When school ends for summer vacation, thousands of children look forward to a camp experience. Camps exist for children of all ages and abilities throughout Maryland, making summer vacations a pleasurable experience for children and parents alike. Many of the camps offer scholarships, which allow children to have a camp experience regardless of their families' abilities to pay full tuition.
Overnight Camp
Overnight camps for children and teens throughout Maryland offer camp experiences of anywhere from a few days to several weeks for campers. Ages range from 7 or 8 years old, when camps feel that children can separate easily from their homes for a camp experience, to mid-teens, when campers usually begin to turn into "counselors-in-training." Maryland has a number of camps that include waterfront activities, hiking, horseback riding, team sports, tennis, arts and crafts, drama and much more. Some camps offer specialty camp experiences that concentrate on a specific skill or interest to allow children who share that interest to gather together for a more intensive experience with that particular activity.
Children with Disabilities
A number of nonprofit organizations in Maryland provide day camp or sleep-away summer camp experiences for adults and youth with disabilities. Campers enjoy swimming, horseback riding, sports and games, arts and crafts, and many social activities which the camp arranges to fit their disabilities. Many of these organizations run adult camps with on-site programming and day trips for adults with physical or cognitive challenges, as well as camps that provide a fun daily schedule but allow campers to sleep at home. Some camps challenge the participants by setting up a true camping experience of primitive living, sleeping in tents, hiking and cooking over a fire.
Organizations in Maryland also operate travel camps which take adult campers on trips to local points of interest during the summer, allowing them to spend their days sightseeing and their nights in hotels. Many camps offer weekend respite programs which run throughout the winter months to allow the campers to continue their camp experience during the year and give their families a break from their care.
Family Camps
Children in Maryland can come together with their families to experience a family camp. Family camps allows kids to enjoy fishing, swimming, crabbing, hiking and boating together with their families. Some family camp facilities maintain playgrounds and recreation/game rooms to occupy the kids while the parents relax. The family camps provide cabins or facilities for campers which allow the families to set up their own campsite. Families can explore the rural settings of the camp location or participate in scheduled activities for the kids, with or without their parents, on-site.
Specialty Camps
Specialty camps for specific sports, creative and performing arts and other special interests run throughout Maryland, allowing a camper to choose to concentrate on a special interest or area of study. Camps for baseball and football players, kids who want to develop their computer skills, children with a special desire to learn art or develop performing skills can find a Maryland camp that will help develop those interests and skills. Specialty camps often include other nonspecialty activities in their itinerary to provide the campers with a well-rounded camp experience.
Camps for Children with Medical Issues
When a child falls ill, families often become overwhelmed with the medical needs of the sick child and the emotional needs of the other family members. Maryland camps for sick children offer children who struggle with medical issues the opportunity to participate in a fun and fulfilling camp experience.
These camps do not generally charge tuition and allow families of children who battle cancer the option of sending their child to enjoy a camp experience while having all their special medical and emotional needs met. The camps try to include as many activities and facilities as possible while taking the childrens' fragile physical conditions into account. These camps have medical staffs on hand to administer medications and monitor the childrens' health.
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