The Roughing It Blog

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is the time of year when people start to reflect on everything they are thankful for.  Although this is the season to be grateful for everything you have, gratitude is something that is great to practice all year long.  In Juliana Breines article,

Camp is not only a great way to prepare children for adulthood, but it also helps prepare children to become global citizens.  Every year, summer camps across the country welcome many international campers from countries all over the world. Our camp is fortunate to be located in the San Francisco

School is back in session, and summer camp is starting to feel like a long distant memory.  In reality, children bring the skills and life lessons they learn at camp with them to school every day.  Although they do learn new activities like swimming, horseback riding, and making lanyards, these

Here is a great read we would like to share with our camp families and staff.  Dear Camp Counselor was written by a mom to the staff of her children’s summer camp, Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp (a residential camp on the east coast).  Although it is written with a Christian

Everyone knows that it gets pretty hot in the summer.  At summer camp, campers spend the whole day outside, staying active and participating in many fun activities.  Because campers spend so long in the sun, it’s very important to find ways to stay cool throughout the day.    In the past,

Swimming can be a fun and exciting experience, but it can also be scary and intimidating for some children.  Most children are familiar with a bathtub, but switching from a bathtub to a large pool or natural body of water can be overwhelming.  Many may be too frightened or reluctant

One of the highlights of  Roughing It is our swim program.  Instead of giving our campers free swim all the time, our program is designed to actually teach children how to swim through swimming lessons.  It is very common for younger children to be nervous about getting in the water,

Roughing It Day Camp Office Moms and their Campers: Kathryn (Freddie & Grace) Tracy (Ava & Isaac) Amy (Cecilio), and Ann, Sharon (Walker & Grace), Misty (Kaitlyn & Lauren) The sign in our Roughing It office, “Every Mother is a Working Mom,” is so true, and a Mother’s job is

Young children are not the only ones to benefit from summer camp.  Teens, especially in middle school, get just as much, if not more, out of a summer at camp.  Unlike younger campers, teens have many opportunities to apply their leadership skills to real-life situations, such as helping out the

We wanted to share an article written for our camp community by Ann Woods, our director, on the importance of experiencing the outdoors and the reason why she and Hobie (her husband) were inspired to found Roughing It Day Camp 43 years ago.  These messages and lessons still hold true

Spring is the perfect time to sign your child up for camp!  Many camps fill up during the early spring, so now is the perfect time to think about registering.  When choosing the right camp, it is important to visit the site, meet the directors, and ask questions.  If you

Camp is a great way for your child to spend their summer!  There are countless benefits to sending your child to camp that will last them for the rest of their life.  Ann Woods, Director of Roughing It Day Camp, shares how camp can positively contribute to children’s development, based

February 1 is I ♥ Camp day!  This is a day dedicated to celebrating the magic of camp and how it positively affects our lives.  There are countless reasons to love camp, but here are 12 of our favorites!