When people first hear about Experience Camps, they often picture a group of kids sitting in a circle, quietly crying. And sure, there are tears—grief is part of the story. But what they can’t imagine is how much joy, laughter, and plain old silliness fills each day.
Yes, our campers are grieving. And they’re also playing, dancing, making up goofy skits, and forming friendships that feel like family.
Here are a few more things that tend to surprise people about camp:
- Grief talks are just a small part of the day.
Each day, we spend about 45 minutes in a structured grief activity. This is a safe space where kids can share what’s on their hearts, surrounded by peers their own age who get it. They talk about things like feeling like the “weird kid” at school or navigating hard milestones like birthdays and holidays.
These activities might involve art, games, storytelling, or open conversation—and they’re incredibly important. But the rest of the day? It feels like summer camp. Zip lines, talent shows, messy games, campfires, and bunk time laughter.
- We don’t group kids by “type of death.”
People sometimes assume we separate kids into groups based on how their person died—illness, accident, overdose, etc. But we don’t.
At Experience Camps, kids stay with their bunkmates, the same group they climb ropes courses with and plan talent shows alongside. This builds trust and comfort, essential ingredients for opening up.
And while the circumstances of each loss are different, grieving kids share so much in common: navigating awkward questions from classmates, missing their person at holidays, and feeling different from their peers.
Their bunk counselors sit beside them during clinical activities—not leading, but listening—building deeper bonds in the process.
- One week is enough. On purpose.
Some people ask why camp isn’t longer; wouldn’t more time help them more?
But one week gives kids just the right amount of time to build friendships, try new things, and face their grief head-on. By the end of the week, they’ve often done some heavy emotional lifting—and they’re tired.
Most kids don’t want to leave. But they need to head home and let what they’ve learned settle in. And here’s the beautiful part: many campers return, year after year. On average, they come back for five summers. And with each return, they’re able to open up a little more and carry their grief—and joy—with greater confidence.
Michelle Cove is the Communications Manager at Experience Camps. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, and national bestselling author whose projects have been featured on numerous national platforms including “The Today Show,” The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times. Visit www.michellecove.com to learn more.
