Packing Tips!

Welcoming Advance Campers, 2013We don't know about you, but for us the countdown is on for Intro & Advance Camp, as well as Service Team! If you've been to HoneyRock, do you remember that first drive down Highway X and into camp? This Monday, campers (many for the first time!) will drive past the Rock, under the HoneyRock sign, and straight to the playing field where their counselors can hardly wait to meet them.

For those of you who have a first-time camper, we've put together a quick list of tips you!

• Pack in layers - Sweatshirt in the morning, t-shirt by noon, and back to a light jacket in the evening is the routine many days this time of year. Make sure to bring those layers!
• Dryer Sheets - Don't want to open up a suitcase and be greeted by some of those campy smells? A couple dryer sheets tucked away in the bottom of the suitcase can go a long way.
• Headlamp - So you may look a little silly wearing a light on your forehead, but for those walks from the campfire pit to the cabin or in a dark tent, they're pretty handy!
• Sheets! - Our mattresses are great, but having bedsheet on it makes it even better.
• Pack small - Packing at the end of camp is so much easier if you don't have too much to pack in the first place.
• Mark it up - Put your name on everything. See that sock? Mark it up. Beach towel? Yes. The toothbrush? Yep. Cool headlamp? Definitely. We like seeing the gear our campers bring, but we want to see it go home, too!
• Send Mail - Whether it's snail mail or our email option, campers love getting mail. If you're going the snail mail route, start writing. It takes a couple days to get to the northwoods. Need our address? 
  Camper Name, Program / 8660 HoneyRock Road / Three Lakes, WI 54562 
• Pre-Stamped Mail - Letters from camp are awesome. Prep your kids by handing them a couple envelopes pre-addressed & pre-stamped. We've even heard of some parents pre-writing letters. For example:
  
  Dear ____________, 
  Today, we went _______________. Then, we did ______________. For lunch, we ate ______________. My favorite part about camp is ________________ and I can't wait to tell you more about _________________________________! 

Want to see the full packing list? Click here.

While these tips may help, we believe the most important part of preparing for camp are the dicussions you and your camper have before (and after!) camp. Packing can allow great time for talking through fears or worries as well as what they're excited about. 

We're praying for you and your campers as the countdown continues!