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Posts Tagged ‘summer camp’

If you went to overnight camp as a child you can always tell a favorite story you can still remember in exact detail, down to the smell of that pine forest. Memories of summer camp are lifelong reminders of lessons with a lifetime?s worth of value with friends you haven’t forgotten. Learn how to select a Summer Camp Finding a Summer Camp

Few places on earth can provide a child with opportunities daily fun the way a camps can. Fun would be reason enough to go to overnight camp, but summer camp offers much more to enrich a child’s life, whether it?s a Traditional Camp or Nature camp or a nonspecific resident camp.Summer Camp

Summer camps are healthy! Exercise is a part of any child?s life of play, and camp is a natural provider of constant, safe, imaginative physical play. This brings opportunities for every camper’s intellect and imagination to get plenty of exercise at the same time.

Summer camp offers a wonderful template for kids to learn the skills of social interaction in a more creative and independent way than school settings allow. Still gently guided by adult role models called counselors, campers get an chance to apply what they have been taught at home in a independent world..Summer Camp

Speaking of value, given our current economy sleep away camp is easily the most affordable summer care choice available. Camp is so much more than childcare. It’s a place and time for kids to gain independence, enhance their skills, make new friends and above all have fun.

Campers discover their own capacities and grow into them, setting newer and higher standards for their own behavior themselves. The camp context encourages perseverance, listening skills, teamwork, recognizing similarities and appreciating differences. A pattern of self discovery that that is uniquely nurtured and developed at camp becomes a lifelong habit.

Sleep-away camp is an opportunity for each child to come to a new place and try new things while making new friends. Everyone starts as an equal with a chance to just be them self. Summer camp is so much more than the most affordable childcare choice parents can make?

Swift Nature Camp is one of the few camps nationwide that offers a beginning camp experience only for the first time camper. Learn More at Youth Summer Camp

To learn all about picking the right summer camp visit Best Summer Camps

April 22nd, 2010 will be the 40 year celebration of the first Earth Day here in America. Since then many rivers have been cleaned up and smog eliminated from our cities. Despite all that success, today our kids are suffering.

Richard Louv , child expert, believes the lack of nature for our kids is causing extreme concern. He calls this phenomenon nature-deficit order. He feels rends such as rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression are all in part caused by a lack of play in nature.

Summer camps since the early 1900 have been getting kids outdoors and informing children about the environment. Yet, when folks talk today about camp it could be a skateboard camp or a math camp at a college campus. Summer camp is a wonderful way to get your child to have greater appreciation for the environment. Swift Nature Camp is a place that can help you develop you child’s joy in nature. .Environmental Camp

Swift Nature Camp is noncompetitive, Outdoors Summer Camp for boys and girls ages 6-15. The focus is to Appreciate nature while doing traditional camp activities. We make Nature Fun , here are a few camper comments

“Swift combines the best summer activities with learning. We have fun. doing all the activities but it the beauty of the nature that makes this place special”

“Last year a turtle came right up by our cabin and laid its eggs.”

“The zoo and the Nature Center are best cause the animals are fun to play with …I even got to adopt one.”

We have a lot of songbirds. If you listen, you can hear a lot of robins, cardinals, woodpeckers, but its the loons at night that make camp amazing”

Camp Director Lonnie says” It ‘s excitement that makes our Science Camp work.” Our catch and relaease Frog hunts are most popular. Adventure trips like canoing and hiking really bring it all together.”

For SNC camp is more than nature our small size allows us to promote each child’s personal development by providing fun, friendship and leadership in a supportive and noncompetitive environment away from home. While children are home all year long, that’s your time to plant the seeds and direct the thinking patterns which guide your child to how they should behave and socialize. But at summer camp children will have an opportunity to act on their own, be self-reliant and try things for themselves.

Our Counselors are wonderful role models that promote perseverance, listening, teamwork and appreciation of differences, campers set new and high standards for their own behavior. This in turn brings their new found independence more in linewith what yu are trying to do at home. We are on your side.

We see Swift Nature Camp as an opportunity for each child to come to a new place and try new things and make new friends. Summer camp is a new world. Who you were before has no bearing on who you want to be, because camp is a new beginning. Many of our campers return year after year saying that “Swift allows me to be my real self with real people” and we feel that’s a good thing.

All this happens in the fun and sun of the north woods of Wisconsin. For staff and campers alike, Swift Nature Camp is more than just a place to be: it is their summer home. So why not join our Swift family this summer?

You can learn more about selecting a wonderful summer camp by visiting Summer Camp Advice Find a Summer Camp

Thinking of sending your child to summer camp? But what about Homesickness? You don’t have to be a camper suffer from homesickness. A strange, new place can trigger separation anxiety. It is a normal part of childhood for many kids. It is evidence of the loving, trusting relationship you have built with your child and therefor, separation for the first time often is scary.

At a Kids Summer Camp a camper knows that separation is followed by reunion, but emotionally, it can be difficult to accept. When in the midst of adjusting to living with new people in a new environment, children can get overwhelmed. Even for children who enjoy new adventures and love sleepovers with friends and relatives, a short bout of homesickness is a common reaction.

As parent it’s important not to measure your success by by your child’s homesickness. Don’t feel as if your child is not independent just because your child is having a difficult time adjusting to summer camp. It may be difficult to understand how hard your child finds the first few days at camp. For them often it seems that he will never see you again. Be sure to rationally look at your child’s reactions. Often kids are just looking for a reassuring hug

Anxiety can cause the least rational reactions in children as well as adults. Homesickness is a temporary feeling that can over come with adult support. The benefits of overcomes homesickness are enormous It increases self-confidence and self esteem. Don’t give up when you get that letter saying come pick me up I hate it here. Instead call the camp director and discuss how they might be able to help your child

Is it ever right to say that it isn’t working and bring your child home? Sure, but you must make this decision with a great deal of thought and awareness of the long-term consequences. Campers who come home before the end of their stay often feel like failures. However, sometimes, even with the best of intentions and efforts on the parts of the parents and staff, a child is just not ready for camp or it’s just not a good fit. If, after a real trial (a week is not to long), and the best efforts between home and camp your child is clearly not adjusting, it’s time to bring the camper home.

If you make the decision to bring your child home, hopefully in agreement with the camp director, then you need to support your child fully through what he may think is a failure. Don’t go through an intense reevaluation the day he comes home, but after a few days, you should sort out what went right and what went wrong with the experience. Help your child to understand that even though the camp experience was disappointing, he is not a failure because he came home. Let your child know that you may reconsider another sleepaway camp program at another time because you have confidence in him.

A unqniue SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS, Swift Nature Camp offers a program designed only for first time campers. This Discovery Camp works because during the 12 days it allows camper to move past homesickness and into self confidence. This program limits campers to about 50 with 6 in a cabin with 2 or 3 staff. All campers are here for their first time, setting a level playing field for all campers. If your child is a little reluctant to leave home, look for a program that is especially designed only for first time campers

Find out how to pick a summer camp at Summer Camp Advice Camp information

Homesickness is a feeling that anyone can feel A strange, new place, even if it is exciting and fun, it is normal to miss home. Separation anxiety or homesickness is a normal part of childhood. It is appropriate, in loving, trusting family. Because your child loves and feels secure with you, separation can be scary and uncomfortable

A Kids Summer Camp provides separation followed by a reunion. Yet, emotionally, it can be difficult to accept especially for children. Early on while adjusting to a new environment and living with new folks, children can get overwhelmed and even scared. Kids who enjoy new adventures and love sleepovers with friends may experience homesickness but usually it is limited.

As parent it’s important not to measure your success by by your child’s homesickness. Don’t feel as if your child is not independent just because your child is having a difficult time adjusting to summer camp. It may be difficult to understand how hard your child finds the first few days at camp. For them often it seems that he will never see you again. Be sure to rationally look at your child’s reactions. Often kids are just looking for a reassuring hug

Homesickness is not about your child loving or trusting you enough, or about her independence or willingness to take risks. Homesickness is a temporary feeling that can be beaten with the support of camp staff. Beating homesickness it is a huge boost to to a childs self-confidence and self esteem. Helping kids get over home sickness is what camps do well. Be Sure to talk to the director if you feel this may be an issue for your child

Should you ever give up? Sure, but don’t act to quickly, unless you feel their is a problem more than just homesickness. Feelings of failure often accompanies those who return early. Sometimes, a child is just not ready for camp even with the best of intentions and efforts on the parents and camp. Especially, when it’s just not a good fit. If, after a week or ten days with the best efforts of your camp, your child is clearly not adjusting, it may be time to bring your camper home. Usually going for a visit does not help the situation.

If you make the decision to bring your child home, hopefully in agreement with the camp director, then you need to support your child fully through what he may think is a failure. Don’t go through an intense reevaluation the day he comes home, but after a few days, you should sort out what went right and what went wrong with the experience. Help your child to understand that even though the camp experience was disappointing, he is not a failure because he came home. Let your child know that you may reconsider another sleepaway camp program at another time because you have confidence in him.

Swift Nature Camp offers a unique SUMMER CAMP FOR KIDS that is designed only for first time camper. This program works because during the 12 days it allows camper to move past homesickness and into self confidence. With a limited amount of campers and all campers at camp for their first time it sets a level playing feel for all children. If your child is reluctant to leave home look for a program that is only for first timers.

Find out how to pick a summer camp at Summer Camp Advice Camp information

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect our global environment.

Despite this awareness of Nature and the Environment there is a staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation-he calls it nature-deficit-to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder has spurred a national dialogue among educators, health professionals, parents, developers and conservationists. This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children. The bottom Line we and our youth need to spend time outdoors.

Schools have tried to use nature in the class room for some time. At Holman School in NJ, Ms. Millar began an environmental project in the school’s courtyard. It has become quite an undertaking–even gaining state recognition. It contains several habitat areas, including a Bird Sanctuary, a Hummingbird/ Butterfly Garden, A Woodland Area with a pond, and a Meadow. My students currently maintain the Bird Sanctuary–filling seed and suet feeders, filling the birdbaths, building birdhouses, even supplying nesting materials! In addition, this spring they will be a major force in the clean up and replanting process. They always have energy and enthusiasm for anything to do with “their garden”.

Many schools have taken on projects like Ms. Millar, Yet, Despite schools teaching of nature kids rarely play outside, we as a nation have lost the ability to just send our kids out to play. Watch out for the “boogie Man” has infiltrated our lives. As parents we live in fear. Yet, it seems we are learning that a wonderful way to help our children get outside is summer camps. These Camps help children develop into mature adults. A new study finds that most of todays parents overprotect their kids. 50% of all kids have stopped climbing trees, and 18% have been told that they can’t play tag or chase. Even hide-and-seek has been deemed dangerous. And that dreaded stick…”will put out someone’s eye”, is definatly a No No.

Is the Internet and computers to blame for the decline in outdoor play? Maybe, but most experts feel it’s mom and dad. Play England says “Children are not being allowed many of the freedoms that were taken for granted when we were children, They are not enjoying the opportunities to play outside that most people would have thought of as normal when they were growing up.”

Voce argued “that it was becoming a ‘social norm’ for younger children to be allowed out only when accompanied by an adult.” “Logistically that is very difficult for parents to manage because of the time pressures on normal family life,” he said. “If you don’t want your children to play out alone and you have not got the time to take them out then they will spend more time on the computer.”

The Play England study quotes a number of play providers who highlight the benefits to children of taking risks. ‘Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,’ said one. ‘It helps them make judgments,’ said another. We as parents want to play it safe and we need to rethink safety vs adventure.

Examples of risky play that should be encouraged include fire-building, den-making, watersports and climbing trees. These are all activities that a Summer camp can provide. At camp children to get outside take risks and play, this while being supervised by responsible young adults.

A Noncompetitive, Traditional OUTDOOR CAMP in Wisconsin called Swift Nature Camp is a wonderful place to start. Boys and Girls Ages 6-15. enjoy Animals, Science along with Traditional camping activities out in nature . Swift places an emphasis on being an ENVIRONMENTAL CAMP where we work with kids in acquiring a deep respect for nature. It is our meaningful, fun-filled learning through active participation that makes it so fun. . We focus on natural curiosity and self-discovery…This is NOT School.

No matter what skill level or interests your children have, Swift Nature Camp has activities that allows them to excel and enjoy. All activities are promoted in a nurturing, noncompetitive atmosphere, giving each camper the opportunity to participate and have fun, rather than worry about results.

Out-of-camp trips, such as biking, canoeing, backpacking and horse trips are a great way to get kids out in nature. Kids love to discover new worlds and learn to be comfortable in them. This is why Swift is so much more than just a SCIENCE SUMMER CAMP.

Earth day has provided so much..but their is more we can learn from nature. This summer help your child regain their appreciation for nature by sending them to Swift Nature Camp. This is an opportunity that will be treasured the rest of your child’s life.

Sending your child to a Minnesota Summer Camp is a great idea if you have done your homework. The ACA. suggest you ask these top 10 questions.

1. What’s the camp’s ideology? Are you comfortable with this ? Is it a good fit for your child? Is competition or cooperation emphasized? What religious observances or practices are part of the program? I

2. What does camp do with staff? First aid training? Drug Testing? Do counselors have criminal background checks? What’s the training all about?

3. What about return rates? How many counselors are returning this year? The ACA says at most camps, 50 percent of the staff returns. If the number you’re given is lower, ask why. How many campers return? Fifty percent is good, and more is better. Still looking for that perfect camp Check out this Summer Camps Minnesota

4. What’s the ratio of counselors to campers? ACA guidelines for overnight camps call for a 1:6 ratio for ages 7 and 8, 1:8 for ages 9-14; and 1:10 for ages 15-18. Day camp guidelines call for 1:8 for children ages 6-8; 1:10 for children ages 9-14; and 1:12 for ages 15-18.

5. What’s the Staff Ages ? Eighty percent of the staff be 18 or older and that all staffers be at least 16 and a minimum of two years older than the campers they supervise. Are the staff a paid position or volunteers?

6. What about Health Care? Overnight camp have a licensed physician or registered nurse on the site daily, Day camps should be have direct phone access. Be sure you are comfortable that the camp will be able to handle your child’s special health care needs.

7. How does the camp handle conflicts and Discipline? Find out what the camp’s rules are and what breaches would result in a camper being sent home. You should be comfortable that the camp’s practices are in line with your parenting practices.

8. What is a day at camp like? This will help you know if your child will find happiness with the level of activity. Is their choice in selecting activities.

9. How does the camp provide transportation? How often are the van inspected? Who is driving, what’s the training.

10. References,References, References Most important, get the names of parents with children the same age who have attended the camp. They will tell you what makes camp so special

Still looking for that perfect camp Check out the website below.

I used to go to summer camp when I was a kid and I absolutely loved it. It surprises me now, as the camp did not even have showers on site and you basically had to clean yourself in the lake when you went swimming.

My son is old enough to go to camp this year and I thought it would be great if he could go to the same camp that I grew up attending. I was very nostalgic when I took him there and I was amazed at all of the changes that had been made since my own camping days. For one thing, they now have electric showers and plumbed in bathrooms.

I had to check it out for myself and I found the shower cubicles to be very modest, still giving the camp the rustic feeling that it should have. My son had a great time and is looking forward to going back next year. I hope he creates as many wonderful memories there as I did as a child.