone listens.  Teach them that no matter what a peer or adult perpetrator might tell them, they will never get in trouble for reporting unwelcome or unsafe touch.
2. Check with the camp's director that all staff undergo appropriate background checks and reference checks.  At a minimum, each staff member should pass a criminal background check and the camp director should hire someone only after checking at least three reputable references who have known that person for at least three years and witnessed his or her work with children.  In addition, all staff should receive pre-season training on appropriate touch with children.  More and more camps train their staff with Expert Online Training, which includes a video training module on safe touch and safe talk.
3. Discuss your values with your son or daughter.  Without lecturing, candidly discuss scenarios such as dates, school and camp dances, co-ed recreational activities, and the kind of physical intimacy that you believe is healthy in those different circumstances.  A handshake?  A kiss?  Making out?  The more explicit you can be, the better able your son or daughter will be in living up to your expectations.  Also, review with your son or daughter how to assertively refuse an unwelcome romantic advance from a peer.
4. Put appropriate physical intimacy in context.  Hugs, kisses, and more intimate physical contact are healthiest when they occur in the context of a mutually fulfilling, kind, and developmentally appropriate relationship.  Too often, young people are exposed to decontextualized sexual messages.  The sex that happens in video games, movies, and other media is shown largely outside the parameters of a loving, committed relationship.  Without your guidance, this can easily lead to a distorted concept of the role that physical intimacy plays in a relationship.
5. Keep the lines of communication open.  Despite the eye rolling and the "Aw, Mom!" and "Aw, Dad" comments, your children actually want to discuss sex and relationships with you.  They may outwardly dismiss your counsel as old-fashioned, but they're internalizing it, piece by piece.

Children and adults are sexual beings, to be sure.  However, most camp professionals and parents agree that while romance may blossom at summer camp, sexual activity is best postponed.  And all adults and young people agree on the importance of physical and emotional safety.  To help ensure your child's safety and healthy development, both in and out of camp, I encourage you to follow the steps above.  Research has confirmed that summer camp accelerates children's growth in self-esteem, sense of adventure, independence, and social skills.  Your active involvement is necessary to keep that accelerated growth on the right track.

For more information on protecting your children and educating your them about the parameters of safe touch, we recommend "Inoculating Your Children Against Sexual Abuse: What Every Parent Should Know," by Norman Friedman.