Hey, Parents!

With summer camp right around the corner, these are super-exciting times. Among all this excitement, you may find some feelings of concern. If you read my Tips and Advice posts in April, you know better than to show these mixed emotions around your kid. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.

But have no fear; you have lots you can do to help yourself feel better about your kid’s camp stay. Then you won’t have any mixed emotions to hide. Just positivity. Summer camp experts Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski discuss three ways to alleviate your concern (or ‘childsickness’ as they coin it) in their preparatory guidebook, ‘The Summer Camp Handbook’.

Learn More about Your Camp
Learning about a camp is vital to happily sending your kid off for their summer stay. The more information you can find about the camp the better fit it will be for your kid. That, AND, the more you know about a camp, the less apprehension YOU’LL have about the camp. As Thurber and Malinowski say in their ‘Handbook’,

Talk With Other Camp Parents.
You’ll see that you’re not alone. Or, even better, if you can talk to a parent who has already gone through sending their kid off, they can tell what great benefits camp offers and might even be able to help you cope with you doubts and concerns. If you don’t know any other parents who have sent their kids to camp, you can always call the camp. Ask how your kid is doing and get coping advice from them.

Prepare Your Child for Group Living
Sometimes kids struggle to get along with their peers. Small disagreements between them can snowball into an avalanche and there are a lot of kids living together at camp. Be sure to talk to your kid about behavioral qualities like treating others fairly, being a good sport, cooperating, and so on.

Make summer camp something you AND your kid will enjoy and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Camp Fans!

Tuesdays throughout the month of May were made Tips and Advice posts about the Five Goals of Summer Camp. Of course, we only covered the first four in May—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. Last week covered Goal #4: Make Friends and Develop Social Skills.

Today, we’re extending this series into June to reveal the fifth goal:

Goal #5: Experience a New, Natural Environment

Summer camping has changed a lot in the last century or so, but one thing that hasn’t changed in all those years, is the focus on the natural environment. It IS, after all, the natural environment that draws such popularity to summer camps.

It’s not out of the ordinary for parents who live in the city to want their children to experience the wholesomeness of life in a rural area. While our society’s advancements in technology certainly benefit our daily lives greatly, it seems to reduce kids’ contact with the natural world. Camp aims to fix that.

Most camps are located on beautiful areas. As noted in Drs. Chris Thurber and Jon Malinowski’s ‘The Summer Camp Handbook,’ “At a good overnight camp, your child can gain respect for and curiosity about nature.” With a skilled cabin leader and a natural setting, campers build upon their personal growth in body, mind, and soul.

The great outdoors mean different things to everyone. For instance, some kids might enjoy the waterfront because that’s where they get to go swimming, whereas other kids might like sitting by the water because the sunsets are the prettiest there.

In either case, kids get a lot out of their environmental surroundings. Finding a camp that sits on a beautiful setting is where kids begin to achieve the Five Goals of Summer Camp. As always, thanks for reading.

- John

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