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Oh, the days when summer camps were all the rage! Every year, thousands of girls either dread or look forward to attending several days or several weeks at a girl's summer camp. For most, girls camps mean fun in the sun, laughs and new friends. Many girls spend weeks looking forward to camp activities and events, while others aren't so sure.

Girls camps offer a multitude of activities to suit nearly every taste, but most offer summer activities like swimming, horseback riding, water skiing, rock climbing, arts and crafts and drama, just to name a few.

Depending on the wants and needs of large groups of girls in different parts of the country, girls camps also offer canoeing, river rafting, hiking or even fashion events. The sky is the limit when it comes to ideas, and camp counselors do their best to make sure that everyone has fun during their camp stay.

Girls camps offer young women between the age of seven and eighteen an opportunity to grow and learn new things, meet new people and grow in understanding. Most girls camps offer stay periods of two weeks to seven weeks, sometimes more depending on the time of year and the demand for turnaround.

Some camps are large, and can accommodate over a hundred girls, while others accommodate only a few dozen. Food and lodging are usually top notch, and cabins that hold anywhere from four to eight girls are to be expected, though larger cabins and dorm style shelters may also be available for large groups.

Some camps are located in the mountains, while others are located near a beach or anywhere in between. Depending on location, girls are offered a wide variety of classes and activities to keep their days, and many of their evenings, busy. Girls camps have come a long way since the 1940's, and today's camps offer the amenities that girls have grown accustomed to, like television, video games and arcade games.

Outdoor recreation activities include everything from tennis and volleyball to horseshoes and shuffleboard. In some areas of the country, many girls take care of animals while at camp. Horses, dogs, cats, birds and many other different kinds of animals teach kids what it's like to take care of and nurture another living creature, and these camps are especially liked by young girls around the country.

While the food in some girls camps isn't your mother's cooking, and your bed may not be as soft as your bed at home, girl's camps offer youngsters an opportunity to experience new people and situations. Confidence is one of the first changes that most parents see in their girls when they return home, that and a certain sense of self-sufficiency.

Camps offer more than glorified babysitting to today's kids. They offer instructional activities and situations that encourage girls to explore their surroundings and their own feelings and beliefs, not only about themselves, but others as well. Girl's camps are still as popular as they were several generations ago, which is a very good thing.