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So, You want to be a camper? Here are some commonly asked questions
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to e-mail them to our Program Director.
It’s my first year at camp. I don’t know anyone. What’s camp like?
 EVERYONE is nervous the first time they go to camp. It’s scary because you don’t know anyone and you don’t know what’s going on, and a whole week can seem like a long time. Don’t stress out too much. Camp is a ton of fun and a lot of people come each year who don’t know anyone. On the first day of camp we do activities to help you make new friends, get to know your counselors, learn the layout of the camp and have FUN right away. You will be surprised how much fun you will have - the week will fly by so fast that you will not believe it. Many campers make friends that they keep for life and you will be counting the days until next summer!
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What should I bring to camp?
Once you are registered for camp you will receive a packet of information it the mail along with forms and a Packing List. The Packing List is posted on this web site for you to look at. Make sure to check-out the calendar for the session you have signed-up for because you may want to bring clothing for that theme. Basically camp is very casual. We ask that you dress appropriately for outdoor activities and would recommend that you leave your brand-new, really nice clothes at home. As for shoes, you may bring a pair of sandals (with heel straps) but most activities require a traditional sneaker or closed toe shoes.
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 Can I bunk with my friends?
Cabins are assigned by age. If you have a friend that is the same age or grade as you are then you may request to be in the same cabin at camp. This request is found on the registration form. If you register without a bunkmate request and want to add one later you will need to write it down and send it into camp addressed to the Program Director. The person you request MUST also request you or your bunkmate request cannot be honored. If you follow this guideline, of requesting the same person who requests you, we will do our best to put you and your friend in the same cabin.
Please be aware that we do not guarantee requests. If you request more than one person, or are involved in a “chain” of requests, we will not be able to honor your request. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Program Director.
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What activities are offered? Will I be in activities with my friends?
The day at camp is broken into several different types of activities. In the morning and early afternoon you will be in class periods based what you chose when you registered for camp. You may or may not be in classes with your friends as classes are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. For a complete list of our classes please visit the Class page of our site.
In the afternoon you will be taking part in Choice Recreation. You will have the opportunity to choose your own activities each afternoon. This is a great time for fun and to try new things. Each day the counselors will announce the offerings and you attend the activity that you want. Offerings change on a day-to-day basis and include such activities as kickball, kayaking, radio show, craft projects, hikes, games, story telling, archery, and group games. The second half of Rec. time you will need to choose an activity based at the lake. Among other things, you can choose to go swimming with friends or even just sit on the beach and hangout.
You will be randomly assigned to one of four groups (Turtles, Bears, Hawks and Beavers). You may not be assigned to the same group as your friend. These groups work together to complete morning duties and work together in special events. Our goal is to help you not only have good times with current friends, but to give you as many opportunities to make new friends as possible.
Each evening at camp has something exciting to offer. The evening begins immediately after dinner with Flag Lowering and Vespers followed by a time to prepare for that evening’s event. Some activities will be modified due to weather, staffing or other considerations. The basic evening schedule is as follows:
Monday: Opening all camp games and an opening campfire.
Tuesday: Cabin Choice. Each cabin participates in their own activity selected by the campers.
Wednesday: Special Weekly Theme Activities will be rotated throughout the season. See calendar for details.
Thursday: All Camp Skit Night and Talent Show.
Friday: Closing Campfire, Candle lighting Ceremony, and the Camp Dance.
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Is there time for kids to just "hang out"?
We make a promise to your parents/guardians that you will always be supervised and always have opportunities to be involved in activities. Throughout the day at camp you will have opportunities to sit and talk with friends.
 Let me give you examples of when you will be able to just sit and talk with friends:
- Two periods of Choice Recreation.
- Cabin Times
- Rest Hour (Cabins 11 and 1 can hang out in the Rec. Hall during this time)
- The Camp Dance
Another time that teens will have to visit is for 15-30 minutes at the end of every evening activity. The younger half of camp is released with their counselors to head to the showers and the older half of camp has a social time that is monitored by the cabin counselors. We have a very busy schedule at camp, but you will find that there is time set aside to visit with friends.
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What are the staff like? Who will be on staff this summer?
 We have searched New Jersey, the USA and in fact all over the world to bring you the very best counselors here at 4-H Camp. All of our counselors have received special training to work at our camp. Many counselors are former campers and know what you are going through. You can expect your counselor to be a person who is fun, listens, smiles, understands, someone to look-up to, someone to make sure you know what is going on at camp, and even someone to keep you in line. Many of our counselors come back to camp each year because they love camp and have such a great time working with campers. To see who will be coming back this summer, please visit the Summer Staff page.
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What is the food like? Can I bring food from home and have it in my cabin?
 Most campers agree that the food at camp is pretty good. We follow a basic menu of foods that most kids normally like. You will receive three meals a day, a snack in the evening, and a chance to purchase food each afternoon from the camp store. You won’t go home hungry.
All meals at camp are served family style and attention is paid to make sure the food is provides a healthy balance for the active lifestyle of camp. You will receive three meals and one snack per day. Food allergies and special food preferences are accommodated as noted on the Health Forms.
A sample of the camp menu :
 Breakfast: Cereal & fruit are available every day. Each day also has a main entree such as eggs & bacon, pancakes, French toast, and continental breakfast.
Lunch: Each lunch has a salad bar available including PB&J. Lunch offerings include items such as chicken patties, pizza, meatball sandwiches, cold-cuts, tacos, and hot dogs.
Dinner: Each dinner has a salad bar available including PB&J. Dinner offerings include items such as spaghetti & meatballs, chicken BBQ, lasagna, and the turkey dinner extravaganza.
 Here at camp we are located in a wilderness environment. Many animals make their homes here. Having food stored in the cabin invites critters to come visit. We do not condone inviting ants, mice, snakes, raccoons, possums, squirrels, skunks, porcupines or even bears into the cabins for snack-time. Critters in the cabin can be uncomfortable and even dangerous cabin-mates. Therefore, for your safety we cannot allow food storage in cabins. Food will be confiscated and may not be returned. If you have special dietary needs you will be required to turn in food items to the kitchen or infirmary.
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Can I call or email home?
We do not have phones or Internet access for campers. We also ask that you do not bring cell phones to camp. Not only do many cell phones not work at camp, they also could get broken or stolen, and are a major distraction to the program.
 You will need to use the good old letter and stamp to keep in contact with people outside of camp. We recommend bringing pre-addressed and stamped envelopes from home. All campers are encouraged to write home at least once during the week. If you forget your stamp, paper, pen, envelope you can purchase these things at the camp store. We also sell postcards at the store with great pictures of things around camp! If you have an urgent reason to contact your parents or guardians, you will need to see the Director or Program Director.
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What will I be doing each day? What time do I have to wake up and go to bed?
We have posted the daily schedule for you to get a look at what the average day will look like. You will be a lot more active at camp than you probably are at home and will be pretty tired each night at “lights out”. Light’s Out is at around 10:00 PM each evening. If you have specific questions about the schedule, please contact the Program Director via phone or email.
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Do we have chores at camp?
 Everyone has the opportunity and the responsibility to help keep camp a clean and tidy place. All campers participate in a rotation of duties that include:
Kitchen Patrol- setting the tables, serving and cleaning up tables during meals
Grounds - patrolling for litter and emptying and collecting the trash bags around camp.
Bathrooms - sweeping up and collecting trash in the bathrooms
Composting / Recycling - Helping take table scraps to the compost bins, emptying recycling cans.
And of course all campers help to keep their cabins clean for the Golden Broom awards (cabin inspections).
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Will I make friends at camp? What about dating at camp?
 We encourage all campers to make as many friends as possible at camp. Making new friends is one of the most important reasons for coming to camp each year. In fact the camp schedule is designed so that there are a lot of opportunities for social interactions in a safe and controlled environment.
We do want teens to be aware that we do not promote dating relationships at camp. Camp is about having fun and making friends - that’s as far as it should go.
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Is there a Dance at camp?
Yes. We have the dance Friday night after the closing campfire. The dance is a great time for socializing and having fun with friends. We encourage all campers to participate. The dance is a traditional youth dance with popular (screened) music. During this portion, we have alternate social activities for campers who do not wish to dance.
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Camp Store : During registration, parents will put money into a store account. Typically parents will put between $10 to $20 on account. Every morning the counselors fill out the store form for the campers for what they want from the store. Campers can order shirts, flashlights and other items during this time. We limit the amount of snacks they can have each day, so they only can request one drink item, one snack item and one ice cream per day.
During rest time, two campers are assigned to carry the "store box" to the cabin, and the counselor hands out the items according to what was ordered. The counselor also receives the next day's order form, with the totals of the remaining balance for each camper account.
For an idea of prices and items in the store, please visit the camp store page.
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 Are there themes for each week?
Each week we will offer theme meals such as Viking Lunch, Twin Dinner, and Dinner Extravaganza (to name a few), and we will offer a specific all camp activity for Wednesday night and for Friday Afternoon. Please check the Calendar for details.
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What happens if there is a camper in my cabin who is a Bully?
We don’t have many problems with negative behavior at camp because everyone basically comes to camp to make friends and have a good time. However, cursing, bullying, name-calling and other such behavior puts a negative spin on everyone’s experience at camp and will not be tolerated. This type of behavior puts in danger your physical and emotional safety as well as ruins a good time. Campers who act this way will be calling home to report their actions to their parents or guardians. If immediate improvement in their behavior is not evident, these campers will be sent home at the cost of their parents. (No refunds will be issued.) We require each camper to read and sign the “Special Note to Campers" (on the back of the registration form) that they understand this policy. We do have some safety rules at camp and your counselor will be going over these on the first day of camp to make sure that everyone understands them.
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What is different from last year?
Most of the things that are different for this summer are based on camper and counselor suggestions on how to make camp better.
Ok, first lets talk about what is the same as last year… the daily schedule is the same, as well as most of the evening activities - we will be having opening and closing campfires, the dance, skit night, camp outs, candle lighting, and more. The nights that these activities are running HAVE changed. We will be offering some new classes to sign-up for this summer. We also will have fun activities each week, so check on the calendar for your camp week details!. Probably the biggest improvement over last summer is the improvements during Recreation Time. There will still be a lot of choices offered each day like archery, fishing, kayaking, etc. !
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