Conceptual Steps
Often, new camp leaders, either counselors or unit leaders, are discouraged when the go to their supervisor for approval of an activity, and they feel "unsupported" when the supervisor has a slew of
The Right Site
Whether you're looking at your current site to make some improvements, or evaluating a piece of property for use as a new camp, or maybe more likely visiting someone else's camp to get some new ideas, few
Planning The Plan
In working with camps across the country, I hear one dream as much as any other…“We need to do a master plan.” In most cases, they have what was labeled as a strategic plan or master plan collecting dust
Making Memories Last … and Spread
When summer is over, some of your campers will ask their parents to sign them up again for next year’s session. And some of them won’t. What’s the difference? Some parents tell all of the friends about your
Ideas for Interactive Play
According to my mentor, Ron Kinneman, creativity is the habit of taking two existing ideas and banging them together. He says the secret to getting ideas banging together is to first have a bunch of “borrowed”
Building A Camp That Builds Friendships
We spend way too much time keeping campers busy in activities. Not that having new stuff every year isn’t valuable, or making camp “fun” isn’t a worthy goal. But, by themselves neither will bring your campers
The Elevator Speech
You meet a parent in line at the grocery store, and you’re wearing a camp shirt. You’re at a friend’s house for dinner, and a couple you’ve just met says, “So I hear you run a camp!” You overhear your part-time
The Right Stuff
Quick! What are the most important tasks your facility crew, program staff, administration and food service must accomplish before this summer?
Avoid the Big Mistakes
I visit about 60 camps each year, so I often get this question: “What are the biggest mistakes you’ve seen camps make in their facilities?” We’ve all seen the mistakes our friends have made, and when
A Shrinking Window
Last May, a camp director called me in a panic. “We’re way behind in registrations, and I’ve tried everything! I don’t know what to do!” While we talked, I pulled up his Web site. I asked,
A Basketful Of Ideas
Every month, I compile an e-newsletter and invite camp directors to submit information to be included in the publication. It’s seen as an honor for their ideas to be used, so I thought I would
A Recipe For Magic
Summer camp for youth has been around since 1861. How could anything continue to be so popular for so long, with such passionate proponents in every generation, unless it has real
Camp Bathrooms And Showerhouses
I see thousands of parent evaluations of summer camps every year, so when I ask, “What’s the single biggest complaint you get?” I already know--the bathrooms. Calling them KYBOs (Keep
If I Had Three Wishes
There’s only one reason kids want to return to camp--friends. Yet when I tour camps and ask what staff members do to specifically help kids make friends, I find out why the average
It’s Hammer Time
The last few weeks before camp opens are hectic for anyone working on maintenance and facility projects. What seemed like plenty of time in the fall has now become a mad dash to be
Making Camp Sticky
When summer-camp sessions end, most directors make the mistake of thinking their job is complete . They brag about how summer camp makes lifelong memories and has a positive impact on kids when they return home.
Incremental Improvement, Part 1
In 1978 I was hired as the summer camp program director for Camp Tecumseh YMCA in Indiana. Tecumseh suffered from the same fate as most camps in the '70s -- dwindling enrolment, deteriorating
Incremental Improvement, Part 2
The same kind of positive expectations and word-of-mouth buzz outlined in Part 1 (see Camp Business, March/April) works for program activities and other facilities as well. Here's a partial list of the yearly
Time=Money
How much does a faucet washer cost? Maybe a nickel? Wrong. The shower's leaking bad in cabin #3 and you've got to fix it before the kids arrive. Your well-meaning