It's a necessity that concerns some professionals. But his research indicates that older kids adjust better, in large part because they have more experience sleeping away from home and have developed better ways to cope with separation and loneliness. Still, there are plenty of plucky kindergarten and first-grade kids who relish the escape. Rachel did fine, as most small fry do, says Camp Cayuga Director Brian Buynak. Camps like Cayuga help ease the transition by separating the junior camp from the teen campus and grouping the youngest campers in their own cabins.
Counselors bunk with the kids and have extra training in recognizing and dealing with homesickness.
Crafts are tailored for tinier, less adept fingers. Ironically, parents often feel the pangs of separation more acutely than their adventurous offspring. Most get over it, as do the kids. Just ask Cayuga's happy campers. They are too busy swimming, swinging on the trapeze, and riding horses to miss Mom, TV, or that favorite video game for long.