Continuing-Education Best Practices
“College is the best four years of your life” is a discouraging claim for two reasons: It implies the rest of your life will be disappointing, and it suggests an educational dead end in your early 20s. Fortunately, if you’re committed to being your best, neither of these dim predictions comes true.
The Second Scourge Of Electronic Technology
Most day and overnight camps forbid campers from using their phones. Most camps also forbid staff members from the same—at least in front of campers.
Apprentice Programming
I had been teaching swimming for 20 years, so I couldn’t understand why this dripping and discouraged 12-year-old was having so much trouble with his breaststroke rhythm. My tried-and-true pull, kick, glide supplication had always worked … until today.
So This Counselor Walks Into A Cabin …
Want to know the biggest secret about staff training? Most of the learning will not occur in formal workshops but on the job, after campers arrive. As a parent, that’s a scary thought, at first.
Power Praise In Programs
The phrase “effective praise” might sound redundant. All praise feels good and increases desirable behaviors, right? Wrong. Some forms of praise fall flat and do little to shape future behavior.
Five Ways To Wreck Empathy
Let’s get three things straight. First, empathy is not a soft skill. It’s much harder to express effectively than most people realize.
Staff Continuum
In 2006, 87 percent of YMCA Camp Ernst’s staff had once been campers themselves or were returning staff. According to the American Camping Association (ACA), the national average
The Well-Trained Staff
Welcome to the debut of Camp Business’s new column on staff training. Dr. Chris Thurber, one of the most sought-after camp consultants, responds to reader queries, and offers cutting-edge, turnkey content
Manners Matter
Early in the history of organized summer camps, cooks sparked a debate. Directors on one side of the debate argued that camps should be egalitarian utopias that teach self-reliance. Therefore, children should cook for themselves.
Novelty: Naughty or Nice?
It’s fun to ponder our love/hate relationship with newness. We wrap presents for birthdays, Chanukah, Christmas, and other special occasions, in part, because it’s pleasant to be surprised.
Teachable Moments
Children can sometimes be annoying. With that bold truism on the table, here is a logical question for Camp Business readers: What can be done about that?
One For The Road
I“Did I ever tell you my President Obama story?” asked my cab driver out of the blue. Ever, I thought. I’ve been riding in your cab for 10 minutes, in total silence. Did you ever tell me?
Not A Math Person
“My teacher is an idiot” and “I’ll never use it, so I don’t care” win the bronze and silver medals for the most widely used excuses for poor math grades. The first is a classic external
Praising Criticism
“If you want something sugar-coated, go eat a doughnut.” Ah, the wisdom of a T-shirt. Yet this little joke deftly captures the “Don’t ask me if you don’t want the truth” approach to management, an approach more youth leaders should embrace.
Gamification
Here’s an interesting new word to add to your youth-development lexicon: gamification. Gamification means to apply the principles of games—specifically video games—to real-life situations and problems.
I Brushed My Teeth
People lie. It’s in our nature. We tell children never to lie, but of course they do. And as soon as they are old enough, they counter with the scenario of the sociopath: the one who shows up at
Woven Programs
“Underwater Basket Weaving” is routinely maligned as the ultimate gut course. Yes, rattan vine reeds need to be soaked in water before they are flexible enough to weave without breaking. But that’s not the point.
A Pinny For Your Thoughts
I recently attended a 3-day conference on eating disorders, where the message was clear: Within the range of healthy weight, human bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Yet popular media promulgate an
Getting Down And Dirty
Sometime between kindergarten and moving into my first apartment, I lost the puckish love of dirt. Reviving our camp’s nature program and dining services helped me rediscover my inner Pig Pen.
Liked For The Right Reasons
Curious children ask “why”—especially after adults set limits. “Why can’t I stay up later?” “Why do I have to eat my vegetables?” “Why do I have to brush my teeth?” These are daily queries in most households with children.