Happy campers: how to give your child a greener summer.

Summer is just around the corner, and it's time to begin thinking about how the kids will spend those precious two months away from the classroom. For many, the solution means finding a place where a child can learn new skills, make new friends and interact with the natural world. Translation? Summer camp.

For younger children, this may range from a few half-days per week at a day camp to several weeks at a sleep-away camp. For teenagers, it may involve an international travel camp or an extended wilderness trek. With all the options, how does one go about finding a camp that provides a well-rounded agenda of athletic, cultural, social and environmental programs? Do such camps even exist?

Since time spent at camp can have a profound effect on your child, it's important to know what kind of summer your child visualizes, and then let him/her have a hand in the decision-making. But, since you, the parent, pay the bills which are sometimes considerable), be sure to guide your youngster through the procedure properly. Decisions should not be based on glossy brochures and videos alone, but only made after thoughtful consideration, discussion and reflection. So, start early enough in the spring to avoid hurried decisions, and begin by asking the right questions.

How important is physical comfort to your Child? Has he/she ever "roughed it" before? Does he/she even like the outdoors? If learning about the natural world ranks high on Mom and Dad's list, then one major factor you need to determine is whether the camp offers children the opportunity to do so.

A good place to start is the American Camping Association (ACA). They provide referrals for their many accredited camps - private as well as nonprofits like Scout and YMCA camps. Send for their Guide to Accredited Camps, or check your local library. This book has a "camp activities" chart, which will help you find the camps offering environmental or nature programs. However, since the camps themselves provide the chart's check marks, this warrants a closer look.

Check your local newspaper for camp fairs in your area. The camp equivalent of a trade show, here you'll find many camps represented in one place. Be prepared to spend several hours picking up brochures and talking with camp directors and staffers. Camp referral services can also help you to pinpoint camps that meet your needs. (Their advertisements are located in the Sunday New York Times magazine section, among other places.) Also, ask friends and relatives to recommend specific camps.

Once you've narrowed down your choices, try for an in-depth meeting. The camp director may come to your home with slides, send you a video, or simply have an extended phone conversation with you.

In any case, allow them to tell you about their nature programming before you ask. This way you will get a better idea of how much of a priority it is for them; that is, their "pitch" won't merely be what they think you want to hear.

Some camp directors have long been committed to environmental programs. "I was so taken with Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring, that I wrote a pamphlet, |The Study of our Natural Environment: A Must,' back in 1966," recalls Jack Swan, owner and director of Pok-O-MacCready Camp in Willsboro, New York. "And we've been doing nature activities ever since - only we do it better now," he adds, noting that one of his camp's required programs teaches kids how acid rain has affected the Adirondack ecosystem. Peter Kassen, director of Hidden Valley Camp in Freedom, Maine, stresses, "Its not school. So, the kids need to be more active and involved," And there can be added benefits: "By making recycling an integral part our daily routine, we've cut our waste in half." Hidden Valley's kids also do "community service with an environmental twist," working at local parks, farms and recycling centers.

Another good sign is nature program photos in the camp album. If the camp has a strong environmental philosophy, that is what will be emphasized in their brochures, slides and videos. Then, ask for references and follow up: Speak to other parents and have your child speak directly to their children.

Seek out descriptive details on those nature programs. For example, what happens nature hikes? Hopefully, these are learning experiences, rather than strolls or endurance tests! Is the concept of treading lightly upon the natural environment stressed to campers - and practiced by staffers? Does the camp have a farm or a garden? If so, campers should be taught how to maintain the garden and care for the animals - and should be given a certain amount of responsibility for doing so.

Find out how often each group attends nature programs, and whether these are electives. What kind of indoor facilities - and materials - are available for nature study? Is the camp well equipped with binoculars, field guides, hand lenses, compasses and eco-films for evening programs? Does the camp have a nature specialist who not only loves nature, but also loves teaching it to kids? What is his/her educational and job background? Does he/she - and the other counselors - return year after year? That's a good sign because it indicates a happy atmosphere for them, too. Some camps take the extra step of providing their staff with specialized environmental training programs, such as the NatureQuest workshops offered by the National Wildlife Federation.

Finally, does the camp practice what it preaches? Does it recycle? Does it compost its food waste? Does it purchase recycled materials and biodegradable cleaning products? How does it dispose of food garbage? A recent ACA publication, Easy Green, by Marty Westerman, sets up some useful guidelines for environmentally-sound camp management.

One red flag for green campers: Be wary of camps that feature too many "entertainment" frills... discos, go-carts, karaoke, video games. Kids can get that kind of entertainment elsewhere and should get other forms of pleasure and enrichment from summer camp. Management that panders to what they think kids like may not be able to provide the Earth-bonding experience you seek for your child. But once you know what to look for, together you and your child can make the best decision for your camper and for the planet. Happy trails!

Helpful Resources:

* American Camping Association, 5000 State Road North, Martinsville, IN 46151-7902/[phone] (bookstore phone number). Publishes the Guide to Accredited Camps ($12.95 postpaid), The Nature Specialist ($29.95 postpaid), and Easy Green ($24.95 postpaid). * National Camp Association (private referral service), 610 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10185/(800)966-CAMP.

The following well-known organizations have been running exemplary short-term (one-to three-week), but intensive nature/environment programs for many years: * Audubon Camps, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT 06830/[phone]. Day camp at Greenwich location, plus two 10-day day coastal ecology sessions on Hog Island, Maine for 10-14 year-olds. * National Wildlife Federation, 1400 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-2266/[phone]. Runs Wildlife Camps for 9-13 year-olds, and a Teen Adventure program for 14-17 year-olds. * Sierra Club, 730 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109/(415) 776-221 1. Runs some family and parent/child trips, but only one trip for 13-16 year-olds. * Student Conservation Association, P.O. Box 550, Charlestown, NH 03603-0550/[phone]. Teens (ages 16-18) spend 10 days performing service projects in National Parks, then 10 days hiking in the wilderness. * Wilderness Southeast, 711 Sandtown Road, Savannah, GA 31410-1019/[phone]. Runs various sessions for teens in Georgia, Florida and the Caribbean.

LENORE MILLER, a former New York City school teacher, now works for the National Park Service, She is author of The Nature Specialist, a manual for camp counselors.