Birthdays at Maine Camps

Birthdays are many people’s favorite day of the year, so how awesome is it for kids who have their favorite day in their favorite place – at camp! Laurie the Campcierge™ shares, “I know firsthand as a parent who has a child with a summer birthday (my younger daughter just became a teenager on July 1!) – that parents may feel a little sad that they aren’t with their child on their birthday, but I can assure you that the kids think that there’s no better place to be! The birthday boy or girl usually gets to celebrate with family and friends before or after they go to camp, AND they get to have the best celebration at camp.” While each Maine Camp may celebrate Maine campers’ birthdays a little differently, every Maine Camp makes the birthday camper feel extra special!!  Traditions may include anything from a pizza party and a favorite camp cake to songs, dances, and special announcements. Crowns, sashes, banners, even bed decorating help make the occassion even more celebratory. And, the cabin mates are happy to be the beneficiaries of the extra treats and fun time together. Another Mom of Maine campers, Jaime, shared this about her daughter’s birthday at camp: “They can receive a birthday box filled with almost anything: candy, food, favors, presents, decorations - just no nuts!! They start the day raising the flag at morning lineup and meeting. They have a pizza party in their bunk and they have the camp’s most amazing famous chocolate cake that my daughter craves all year. They also get to talk to us and other family members if they want like the grandparents.” Maine Camps’ birthday traditions range from all camp singing Happy Birthday at breakfast in the dining hall and a birthday announcement at morning flagpole assembly, to a nighttime serenade at dinner where cabin mates serenade the birthday camper with a musical parade. One camp even has a “catch the cake” tradition where a director throws the birthday cake over the rafters in the dining hall and a staff member selected by the birthday girl has to catch it. It’s a really fun spectacle! Another MCE Camp has a camp-wide birthday party to celebrate all the camp birthdays that have occurred. With all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the special day, kids with camp birthdays don’t miss a beat about not being home. When it comes time to make a wish – the birthday boy or girl’s wish may have already come true … getting to spend their birthday at their happy place surrounded by their camp friends who are like family. Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our website.

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.