Raising Maine

Who needs another dream catcher? Or another one of those plastic wallets etched in plastic cording?

And, really, how often is your kid going to use those archery skills picked up during last year's sojourn to summer camp?

How about sending them somewhere to learn organic gardening? Or send the whole family to camp (moms included) to do some bird watching?

It may seem silly to thing about summer fun, what with quite a bit of the 100 inches of snowfall from the winter still blanketing the ground.

But camp experts know that time is running out to secure a spot at a Maine summer camp. And by the time it is warm enough to go to camping, it will be too late.

Maine is no stranger to summer camp culture. There are 200 camps licensed with the Maine Youth Camping Association (MYCA), most of them residential. Maine is also known to have some of the most expensive camps in the country, with places like Camp Laurel in Readfield charging $10,000 and up for seven weeks of summer fun.

Those exclusive camps, most of them located in the Lakes Region, usually fill up in fall anyway, with repeat campers or children of affluent families from away.

Which leaves the middle-range residential camps and the day camps to us Mainers.

"Half the kids who go to Maine camps are Maine kids," said Mary Ellen Deschenes, program consultant of the MYCA. "We always like to remind Maine families that this is in their back yard."

And just about everything you might want for your back yard can be found within the camps of Maine. There are camps for girl and boy scouts, camps for crafting, horseback riding, sports, swimming, boating and, yes, archery.

Deschenes said at this time of year, the spots at the private residential camps, otherwise known as sleep-away camps, are getting fewer and farther between. By this time, if a residential camp is on your kid’s to-do list for this summer, you will probably have to settle for dates you didn’t really want or for a price that might be out of your range.

Day camps, though, run by towns and non-profit organizations make up about 40 of the 200 registered camps. This time of year, they may be the only choice left for late-comers or first-timers.

"Day camps are best for kids 6- to 10-years old," said Cathy Gosselin, camp and program administrator for the Pine Tree Council. "They are great for those who aren’t ready for a week-long camp, yet they still get some of the same camp time activities."

Day camps, too, are offering a wide range of activities, some which aren’t your typical camping experience.

Take the camp at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough, for example, which is offering an organic gardening camp for the young.

"Our mission is to expose 4- to 15 year-old children to where their food comes from and to educate them about sustainable living and farm ecology," describes the program’s Website: www.broadturnfarm.com/camp.htm.

"Kids are taught the principals of animal welfare and organic gardening, and experience the satisfaction of good work for good food. Farm Camp nurtures children's natural inclination to connect with nature, the outdoors, animals and all living things."

The camp runs all summer long at one-week sessions. They offer half-day programs for kids 4-5 years old for $100/week and full-day programs for 6-10 year-old children at $185/week. This program does include one overnight at the farm. Plus, kids get to eat the things they grow.

As always, the Pine Tree Council makes scouting camps not only fun, but affordable for kids looking for summer camp experiences.

"We’re the cheap ones," quipped Gosselin, of the boy scouts. "The scouting camps have always been a low-cost option. We’ve always been the bargain camps."

A bargain, because, the programs and camp facilities are just as nice as many of the overnight high-cost camps.

In keeping with the trend, the Pine Tree Council is venturing past many of the old-fashioned camp experiences and offering campers opportunities to learn SCUBA diving, geocaching (a treasure hunting game that using GPS units), high-adventure treking, climbing and night hiking. A week of camp for Pine Tree Council scouts is $260, for non-pine tree scouts, $290.

Plus, campers who sign up before June 1 received $20 off that price. Visit their website at http://www.pinetreebsa.org/ to learn more.

But what about the campers who want the experience, but not the time away from the family?

What can they do?

They could sign up for a week-long Family Birding Adventure with the Maine Audubon Society from June 29-July 5.

According to Laura Guerard, camp instructor, Family Birding Adventure is a vacation on Hog Island that focuses on bird watching activities for the entire family. Families will see Atlantic puffins aboard the Puffin V cruise ship, discover the beauty and magic of all birds on the island and use its freedom to grow closer to each other and to nature.

“During the year families just have so many distractions, but now they’re on a small island together for a week,” †Guerard said. “No phones or TVs or soccer practices - just each other and this really unique experience.” The price for one week of family birding camp is $795 and is for families with children 6-13 years old.

Whether the kids want to learn archery, crafts or kayaking, it isn’t hard to find the right kind of camp. Just do it soon. While many good opportunities are still available, they are going as fast as the 100 inches of winter snow.