Hey, Camp Fans!

I’ve made Tuesdays Tips and Advice Day throughout the month of May, specifically about the Five Goals of Summer Camp. Being the fourth Tuesday, today will disclose and discuss Goal #4 and next week Tuesday, we’ll extend this May series into June to reveal the fifth goal.

In the first week I went into Goal #1—Have Fun. The second week talked about Goal #2, Improve athleticism, intellectualism, and artistry. Last week covered Goal #3 which is to Gain Independence. And today, we’ll discuss Goal #4.

Goal #4: Make Friends and Develop Social SkillsAt a setting like summer camp, this goal is inevitably reached—typically without the awareness of it even happening. For shy kids who maybe don’t have an abundance of friends back home and are afraid that they won’t have an easy time making friends at summer camp—there is no need for concern! Kids make friends with other kids easy as pie at camp. It just HAPPENS!

The experience of a kid’s summer camp stay and being away from home at this setting, is typically superior to any other previous experience in terms of personal growth and development of social skills. Something kids can rarely achieve in other settings, they do in beautiful, rural settings like summer camp.

At camp, kids learn to get along with one another; camp gives them a boost in confidence of their putting themselves out there in response to their personality and, so doing, helps them to make friends with ease. These sort of skills are essential to successfulness in life throughout adolescence and adulthood. You can’t accomplish much without getting along with others.

Rest assured, your summer camp stay is sure to bring lots of friends and a strong feeling of community. Many camps provide the proper environment that brings these skills out in all their campers. 

You can learn more information about the Goals of Summer Camp and MUCH more in Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski’s helpful guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook.’

Tune in to the last post in this series next week to read about the last Goal of Summer Camp, Experience a New Natural Environment. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

I’m posting Tips and Advice about the Five Goals of Summer Camp on Tuesdays throughout May. Last week I gave parental pointers you can use to help make sure you’re kid improves in athleticism, intellectualism, and artistry—Goal #2—and the week before that I talked about Goal #1: Have Fun. Today we cover new territory with Goal #3.

Goal #3: Gain Independence.

Goal #3 is a different animal than the first two. You can tell, pretty much immediately, if your kid had fun at camp or if they sharpened their skills in things they’re passionate about. The results of the first two goals are more-or-less concrete outcomes, whereas the results from Goal #3 can be a little more subtle and slow to show.

Being away from home in itself gives your kid the confidence and interest in discovering new things on their own. Kids become more outgoing and take healthy risks that they otherwise wouldn’t take with parents around. In fact, being away from home is the most influential forces in gaining independence.

Sometimes, the results of your kid’s achieved independence will be more evident. Kids return from camp and suddenly stop interrupting when you’re talking with somebody else or clearing the dinner table without being asked. How does this happen?

It works like this: your kid is given a taste of something new at camp—responsibility. They’re responsible for tasks at camp and (with guidance) they’re responsible for themselves. This creates an awareness and understanding of what needs to be done within their community at camp and, without being told what to do, campers do it.

As noted in Drs. Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski’s ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ “Independence slowly evolves alongside an increased sense of interdependence—the way in which we all count on one another.

Parents should also keep in mind that their kid’s increased responsibility and use of manners will likely fade throughout the year. After all, they're kids! Camp isn’t going to turn them into adults! It just gives them a push in the right direction. Come back next week to read about Goal #4: Make Friends and Develop Social Skills. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Aficionados!

Last Tuesday I talked about a series I’m posting on this Blog throughout the month of May. The series is about the Five Goals of Summer Camp. Last week I disclosed the first goal, which is by far the easiest to accomplish at summer camp: Have Fun! The next goal isn’t too difficult either, and that goal is:

Goal #2: Improving athletic, intellectual, and artistic skills. 

As Dr. Chris Thurber and Dr. Jon Malinowski point out in their excellent summer camp guide, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ they explain the five goals of summer camp. And from their explanation, we can glean that for the same reason Goal #1 is so easy to achieve, Goal #2 is nearly as easy. And why is that?

Because camps are fun manufacturers—experts at it, in fact! They can make anything fun and they have countless fun things to do. That’s why you’re sure to have so MUCH fun at camp!

And that’s why you’re sure to mature in athleticism, intellectualism, and artistry (or, to put it another way, your body, mind, and soul).

Parent Pointers:

-    Most cabin staffers have a knack for teaching. But you’ll want to make sure of this yourself. Watch for specific qualities in cabin leaders—do they set a good example or do they start swearing when they lose their temper? Do they encourage the personal improvements of campers or do they use competition as a means of motivation?

-    Overnight camps offer something that day camps can’t: immersion. The improvements of Goal #2 take some time. Kids need every second of the day to work on these things. They get that at overnight camp. There, they eat, breathe, and sleep camp. However, at day camps, the camp day ends at a specific time every day. The learning process is interrupted and never given enough time to really bloom.

-    Lots of kids can have a tendency to stick with the things they know. If they have a preexisting passion for archery, it’s likely that their first instinct will be to head off to the archery targets. Before camp, it’s good to encourage your children to challenge themselves with something new during their camp stay.

Goal #2 will certainly be reached at any good summer camp! Tune in next week, Tuesday, to hear about Goal #3—Gain Independence. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Soon-to-be-Campers!

As we’re all getting prepped for the fast-approaching summer camp season, I’m sure the thrilling anticipation and excitement has charged the air around your home. With the school year coming to a close, impatience intensifies and we’ve all got summer camp on the brain. So, to join in the anticipation for camp, throughout the month of May, I’ll be posting about the Five Goals of Summer Camp.

Noted in their preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ Drs. Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski explain what the five goals of summer camp are and why we should know them. So, what’s the first goal?

Have Fun!

This first goal is never a problem as camps are pretty much founded on having fun. It’s every kid’s first priority and any good camp’s first priority, so it works out pretty well. The director and cabin leaders at your camp are likely very skilled people who know how to make some fun out of even the most mundane activity—like tidying the cabin or gathering firewood.

You might be thinking, “My kid? Have fun cleaning? I don’t think so…”, but stranger things have happened. You’d be surprised what kind of influence a fun, positive example can have on your kid. Summer camps have been successfully working their magic for generations!

But good cabin leaders making a boring time fun is just the tip of the fun iceberg at summer camp. Skilled staff members may be able to make fun out of nothing, but camp offer a vast variety of fun activities, equipment and facilities, as well as peers. With an abundance of new people to meet and a hundred fun things to do and places to see, summer camp was made to show kids a FUN time!

Tune in next Tuesday to read about Goal #2 of summer camp: Improve athletic, artistic, and intellectual skills. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Preppers!

As we’ve moved through April, I’ve been posting a series of Tips and Advice every Monday about involving your soon-to-be-camper in the planning stages of summer camp.

I introduced the topic on April 6, explaining the importance of including your child. The week after that, I talked about solidifying the length of your camper’s camp stay in your their mind. And last week, was about things to avoid (if at all possible), like moving homes or any upsetting separations directly before or during your kid’s camp stay.

Today concludes this series with probably the most important part of your kid’s involvement in summer camp planning: Keeping Your Doubts to Yourself!
Noted in the excellent preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ Doctors Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski discuss the proper way to reveal your attitude concerning your kid’s camp stay in front of your kid. In their book, they discuss the importance of creating an optimistic and fun approach to camp. After all, your demeanor has more effect over your child’s demeanor than you may realize.

For instance, saying something like:

“I love you so much! You know I’ll miss you, but once you get to camp, you’re going to have so much fun; you won’t even have time to be homesick!”

…is better than…

“I have no idea what I’ll do without you while you’re off at camp. I’m going to miss you so much!—I don’t know how I’ll get through those two weeks.”

…which is Not so Good!

It’s also smart to give kids a few examples of your plans during their camp stay. Let them know that you’ll be keeping yourself occupied while they’re away.

Though doubts may seep into your mind from time to time, you know your kid’s going to have a blast at camp. Give them your support and remind them of a couple things—how proud they make you and that they played a hand in the decision to go to camp.

With encouragement like that, your kid shouldn’t have any worries about the approaching camp season. Enjoy the time leading up to camp and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John