Day Camp and Specialty Camp Lists: Band, Art, STEM, and Sports
A day camp list is short, which is exactly why the missing item is so visible. What each kind of specialty camp actually needs, and how to send families one link per session.
Every day camp needs the same five things: a backpack, a labelled water bottle, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, and a packed lunch unless meals are provided. What changes between a band camp, an art camp, and a robotics camp is the short list of specialty items on top — and that's the part families get wrong.
Day camps have a particular problem. The list is so short that programs often don't send one, assuming it's obvious. Then forty children arrive and six have sandals.
The base list
- Backpack
- Refillable water bottle, labelled
- Closed-toe shoes
- Sunscreen, applied before arrival and sent along
- Hat
- Packed lunch and snack, unless provided
- A change of clothes for younger campers
- Swimsuit and towel on water days — specify which days
Labelling matters as much at day camp as at sleepaway. A week of day camp generates a startling lost-and-found pile.
Band camp
Marching band camp in late summer is physically demanding and runs outdoors for long days.
- The instrument, serviced before camp
- Reeds, valve oil, slide grease, or sticks — consumables, in quantity
- Folding music stand
- Flip folder and lyre for marching
- Pencil — for marking drill, and always missing
- Athletic shoes already broken in
- Water jug, larger than they think
- Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Sunscreen again, honestly
The consumables line is the one that matters. A reed player without spare reeds loses a rehearsal.
Art camp
- Smock or an oversized old shirt
- Clothes that are allowed to be ruined, which should be said in those words
- Hair tie
- Portfolio or folder for finished work
- Any specific media the program asks for
Most art camps supply materials. If yours does, say so — otherwise families buy a starter set they don't need.
STEM and robotics camp
- Laptop, if the program requires one, with charger
- Notebook and pencil
- Closed-toe shoes, often required around equipment
- Safety glasses, if not provided
- A USB drive, for programs that still use them
Specify laptop requirements precisely — operating system, whether a Chromebook is sufficient, and whether the camp provides one. "Bring a laptop" generates more emails than any other line on a STEM camp list.
Sports camp
- Sport-appropriate shoes
- Practice clothes for each day
- Shin guards, mouthguard, or other protective gear as required
- Water jug
- Sunscreen for outdoor programs
- The sport's own equipment, where campers bring their own
One list per session beats one list for everything
A program running four specialty camps in the same building should publish four lists. It takes a few extra minutes and prevents a robotics family reading band camp requirements.
ClassGear makes each one a page families open on a phone, with real product links rather than descriptions. Free, no app, and no account needed to view. For consumables like reeds and sticks, linking the exact item removes the guesswork completely.
Building yours
1. Create one list per camp session at classgear.co. 2. Add the base items, then the specialty ones. 3. Note what the program supplies — especially art materials and laptops. 4. Send the link with the registration confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClassGear free for day camps?
Yes. Creating and sharing lists is free, there's no per-camper cost, and families open them without an account.
What does every day camp list need?
A backpack, a labelled water bottle, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, a hat, and a packed lunch unless meals are provided. Everything else is specialty items on top.
What do families forget most often at band camp?
Consumables — reeds, valve oil, sticks — and a pencil. Spares should be on the list explicitly, with quantities.
How specific should laptop requirements be for a STEM camp?
Very. Name the operating system, say whether a Chromebook works, and state whether the camp provides machines. Vague laptop lines generate more questions than anything else on the list.
Should we make one list or several?
Several — one per session or specialty. Each gets its own link, so families read only what applies to them.
Can we show which supplies the camp provides?
Yes. Add a note to any item saying it's provided. This matters most at art camps, where families otherwise buy duplicate materials.
Do parents need an app to open the list?
No. It's a normal web page on any device.
Build your camp's supply list
One link per session, sent with the confirmation email.