First Time Parents

Here are 6 Things We Want You To Know

1. We work hard to make camp affordable for you.

Camp is definitely an investment in your child, and making it easy to pay for is something we feel highly responsible for. For first-year parents who just found out about Huawni right before the summer, we have an EZ Pay option that allows you to pay for Camp over a few months. Also, once you show your interest in Camp (Request Information here), we’ll send you a few coupons, so be on the lookout. The one big benefit to going ahead and signing up now is that you’ll save your child a spot for this upcoming summer. This is important because there are only 150 spots available per session. Our smaller camp allows us to know each and every child – the downside is that we fill up quick! You can save a bunk now.

2. Homesickness is a gift in disguise.

We have learned over our 48 years that homesickness is a natural and necessary process for your child, enabling them to grow their independent wings. Allowing them to leave the house for a couple of weeks and come to overnight summer camp really is the best gift you could ever give your child. Don’t worry…you get to watch your kids have fun from home. Once you drop your child off you’ll get access to your own CampInTouch Account that lets you see what’s going on each and every day. You can even drop your child an email that is printed and handed out at lunch. In fact, we’ve found that you being away from your child is healthy too; it will form a new, more intimate bond that you otherwise wouldn’t have experienced if they had stayed home. Want to talk to another Huawni mom that can relate? Email us here, and we’ll connect you right away. Also, a great resource we recommend on homesickness is Homesick & Happy by Michael Thompson.

3. Your child will make friends.

Is your child coming to Huawni without any close friends? Don’t worry— one of the biggest reasons and benefits to kids coming to Huawni is that they get to meet other really awesome kids. Both parents and kids this past year have shared with us this specific truth.

4. Is my child too young (or too old)?

We allow kids 1st-11th grades to attend Camp. Worried that your child isn’t old enough? Our experience and general rule of thumb have shown that kids 7 years old or more than ready for a two-week session. These children are pretty independent. A good sign that your child is ready is when they’re 8 or 9 and you’re “iffy” about sending them. The other great advantage to sending them at a younger age is they’ll form those life-long friendships sooner.

Have an older teenager you want to experience Huawni but worried that they’re too old? Don’t worry. We have older campers experience Huawni for the first time at age 14 or 15 every year whose lives have been dramatically changed in a meaningful way.

5. Huawni cabins are a breath of fresh air.

So why open air cabins? Great question! We have open-air cabins for one simple reason – for kids to experience nature. We’ve found that this is actually a unique opportunity for you as a parent to give your child the experience of going to bed at night to crickets, the moon, and stars.
When the session is over, campers actually prefer the cabins the way they are….it’s sometimes an unexpected perk to overnight summer camp.

6. Camp is worth the investment.

We recently surveyed 54 of our camp families. According to these families, they valued two weeks at Camp Huawni at $6,003, which is approximately $4,000 more than what they actually spent. See the full report here: Value of Summer Camp

Immeasurable. This makes our third summer, and this year we will be traveling from Los Angeles to bring our daughter to camp in East Texas. It’s worth that much to us. Certainly, there are camps in California – but they’re not Huawni.

Have questions? Still unsure? Contact us to talk to a Director!

Ready to pack your bags & head to Camp? Check out the next few pages for everything you need to know about packing, Opening & Closing Day, & forms!