Summer camps…Oh, the memories.

Swimming in the lake after tipping the canoe over…

Raiding the boy’s cabin and having our cabin raided…

Shooting the bow and arrow, sometimes hitting the mark…

Pounding wet leather keychains with my initials…

These memories took place at church, 4-H, and in FFA camp (remember I grew up in Small Town, USA). They were fun times away from home for one week, but I learned new skills, made friends, and began to practice my independence. I had to remember to change my underwear, brush my teeth, and all those things that my mom probably reminded me everyday to do.

Now, my kids are getting older and we have been looking at sending the oldest to camp. Living overseas sometimes makes it hard to find camps because either 1) there are very few or none in your area or 2) they are in the local language, which is fine if your child speaks the language well enough to cope for 24/7 for a week, but doesn’t workout if you just recently arrived.

As I’ve been looking around, I’ve actually discovered – probably because I’ve never looked before – that there are more and more camps geared towards those kids living overseas. You can google “TCK camp” and get a few hits. Here is what I found:

Thousand Hills TCK Camp – They only had a Facebook page, but they are a cattle ranch in Guizhou province of China.

OSCAR – is a site for Missionary families in the UK. They have a listing of many events going on for kids re-entering the country.

Camp Beyond – geared for older kids who want to experience America, who may not have a chance to do so otherwise. They target the Asian community, but I think it would be a great experience for anyone wanting to experience outdoor education. They have a Youtube video linked to this site that really shows what they do during their sessions.

This year we are breaking in slowly. We are not traveling “back” to the US or to Germany – so we are looking at a Bible Camp for GeGe that is put on here, on the island, during the summers. He is excited – I am too, but as I remember my list of memories I take a deep sigh and think, “Oh, what goes around may just come around…my poor mother.” HA!

Your Turn: Have you ever sent your child off to camp before? Share below your experiences with us.