Being outside is a wonderful and healthy way to spend the summer, but it also takes a lot of energy, and getting enough sleep is essential to having the energy required to participate in a full camp day. Dr. Tracy Trotter, one of our camp doctors, recommends the following amounts of sleep needed Sunday through Thursday:

• Children ages 6 years and younger: 10-12 hours/camp night
• Children ages 7-10 years old: 9-10 hours/camp night
• Pre-teens and Teens: 8-9 hours/camp night

For all campers arriving home from camp, we recommend a brief rest time of 10 to 20 minutes in a quiet spot like on their beds (not in front of the TV). We even recommend this for our staff!

1. Lunch and beverage in a paper sack or a soft reusable lunch bag. No hard-sided lunch boxes, please!
2. Small plastic water bottle may be included.
3. Towel and swimsuit.
4. Sweatshirt for cool mornings.
5. A hat for protection from the sun plus sunscreen if your camper sunburns easily.
6. Day pack to carry the above items and any other essential items.
7. If you would like to send a special treat with your youngster, it is a Roughing It tradition to send a watermelon!

1. Anything Electronic: iPods, Cell Phones, Video Games, CD Players
2. Watches
3. Jewelry or Makeup
4. Sports Equipment
5. Fishing Gear
6. Toys or Stuffed Animals
7. Trading Cards
8. Pets or any other living animal
9. Anything else not mentioned in "What to Bring to Camp"

Roughing It accepts no responsibility for the loss or damage of any of these "contraband” items. Campers will have a great time just bringing themselves.

• T-Shirt
• Shorts, long pants, or sweatpants
• Tennis Shoes. No sandals, please!
• Campers can wear sweats over a T-shirt & shorts on cool mornings. When the sun comes out, they can take off the sweats and put them in their day pack.
• Clothing needs to be modest and appropriate for Roughing It. The fit should be neither too loose nor too tight for normal participation in camp activities. Clothing that exposes cleavage, midriff or buttocks when bending, running, etc., is unacceptable.
• Makeup is not needed nor acceptable at camp.
• No personal items, including watches or jewelry, other than the above. We do have a Lost and Found every day at Closing Circle. Help us to return your camper's belongings by clearly marking all personal items, especially towels and Roughing It clothing.
• Campers do not need special clothes for English riding at our Moraga Site, because we use bareback pads. We provide helmets for campers to wear while riding.
• Fifth graders and above ride at Ranch Camp so they need long pants to ride in Western saddles on the following days:
  
  
  • JB: Monday
  • B56: Tuesday
  • G56: Wednesday
  • JG: Thursday
  • CILT's: Friday
  • ALL Super Choice (6th Grade and above): Friday

We recommend parents keep the lunches nutritious. Include enough lunch so that your youngster has something extra for a mid-morning snack. Natural juices that come in containers or boxes are the easiest beverage to bring. Juices that come in boxes can be frozen the night before, wrapped in foil, and put in the lunch to keep food cool as it defrosts.

The following safety procedures have been developed to prevent any possible contamination of food brought to camp by campers. We have never had a case of food poisoning at Roughing It because our parents have adhered to these basic food safety rules.

1. Do not send perishable food items (cream based products and egg products besides hard boiled eggs.)
2. If you send any semi-perishable food products (meats, cheeses, mayonnaise, etc.) you need to freeze your camper's beverage or water bottle and place it next to the semi-perishable food or freeze the food product.
3. It is always a good idea to freeze your camper's water bottle and beverage.
4. Small insulated containers and non-breakable thermoses (small) may be used for semi-perishable foods.
5. During extremely hot weather it is best to use only processed/packaged food products.
6. Please alert the camp to any special dietary needs your child has.

Counselors at Roughing It will screen campers' lunches and will dispose of perishable foods and foods that appear to be spoiled. It is our sincere desire to protect our campers from an unnecessary bout with food poisoning. On very hot days, Roughing It uses coolers with blue ice to keep lunches fresh.

Roughing It gear can be purchased at the Camp Open House on the Thursday before the first session begins, or you can call, mail or fax your order into the office. We recommend that families make their purchases before the start of their camper's first day because we occasionally run out of popular items.