With the second month of camp right around the corner, some will be welcoming their children home and others will send them off. But those already in camp this summer may have noticed several new ways parents can keep up with their kids’ activities and keep in touch.
Sleepaway camps such as Moshava, Morasha, Dora Golding, and Dina have daily photo albums available on their camp websites which are updated daily, so you can see your children enjoying their summer.
However, for those who don’t want to spend their summer on a computer searching through pictures, there are a few camps which have really taken a step forward by developing a camp app. Camp Morasha, Camp Dora Golding, and Camp Dina all designed apps that are free in the Apple and Android app stores that help parents sort through photos and write emails on the go.
Binyamin Daiches, Assistant Director at Camp Dora Golding, gave his opinion on the new app saying, “They [parents] can see their children enjoying camp almost in real time. In 2014, it’s no longer about waiting for a letter in the mail from camp—although we do encourage the boys to write home—it’s about seeing and experiencing camp with your son.”
The apps contain many functions for the parents of campers. These include easy access to photo albums, videos, and even email capability. The apps also link with the device’s navigation program and provide directions to the camps. They also provide a calendar that lists all important events, a packing list, contact information, and social media updates from the camps.
While many parents enjoy seeing their kids in photos, some may be concerned that they are not able to find their kids in each album. However, because the photographers at the camps can only be at one place at a time, each child’s picture or activity will not be visible every day.
For Camp Dora Golding, emails to campers and daily photo albums has digitally moved ahead of the others, by publishing a weekly video, showing the highlights of the past week.
Benjy Kleiner is a JLBC intern, an incoming junior at TABC, and a longtime volunteer for Black Box Studios.
By Benjy Kleiner
