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Net Lets Parents Keep Eye On Kids At Camp
By Anne Szeker, Connecticut Post
Summer camp takes children away from their homes and immerses them in a world of games, swimming, and arts and crafts. It's a world where parents are mostly absent until now. Faith Nicholas, an 11-year-old from Fairfield left for camp.
"It is a way of me keeping up contact with my daughter. She's all the way up in Maine. I can look at pictures and see that she's OK and happy. That's really important," she said.
This is the second year Nicholas has subscribed to Bunk1.com.
The service allows her to sign in on the Internet through the Web site and see pictures and video feeds of camp activities. She can also send her daughter e-mails through "bunk notes," a one-way e-mail service that delivers notes to the campers daily.
"She gets a letter from me every day. It's hard to get mail up there every day. I'd go broke. This way she has a little contact with us, since she doesn't call us. It's a peace of mind," she said.
Creator and CEO of Bunk1.com, Ari Ackerman, loved summer camp and came up with the idea for the Internet service while he was in business school.
After graduation, he drove across the country visiting different camps, trying to interest them in the idea.
"At first, they were hesitant of change. But, in time, many of them signed on. It eases their workload, with less phone calls to their office from campers' families. It's win-win for everybody," Ackerman said.
Neither Nicholas nor Ackerman feel Bunk1.com takes away from children's sense of independence while at camp, but enhances it.
"It allows parents across the country to peek into the world of camp. Parents can experience it with their children," Ackerman said.
Nicholas agreed, after seeing pictures of her daughter on a whale watch.
"I'm an adult, and I've never seen a whale. My daughter has seen more than 30 whales already this summer," Nicholas said.
"When kids come home from camp they can look through the pictures too, and share what he or she was experiencing by pointing out their best friends or their counselors. Parents and children can share a bond," Ackerman said.
He also said the some parents and grandparents have learned how to use a computer just to take advantage of Bunk1.com.
"I hate my computer. My husband and I always get nervous when our daughter leaves because she's the only one who knows how to fix the computer. Bunk1.com is really the only reason I use it," Nicholas said.
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