Green Latrine
Michigan’s Grand Haven State Park -- 48 acres of sumptuous white-sand beach along the shores of Lake Michigan -- serves over 92,000 campers each year, and generates over $1 million in revenue. Since c
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
A Focal Point for Fitness
The initial decision to invest in a playground for your camp can be an easy one. Just the thought of campers swinging, climbing, dangling, spinning and challenging friends to match
Stop Flushing Money Down The Drain
Several years ago while we were running confirmation camp, we kept running out of water (the camp runs its own water system). I was stressed out trying to figure out what the problem was.
Plumbing, Power Tools & Personal Growth
There’s far more to successful campground maintenance than keeping the playing fields mowed and the bathhouse pipes clear. If it were only that simple, a few turns of a screwdriver
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
Warm Welcome
Try this exercise: Leave your camp, and then drive back, thinking about what you see through the eyes of someone who has never been there before. Ask staff to do the same, and then
Digging The Outdoors
At The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Orange County, Calif., kids are digging into environmental science--below ground.
A Shift For Survival
Camping has been a core value of the Girl Scout Movement since Juliette Gordon Low gathered 18 girls in Savannah, Ga., to create the first troop on March 12, 1912. At the
High-Frequency Playground Inspections
A worn, rusty S-hook at the top of a swing gives way, and a child tumbles to the ground. Another child falls from a climber onto a surface where mulch hasn’t been replenished in more than a year. Still another child happily playing with friends slips on the playground and is cut on broken glass.
A Wiffle Effect
In fall 2006, after tabulating more than 1,500 camper evaluations, we discovered that Flagpole, a long-standing camp tradition, was described by the majority of campers as boring, hot,
Safe Shooters
Steeped in history, riflery is a classic camp activity that is very popular among campers. Like other individual sports, the main competition is one’s own experience of learning new skills and beating personal-best scores.
Make Aces Out Of Amateurs
What would be better than bragging that the next Paula Creamer or Anthony Kim swung a golf club for the first time at your camp? OK, so you might not turn out the next PGA superstar,
A Disc Golf Course In The Woods
The city of Franklin, Tenn. found a unique way to blend a parks sports facility with urban forestry by incorporating a low-impact disc-golf course into an underutilized area within a park.
Rev Up Recycling
The summons to “go green” is all around us. Camps, though, have been doing this for years--long before it was popular. However, it can be useful to periodically evaluate ways to be even
Sprouting With Green Ideas
It seems every day we learn of more ways to “go green,” from green energy sources to green house construction. Even auto companies are joining the effort by producing hybrids and
Sun Showers
Mass Audubon, New England’s largest conservation organization, works to protect the natural environment of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. In addition to a large membership and a
Green Ideas
What do you do to “green” up your facility? Camp directors save all kitchen food-prep scraps and feed them to their chickens. Craft paper is supplied from a local print shop's scraps.
Retreat With The SMERF Market
Want to increase retreat business? Follow the SMERF acronym to identify the major players in this sector.
There’s No Such Thing As A Special Diet
Cooking “nuggets” five different ways for one camp meal can be a challenge--especially when the spoon from one batch can’t touch the spoon from another batch. With the growth of food allergies and spe