Good House Keeping
Family affair: camp for the whole clan

If horseback riding, Popsicle-stick art, and bug juice are among your happy summertime memories, why not take your next vacation at camp? An affordable trend, family sleepaway camps let you spend a week together in the great outdoors--instead of fielding calls from your homesick kids.

What to expect
While most camps run the classic activities--canoeing, badminton, barbeques--each offers special traditions. Families watch the sunrise from lakefront cottages at Sandy island Family Camp (617-927-8032), in New Hampshire; compete in limbo contests at Cheley Colorado Camps (800-226-7386), in Colorado; and hike through a national forest at Montecito-Sequoia Lodge (800-227-9900), in California.

Of course, meals and events like talent shows are group affairs. But family members also get a chance to do their own thing during the day (swimming lessons, waterskiing, tennis), so your kids won't be at each other's throats.

Weekly rates start at $1,000 for a family of four, including meals. Some places offer shorter sessions at the beginning of the season and Labor Day weekend. For a list of family camps in your area (there are more than 500 nationwide), log on to the American Camping Association at www.acacamps.org, search www.KidsCamps.com database, or contact your local YMCA.