NEW TO CAMP
Don’t just take it from us! Here is some advice and feedback from parents who have been there before.
What pre-camp advice would you give a new parent?
“Start early and don’t save everything until the last minute. Go to the camp spot traveling store in your area to order and try on clothes. Send your kids on the bus!”
“Follow the packing list. Don’t over-purchase. Start buying stuff early! It takes a LOT of time to get everything.”
“Don’t oversend stuff it’s not that kind of camp. Less is more!”
“Read all about it, look at the website together, go to a any pre camp activities to meet other campers, and ask Kate or Josh any and all questions you might have. Even have your daughter speak to Kate or Josh about any questions.”
“In the late spring, visit the camp website and video again over a few days. Walk through the daily schedule and activities a few times. Get together with other campers. Go through the packing list together. Discuss the kinds of things that might be needed to make your daughter feel most comfortable during her time at camp. Trust that your daughter that will be okay, learn new skills, independence and make friends.”
What about communication from camp? Will I see or hear about what’s going on?
“Parent communication was on point and very helpful for rounding out the overall camp experience. The energy and passion of camp came across clearly and allowed parents to get bought in from the other side.”
“Josh’s emails were the best and looked forward to reading them each morning!”
“I looked forward to every email, newsletter and evening of photos. The emails always exceeded my expectations and the newsletter helped me feel connected while my daughter was away!”
“The Good Morning From Somerset emails were by far my favorite pieces of info. We were so excited when they popped up in our inbox. They really gave us a sense of how special Somerset is and how lucky our daughter was to be at camp. The Somer Sun was so great too since we had a sense of what was really going on each day from activities to meals, trips and evening activities. Instagram was great for score updates and pictures and MySomerset was awesome for pictures and for allowing us to send emails.”
“Somerset does a really good job with communication. The daily emails were consistent, detailed and well written! They were very impressive and helped us feel comfortable throughout the summer. This was also very useful for when i was sending emails and letters to my daughter because i was able to talk about the different events that took place the day before.”
Overall, what makes the Somerset experience so special for your family?
“The staff, values, camp culture, facilities and the whole experience was exceptional! Everything exceeded my already high expectations and it ended up being a transformational experience for our whole family. Kate and Josh’s warmth, intelligent and hard work was the sound basis for this whole great experience.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better sleepaway camp experience for our daughter. When she talks about samp (which she’s still doing on a daily basis and it’s almost October) she lights up in a way we’ve never seen before. Somerset is her second home. She actually said the other night she wishes she could spend 7 weeks st home and the rest of the year at camp. Not sure if that should make me happy or sad!:)”
“We were very happy that Somerset was able to accommodate our daughter’s food allergies. It was most important to us that she was in a safe environment. The camp established and communicated a good allergy policy, purchasing and meal process, knowledge of food allergens away from camp and strong nursing staff. We are thrilled both Somerset and Manitou are on the FARE website and are allergy friendly/sensitive for kids with those needs.”
“Lily had the somer of her life! The camp is beautiful and the level of attention given to each camper was 2nd to none. Out of the gate, the facilities were terrific, the spirit was infectious and they really took advantage of the surroundings in Maine! Can’t wait to watch the camp grow and develop over the coming years!”
“I knew my daughter would be a true camper once she got over her fear of going but the experience she had at Somerset exceeded our every expectation. My daughter truly became the best version of herself at camp and that is something we will be forever grateful for. Somerset is just magic. I have no specific words or cannot describe their exact formula but when magic happens, greatness ensues. It was a home run, a slam dunk and then some!!”
