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Summer Camps: Girl's Summer Camps

Girls Camps in the United States began to appear at the turn of the 20thcentury and many of the early camps were located in New England. Examples of early girl’s camps are Camp Kehonka in New Hampshire and Camp Wyonegonic in Maine. Wyonegonic started in 1902 and is known as the oldest and continuous-run camp for girls in America.] In 1900, there were less than 100 camps in the United State, and by 1918, over 1000 were in operation.

Early Camps for girls were located in remote, natural areas and many camps featured a water venue. Girls participated in outdoor activities that could include canoeing, archery, and hiking. Other types of popular instruction involved handcrafts, dramatics, camp and fire making. Sleeping arrangements in camps were in the form of wigwams, tents, or open dormitories. Either of these options encouraged a camper to take responsibility for maintaining her own personal space and develop self-sufficiency.

Mimicking Native American traditions in the manner of council fires and storytelling generated a sense of community and to inspire a camper to become a conscientious member of a group. ] ]Typically, girl campers wore their hair and dressed in a version of native style. Uniforms were standard in most camps, but braided hair and headbands were common attire campers. For camp ceremonies and pageants, girls would dress in special Native inspired dresses, at times even contributing to the handiwork.

In this era, camps were considered to be a natural pathway for young girls to develop healthy bodies, self-assurance and a sense of community.

Today's girl’s camps offer a host of specialized options including STEM Camps, Sailing, and Dramatic Arts. [