Remember the time you were having a deep engaging conversation about the meaning of life with someone dressed in a full Super Grover costume and you then had to interrupt that conversation to chase after a squirrel who had run away with one of your glue bottles? Completely normal behavior, right? If you were at summer camp, absolutely!

Once again we’ve crowd sourced a blog with our network of ‘crazy’ campers to bring you the ultimate list of ‘Normal’ at summer camp: (Credits at the end of the blog).

Someone at your table sits down to dinner sopping wet in a bathing suit, fresh off a lake swim . A group is walking through camp completely covered in mud, and other groups are jealous. You put on your bathing suit because it’s the only dry item of clothing you have. Breaking into song at any moment. You relate a camp song to almost every moment of you non camp life....still 3 months after camp is over. You get home and you realize how 9 out of 10 songs at camp make no sense when you think about them...but you don't think of that all summer and just sing away. When crumpled is the new black in fashion, dinosaur onesies and tutus are part of your wardrobe, and it’s totally acceptable to wear Long Johns under boxer shorts complete with work socks and sandals, topped with a a trash bag (aka a “designer liner” raincoat). You aren't sure if you're tan or dirty and don't really care about the answer. Not showering for a week merits a high five. A staffer sees a dead beaver on the side of the road and scoops it up for use in Environmental Education. Dancing/rolling/leaping across the field to meet the person on the other side faster. When the neighborhood development up the road has safety concerns over seeing a man dressed as Spider-Man on the bike path. When orientation includes sentences like “In this shower stall the hot water knob is on the right side and the cold water knob is on the left side. YES it’s backwards. NO we don’t know why.” A coyote figures out how to activate the splash pad sensor. You're standing in a dragon onesie directing traffic for contra dancing. When a tortilla filled with cream cheese, hummus, and caramel sauce tastes like heaven (but only on canoe trips). There is a prize for the best sock tan, watch tan, and/or farmer's tan. When campers lose underwear, socks, and 1 shoe. When you have to explain to outside visitors at camp that Tuesdays were actually banned at this camp a few years ago and today is actually Spoonday. “Happy Spoonday and may the odds be ever in your favor! All meals will be eaten with a spoon or with no hands." Bug spray is a perfume of choice. Kids screaming in a field alongside staff playing the running and screaming game. Someone yells, “Um, there’s a bat in here!” By the final week of camp, you are forgetting basic words and start describing what you need. “Can you hand me one of those tiny food shovels?” (Spoons) When you don't have to know a dance, to do a dance!

Credits

Thank you to the amazing Facebook group “Summer Camp Professionals” We picked up all of these observations on that group. Special thanks to the following contributors to this article: Michael R. Garcia, Lauren Snider, Rick Meyering, Stephanie Ruby Compton, Patrick Lusteg, Elise Wiley, Jen Young, Charles G. Flannery, Guilherme Lino, Kelly Rossebo, Sarah Duplisea, Madeline Elaine Mock, Nellica Davis Pears, Rachel Cherry, Gennifer Bagwell Carwile, Rachel Utrera, Calah Joy Frazier, Kate Taylor, Stephanie Powell, Lindsey MacDonald Watley, Ash Boynton, Mary LaVaque, Adrienne Monique Beranger, Anthony Barnes, Tabitha Bomer, Danny Beck.

Share your thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this list and we’re sure that you have some observations of your own, so go ahead and share them in the comments below.

Happy Camping Everyone!

About the Editor

Gaby Fachler spent 10 summers in his youth as a camper and staff. He is the founder and general manager of Pack for Camp, an online store that offers everything you expect to find on a camp packing list: soft trunks, bedding, laundry accessories, toiletries, storage solutions, clothing and more. Pack for Camp partners with summer camps to create customized smart packing lists and landing pages for campers and staff.