11 ms·

Show HN: Anyone with kids? Plan their summer schedule

57 points by emmiechang 13y ago

emmiechang 13y ago
I meant to say "SHOW HN" apologies for the mistake everyone!
blossoms 13y ago
I respect your work, but I must say this: "You are terrible." Why you might ask? Well ask any kid who has been forced off to Bible Camp or some other humiliating childhood summer activity. Keep up the great work!
- emmiechang 13y ago
  I'll take that as a compliment. I own a tech camp in 10 locations nationwide, and if you told an athletic kid he had to spend 8 hours/day 5 days a week in an air conditioned room staring at a screen, he'd think it's horrible. For all my tech-y kids that come to camp, the thought of playing soccer in the sun horrifies them! It's just funny, and bible camp doesnt sound too bad--i mean, it's not band camp or anything!
  - cheneytsai 13y ago
    As a former teacher at one of those camps, I can attest to having kids there who loved being there and learning. What kids end up doing in their summers should be a ongoing dialogue between the parent and their child, without any voice overpowering the other.
  - JoeAltmaier 13y ago
    The assumption that some kind of camp is needed. I say, camp can stifle the youth's initiative, as it provides a constant irrigation of the senses with no effort (other than the activity of course). Spending weeks with your friends wandering, making up games, looking at the world and thinking - happens on lazy summer days, not at camp.
samstave 13y ago
I have three kids and my eldest is 9, I've been looking for something like this the last two summers. I'll check it out when I get home and come back and provide feedback.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Please do--and reach out to me directly. I'd love to help out.
  - samstave 13y ago
    Hey EmmieChang! I think the idea is amazing; but I have some issues with the workflow and UX.. [1] WRT the main page; you have a box for the type of activity in search. You lack the filters that are on the next page, assuming I enter an interest... This sucks; ill explain. I don't want this to be the entry, because I dont know the ACTIVITY; I am filtering on the following in priority hierarchy: 1. LOCATION 2. AGE/GENDER 3. DATE RANGE 4. BUDGET/AVAILABILITY Here is how the thought process works in a parents head: "I have a 9 year old girl who will need to be in camp from DATE to DATE and I can afford max of $XX.00 for that period -- Show me what you have" Then from there, you should branch to many other things: Based on your budget and date-range; These are the available camps. The front page of your site asks first for activity. Even after entering activity; I DO get a filter option for my region... but when I select that region; the results have NO germane granularity in the list. (Meaning they dnt show WHERE the event is...) http://imgur.com/a/mmch2 http://imgur.com/a/mmch2 I have a stay-at-home-mom who will not be driving to a camp ~10 miles away... etc... So, I tink the start is great - it does not resolve the issue with how does one find an event near their home. So; my recommendation: Treat CAMPs like RESTAURANTS -- the SAME thought process that one uses to select a restaurant is the one they use to select a kids camp. "Dad works, mom has limited range and needs max convenience to shuttle kid; has limited date range for when reservation is needed AND will pick most economical+nutritious [READ: FUN] option within that selection set"
    - emmiechang 13y ago
      Wow, thanks. I compare myself to OpenTable all the time, but I like hearing it from your standpoint. re: location, I hear you--will def work on that soon. Reaching out directly! ;)
bluedevil2k 13y ago
My wife and I just sat down and planned our kids summer camps and would have greatly benefitted from this. For a marketing tip, I'd focus on the mommy blogs, since I'd guess they do 80-90% of the summer camp planning.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Awesome, any mommy blogs you (or your wife) particularly like to visit?
nwenzel 13y ago
Finally, a startup that recognizes that people do get married and do have kids. I know, I know... seems totally nuts. But it happens to the best of us. Now if you could just help me get them from point A to point B, that would be even better.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Yes! Transportation is on our list--right after a bunch of stuff of course. In the meantime, want to buy some camps/activities?
ars 13y ago
Can you put up a static demo? Or even just screenshots? I want to see what this is without actually registering, but every link that looks promising takes me to a contact page.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Here's a screenshot of a demo schedule. Super simple, add your kids, add an activity and share with your friends or family https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%202014-02-11%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%2020...
  - ars 13y ago
    Ah, so it's a daily schedule, not an hourly. So not suitable for running a backyard camp with activities during the day.
    - emmiechang 13y ago
      Yeah--it's a weekly scheduler. However, if you need a management tool to run your camps--we can help you with that (it's free, go to https://www.camperoo.com/camps/join https://www.camperoo.com/camps/join )
quaffapint 13y ago
Would really appreciate a demo of how this works, especially without having to create an account just to find that out.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Cool--we're working on that. how old are your kids?
- emmiechang 13y ago
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%202014-02-11%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%2020... Check out the screenshot--dead simple. What do you think? Would love your feedback.
aelaguiz 13y ago
Love it!
tagawa 13y ago
I think you'd get more sign-ups if you could allow people to create a calendar without registering and then say something like "register now to save this calendar". By that time, they're more invested in the product than someone who's just arrived at your site. I could be wrong but I think @patio11 uses this tactic for Appointment Reminder or BCC.
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Great idea-- we'll try that next. We wanted to throw something out there first, and the easiest way was to just tie into our existing login system. Shipping is better than perfect right? :)
  - jacobolus 13y ago
    Make sure you’re careful about a change like that. I’ve also heard of cases where doing that caused problems, because people would forget to register and lose their data.
    - emmiechang 13y ago
      Note taken--maybe we'll just capture e-mail address!
- joshmn 13y ago
  Not affiliated with the product at all but I don't know why more products don't work like this. It's just genius. With a ukelele ;]
  - emmiechang 13y ago
    Aww... Thank you Joshmn. This makes me seriously feel good. I sit at my chair (granted it's a fancy chair) in my home/office toiling away at all hours and your comment just really made my day....(er night). New iterations to come later this week. Did you see we have Ukelele camp? https://www.camperoo.com/products/k/ukulele https://www.camperoo.com/products/k/ukulele
northband 13y ago
Hey that's a cool idea - good luck!
callmeed 13y ago
This is a GREAT idea. I've got 4 kids and we put them in all sorts of camps/activities in the summer. Last summer they did tennis camp, surf camp, dance camp, baseball camp, art camp, and some others I can't recall. So, this is definitely something I'd use. Now, as for the implementation, here's what frustrates me: You don't serve my city (San Luis Obispo, CA). Furthermore, you don't state anywhere on your home page "Serving San Francisco & Seattle. Put in your email and zip code and we'll notify you when we have your town." You should REALLY do that. For this issue, you should also take a "backwards compatibility" approach (as Chris Dixon put it [1]). Getting more camps in new cities is hard–I get it. But, just about every city in America has a parks and recreation department and most of them publish their summer activities in a PDF guide. So, you get an intern and have him/her gather the URLs to every PDF available in California. Then Oregon. Then Washington and so on. I come to your site and put in my zip code–you say "Hey, we don't have anything in your city yet but here's your local activity guide" BAM ... backwards compatibility. Marketplaces are hard. Keep up the good work. [1] http://cdixon.org/2009/08/25/six-strategies-for-overcoming-chicken-and-egg-problems/ http://cdixon.org/2009/08/25/six-strategies-for-overcoming-c...
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Erik, great comments. Thanks, I'll definitely reach out to you when we expand to southern CA, you're the core demographic. I was talking to a friend the other day who did a 'cost analysis' of how much she was spending on camps. It turns out it was close to $4500 just for two kids and only 6 weeks! I'm sure your camp budget blows past that. On another note, we're definitely considering 'stocking empty shelves' but want to focus on getting really good at figuring out the right way to get parents to register before expanding. I'll reach out directly!
  - samstave 13y ago
    Also look at the Care.com model: I paid ~$100 for a THREE-MONTH access to care.com to find a babysitter in my area... That process took ~2 hours, and we found a great sitter! She has been our go-to sitter and we never went back to care.com for anything... So; one model could be ""pay for a summer subscription to all the info in your area for the period ~June through ~september" Winter activity packages extra. Get your friends to also sign up for service; to be able to register their kids to events/camps for a discount to yourself.... Etc.
courtneypowell 13y ago
Awesome, love family oriented startups. Also check out activityhero.com. I used them last summer and they have more cities.
iamwithnail 13y ago
Cool idea, even if the fundamental idea of packing your kids off to camp is a bit weird...

57 points by emmiechang 13y ago

I meant to say "SHOW HN" apologies for the mistake everyone!

I respect your work, but I must say this: "You are terrible." Why you might ask? Well ask any kid who has been forced off to Bible Camp or some other humiliating childhood summer activity. Keep up the great work!

emmiechang 13y ago
I'll take that as a compliment. I own a tech camp in 10 locations nationwide, and if you told an athletic kid he had to spend 8 hours/day 5 days a week in an air conditioned room staring at a screen, he'd think it's horrible. For all my tech-y kids that come to camp, the thought of playing soccer in the sun horrifies them! It's just funny, and bible camp doesnt sound too bad--i mean, it's not band camp or anything!
- cheneytsai 13y ago
  As a former teacher at one of those camps, I can attest to having kids there who loved being there and learning. What kids end up doing in their summers should be a ongoing dialogue between the parent and their child, without any voice overpowering the other.
- JoeAltmaier 13y ago
  The assumption that some kind of camp is needed. I say, camp can stifle the youth's initiative, as it provides a constant irrigation of the senses with no effort (other than the activity of course). Spending weeks with your friends wandering, making up games, looking at the world and thinking - happens on lazy summer days, not at camp.

samstave 13y ago

I have three kids and my eldest is 9, I've been looking for something like this the last two summers. I'll check it out when I get home and come back and provide feedback.

emmiechang 13y ago
Please do--and reach out to me directly. I'd love to help out.
- samstave 13y ago
  Hey EmmieChang! I think the idea is amazing; but I have some issues with the workflow and UX.. [1] WRT the main page; you have a box for the type of activity in search. You lack the filters that are on the next page, assuming I enter an interest... This sucks; ill explain. I don't want this to be the entry, because I dont know the ACTIVITY; I am filtering on the following in priority hierarchy: 1. LOCATION 2. AGE/GENDER 3. DATE RANGE 4. BUDGET/AVAILABILITY Here is how the thought process works in a parents head: "I have a 9 year old girl who will need to be in camp from DATE to DATE and I can afford max of $XX.00 for that period -- Show me what you have" Then from there, you should branch to many other things: Based on your budget and date-range; These are the available camps. The front page of your site asks first for activity. Even after entering activity; I DO get a filter option for my region... but when I select that region; the results have NO germane granularity in the list. (Meaning they dnt show WHERE the event is...) http://imgur.com/a/mmch2 http://imgur.com/a/mmch2 I have a stay-at-home-mom who will not be driving to a camp ~10 miles away... etc... So, I tink the start is great - it does not resolve the issue with how does one find an event near their home. So; my recommendation: Treat CAMPs like RESTAURANTS -- the SAME thought process that one uses to select a restaurant is the one they use to select a kids camp. "Dad works, mom has limited range and needs max convenience to shuttle kid; has limited date range for when reservation is needed AND will pick most economical+nutritious [READ: FUN] option within that selection set"
  - emmiechang 13y ago
    Wow, thanks. I compare myself to OpenTable all the time, but I like hearing it from your standpoint. re: location, I hear you--will def work on that soon. Reaching out directly! ;)

bluedevil2k 13y ago

My wife and I just sat down and planned our kids summer camps and would have greatly benefitted from this. For a marketing tip, I'd focus on the mommy blogs, since I'd guess they do 80-90% of the summer camp planning.

emmiechang 13y ago
Awesome, any mommy blogs you (or your wife) particularly like to visit?

nwenzel 13y ago

Finally, a startup that recognizes that people do get married and do have kids. I know, I know... seems totally nuts. But it happens to the best of us. Now if you could just help me get them from point A to point B, that would be even better.

emmiechang 13y ago
Yes! Transportation is on our list--right after a bunch of stuff of course. In the meantime, want to buy some camps/activities?

ars 13y ago

Can you put up a static demo? Or even just screenshots? I want to see what this is without actually registering, but every link that looks promising takes me to a contact page.

emmiechang 13y ago
Here's a screenshot of a demo schedule. Super simple, add your kids, add an activity and share with your friends or family https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%202014-02-11%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%2020...
- ars 13y ago
  Ah, so it's a daily schedule, not an hourly. So not suitable for running a backyard camp with activities during the day.
  - emmiechang 13y ago
    Yeah--it's a weekly scheduler. However, if you need a management tool to run your camps--we can help you with that (it's free, go to https://www.camperoo.com/camps/join https://www.camperoo.com/camps/join )

quaffapint 13y ago

Would really appreciate a demo of how this works, especially without having to create an account just to find that out.

emmiechang 13y ago
Cool--we're working on that. how old are your kids?
emmiechang 13y ago
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%202014-02-11%20at%206.31.45%20PM.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq1ixtdm6ioogdo/Screen%20Shot%2020... Check out the screenshot--dead simple. What do you think? Would love your feedback.

aelaguiz 13y ago

Love it!

tagawa 13y ago

I think you'd get more sign-ups if you could allow people to create a calendar without registering and then say something like "register now to save this calendar". By that time, they're more invested in the product than someone who's just arrived at your site. I could be wrong but I think @patio11 uses this tactic for Appointment Reminder or BCC.

emmiechang 13y ago
Great idea-- we'll try that next. We wanted to throw something out there first, and the easiest way was to just tie into our existing login system. Shipping is better than perfect right? :)
- jacobolus 13y ago
  Make sure you’re careful about a change like that. I’ve also heard of cases where doing that caused problems, because people would forget to register and lose their data.
  - emmiechang 13y ago
    Note taken--maybe we'll just capture e-mail address!
joshmn 13y ago
Not affiliated with the product at all but I don't know why more products don't work like this. It's just genius. With a ukelele ;]
- emmiechang 13y ago
  Aww... Thank you Joshmn. This makes me seriously feel good. I sit at my chair (granted it's a fancy chair) in my home/office toiling away at all hours and your comment just really made my day....(er night). New iterations to come later this week. Did you see we have Ukelele camp? https://www.camperoo.com/products/k/ukulele https://www.camperoo.com/products/k/ukulele

northband 13y ago

Hey that's a cool idea - good luck!

callmeed 13y ago

This is a GREAT idea. I've got 4 kids and we put them in all sorts of camps/activities in the summer. Last summer they did tennis camp, surf camp, dance camp, baseball camp, art camp, and some others I can't recall. So, this is definitely something I'd use. Now, as for the implementation, here's what frustrates me: You don't serve my city (San Luis Obispo, CA). Furthermore, you don't state anywhere on your home page "Serving San Francisco & Seattle. Put in your email and zip code and we'll notify you when we have your town." You should REALLY do that. For this issue, you should also take a "backwards compatibility" approach (as Chris Dixon put it [1]). Getting more camps in new cities is hard–I get it. But, just about every city in America has a parks and recreation department and most of them publish their summer activities in a PDF guide. So, you get an intern and have him/her gather the URLs to every PDF available in California. Then Oregon. Then Washington and so on. I come to your site and put in my zip code–you say "Hey, we don't have anything in your city yet but here's your local activity guide" BAM ... backwards compatibility. Marketplaces are hard. Keep up the good work. [1] http://cdixon.org/2009/08/25/six-strategies-for-overcoming-chicken-and-egg-problems/ http://cdixon.org/2009/08/25/six-strategies-for-overcoming-c...

emmiechang 13y ago
Erik, great comments. Thanks, I'll definitely reach out to you when we expand to southern CA, you're the core demographic. I was talking to a friend the other day who did a 'cost analysis' of how much she was spending on camps. It turns out it was close to $4500 just for two kids and only 6 weeks! I'm sure your camp budget blows past that. On another note, we're definitely considering 'stocking empty shelves' but want to focus on getting really good at figuring out the right way to get parents to register before expanding. I'll reach out directly!
- samstave 13y ago
  Also look at the Care.com model: I paid ~$100 for a THREE-MONTH access to care.com to find a babysitter in my area... That process took ~2 hours, and we found a great sitter! She has been our go-to sitter and we never went back to care.com for anything... So; one model could be ""pay for a summer subscription to all the info in your area for the period ~June through ~september" Winter activity packages extra. Get your friends to also sign up for service; to be able to register their kids to events/camps for a discount to yourself.... Etc.

courtneypowell 13y ago

Awesome, love family oriented startups. Also check out activityhero.com. I used them last summer and they have more cities.

iamwithnail 13y ago

Cool idea, even if the fundamental idea of packing your kids off to camp is a bit weird...