What To Bring To Science Camp
If you’ve enrolled your child in science camp, you may be wondering what they need to bring. The sooner you start preparing, the easier it will be to ensure your child has everything they need for a week of fun experiments and learning.
Fortunately, there’s nothing special your child will need for their week at science camp here at Pali Adventures. We want to make it easy for all kids to participate in the activities without requiring special gear.
Keep reading to learn more about what your child should bring to science camp so they can be prepared to enjoy their time with us.
Clothing
When packing clothing for science camp, you need to keep in mind that some of the experiments we do can get messy. Because Pali Adventures is a rugged camp, there’s also a higher risk of clothing becoming dirty or damaged throughout the week.
For these reasons, you’ll want to make sure you pack clothing for your child that they’re not going to miss. How long your child will be staying with us will determine how many shirts, socks, and so on, they will need to bring.
We recommend clothing like blue jeans that can handle some wear and tear. Sweat pants can also work while dress pants are discouraged. Even when the weather is warm, your child will need a couple of pairs of long pants for cool evenings.
Designer clothes are also discouraged because of how easily clothing can be ruined and because we want to create a non-competitive environment where no child is treated differently because of what they’re wearing.
The only exception to this rule of thumb is for the night of the Pali Dance. For this, your child will want to have one outfit that’s semi-nice. There’s no need to send anything formal since we’re still at camp, but many campers like to dress up more than normal for the dance.
Toiletries
Your child will need to bring the usual toiletries to science camp, including shampoo, soap, and a toothbrush. They will also need a towel for showering and another for going to the lake. For science camp, an extra towel can be helpful if an additional shower is needed after an activity.
One item we want to highlight in this section is sunblock. Many of our science activities take place outdoors, so don’t expect your child to be in a laboratory all week long. They will also be outside for other camp activities throughout the week.
For this reason, we recommend sending your child with plenty of sunblock that’s 30+ SPF. This should be enough to protect them from the sun as they enjoy the many activities they’ll get to participate in.
Bedding
All campers need to bring their own bedding to camp. This can be a sleeping bag and pillow or a set of twin-sized sheets and blankets with a pillow. Either way, it’s essential for your child to have something to cover their mattress with.
If your child doesn’t come with bedding or you’re worried about something happening to it, we do have bedding available in our camp store that you can purchase on arrival or order in advance for your child.
Other Items
Some of the other things your child may want to bring with them to camp include:
- Flashlight
- Sunglasses
- Disposable camera
- Stationary and stamps to write home
- Games to play with other campers
If your budding scientist wants to bring their own safety goggles or any other science-related items, we generally allow this.
Keep in mind that we are not responsible for any loss, damage, or theft of personal items brought by campers. Anything your child brings to camp you should be okay with not seeing again.
What NOT to Bring to Camp
In addition to the expected prohibited items such as drugs, alcohol, and explosives, there are some other things we want to directly address.
Most electronic items are prohibited at camp. This includes cell phones, laptop computers, DVD players, and any device that can access the internet. If your child does bring their phone, it will be confiscated and you can pick it up at the end of the week of camp.
Although we do allow electronic devices such as MP3 players, iPods, and handheld games, we also strongly discourage your child from bringing these items because of their risk of being stolen or broken.
Once again, we’re not responsible for anything that happens to your child’s belongings while they are at camp. For many kids, a week of camp is a great opportunity for them to learn about personal responsibility but we don’t want them to learn it the hard way.
These devices also can also prevent your child from fully enjoying their camp experience. Attending camp is an opportunity for kids to take a step away from their normal lives that likely involve a lot of screen time and get out in nature and interact with others.
We find that the more children are involved in the activities around camp, the more they gain from their time here. Those that do bring electronics that allow them to be in their own little world can often miss out on fun and friendships.
Learn More About What to Take to Science Camp
Now you know what your child needs to have with them while attending science camp here at Pali Adventures. As you can see, the most important thing to keep in mind is that camp can damage clothing and other personal belongings.
For more information about what your child should and should not bring to camp with them, check out our full packing list. This will give you everything you need to know about what to pack for your child’s week of camp.