For me, the first week of June means several trips to Target, Kohls, Costco, the local camping store, and a long, exhausting hunt through my house's storage room to find my old duffle bag. Why do I do all that when I’m obviously too old to attend camp? This will be my first summer as a sleep away camp counselor. Though I attended the camp I’m working at for several years, it still is a pretty daunting task to realize that you will be in charge of a dozen kids 24/7 for two months straight. So I pestered all my friends who were previously counselors for advice and most importantly what I should bring that might not be found on the packing list, but still essential.
1. A Small Fan
Even if your camp is up north in Wisconsin like mine, the temperature still will be in the eighties most days. You are likely going to have no air conditioning in your cabin and spend most of your day outside running after your campers. That’s why several of the people I talked to recommended buying a small fan that you can stick in your backpack and/or one you can clip to your bed to keep you cool at night.
2. Batteries
Though I rarely use batteries in my life at home, they will come in handy at camp for the fan mentioned above. You’ll be getting a lot of use out of, to your flashlight and any other small electronic accessories you may bring to camp. A flashlight especially is important for safety if you’re walking around camp at night and you don't want to be stuck with one that doesn't work.
3. Speakers/ iPod
Most likely your camp will have a no phone policy in front of your campers. Some of the fondest memories I have from camp were having spontaneous dance parties in my cabin. One of my friend’s recommended searching for the old iPod touch I had in middle school to play music and it still even takes decent pictures. Speakers make the dance party happen and also are a good tool to get your campers up in the morning by blasting their favorite tunes.
4. Small Backpack
Especially if you’re a general camp counselor like me, you’re responsible for your campers when you're doing activities outside the cabin and must carry around the necessary supplies. Band-aids, tissues, wet wipes, medication for kids and my camp even has it’s senior counselors carry walkie-talkies for communication purposes. You’ll need a good sturdy bag to hold all of that important supplies.
5. Crazy Clothes
There are so many crazy camp activities and celebrations that will require appropriate costumes. Dig to the back of your closet and pull out all the tutus, feather boas, high socks and bandannas you can find. You’ll definitely have opportunities to wear them.
6. Glitter
For the same reason as 5, but if you add in glitter to your wacky ensemble makes it 10x more impressive. If you have girl campers like me, no matter what age, they will love you forever if you give them glitter.
