It helped assure me that they were having a good time. Traditional mail would have been too slow. So writing a letter is still the traditional route. But Solomon said that, in time, e-mail most likely will replace typical mail routes for the nation's 5 million summer campers. At the Swift Nature Camp in northern Wisconsin, where campers stay three to six weeks, some kids show up with calling cards and cell phones but are quickly set straight, camp director Jeff Lorenz said.
Kids get lonelier, and parents get worried.
But for the sake of convenience, we do allow parents to e-mail the camp, and we'll print out the letters. E-mail and faxes from parents also are allowed at Camp Kawaga, another long term camp in northern Wisconsin, but children use regular mail services. A camp newspaper is sent home once a week to keep parents informed about what is going on, camp director Jordan Shiner said. A lot of the homesickness comes from the mom more than the child. It's an empty threat, but it works.