Many parents ask, “How many swaps should we make?”
Rumors fly around Tustin that there is a required number of swaps to make for camp. The answer is NO! You and your daughter should make as many as you have fun making. It should not be a chore or a parent losing any sleep over to make 500 swaps! The below numbers are guidelines based on how quickly a camper runs out of swaps.
- 25: to trade only within her unit. They will be traded within 15 minutes on the first day.
- 80: to trade with her unit and make a bunch of new friends on the first day.
- 100+: to come home with a very full hat and lots of new friends. Will probably last through day 3.
- Total camp attendance for 2023 is expected to be between 150-200. But nobody trades with everybody due to part time adult volunteers coming and going.
If you want to make a bunch for camp, you may want to start a week or two before camp starts!
If your daughter really gets into trading swaps, try to arrive each day at 2:45 and walk her around so she has time to trade up in the quad at Peters Canyon! Check her in no later than 3:00 so she is not late.
Make sure your daughter trades one with Skooch (aka Angela), the Camp Director, so your daughter’s goes into the official Camp Collection for this year.
Swap tip: Buy your safety pins early! People who wait till the week before camp starts can’t find any safety pins in the entire town of Tustin. Check your local Dollar style stores. The often have safety pins in packs of 100 for a great price. Another great source is a dry cleaner’s supply place. This is where the camp director has purchased them for years. Click here.
Remember, swaps are not expensive creations – they are a token of friendship exchanged between the camp participants. If your daughter has tons left at the start of the last day, encourage her to give them away as potlatches which are tokens of friendship without the expectation of receiving a swap back in exchange.