Time To Drain The Pipes
Most camp administrators—especially those who live in colder areas of the country—know the drill well. By October of each year, it's time to winterize the pipes.
Camp Administration 101: Surveys And Evaluations
Make it a priority to survey and evaluate every aspect of an operation before, during, and after each camp session. Without detailed feedback, it’s difficult to tell how things are going.
Camp Administration 101: For Smoother Operations
Whether you own and operate your camp facilities or have a user-group agreement, you have the responsibility to ensure facilities are safe and stand the test of time. Maintaining these facilities properly is the key to making sure this happens.
Building For The Future
Many important questions, conversations, considerations, and decisions are made during the journey toward a ribbon cutting for a new camp building. At initial meetings, camp owners and directors often focus on the most out-of-the-box, wish-list ideas so the design/build team can articulate the camp’s vision and generate a design that will eventually result in a functional, beautiful space.
Camp Administration 101: Coordinating Successful Field Trips
Field trips are one of the most exciting parts of camp for campers but can be the most daunting for you and your staff members. Going off-site adds an extra layer of responsibility to ensure campers have a fun, yet safe experience.
Hitting The Target
Thwacccccck. The sound of an arrow hitting the target in archery is a familiar and reassuring sound to many at camp. It is truly one of the sounds of summer.
Head Master Of Ice Cream Production
Skylake Yosemite Camp in Wishon, Calif., has been producing its own ice cream and Italian ice for almost 10 years. Not only is it fun, but it’s easy. Plus, it’s a better product than can be purchased, and the “word-of-mouth” impact is incredible.
Adventure-Course Insurance Changes
As summer camps get back into full swing—many for the first time since the pandemic began—some insurance companies are changing policies for certain camp activities.
Restroom Renovation
When it comes to facility renovations in many camps, the one area that nearly all administrators want to upgrade is the restrooms. However, restroom renovation remains a dream for too many administrators. The reason is simple: it can be costly.
Combatting The Trauma Of These Times
A few years ago, camping psychologist Bob Ditter and I co-facilitated several conference workshops. Bob would share a critical element in the health-and-wellness realm of camp staff members, and I would share an activity that explored that topic.
Appreciative Staff Training
Many campers credit a lifelong friendship that began with a new friend at camp. The strongest bonds can develop while spending lots of time together negotiating the challenges of communal living with a dozen new people, overcoming homesickness, or even feeling the support from another camper during a first horseback-riding lesson.
Night Hikes
Night hikes are pretty common for stargazing, but what if it’s a cloudy night? Don’t worry—there’s plenty to do in any kind of weather—as long as it’s dark!
Simple Yet Efficient
There is value in sharing expertise. It helps save time, resources, money, and maybe even sweat.
Social-Media Marketing
Historically, camp owners have difficulty promoting all of their facilities’ features and benefits. While advertising in publications invariably pays off, not all camps can afford it; in some cases, there aren’t any publications in a geographic area that would benefit them.
Evaluating Water Activities
Water is a staple of many camps. Yes, of course, camps provide and encourage drinking water throughout the heat of summer, but water also hosts a number of activities that allow campers to cool off, squeal with delight while playing with friends, and beam with pride while learning a new skill (or even brush up on an old one).
Camp Administration 101: Stay Fresh
Part 1 of this series provided 20 points that will help in successfully coordinating any activity with a focus on planning, having fun, and keeping kids engaged. Part 2 outlines more ideas to make activities even better. Creating an upbeat, positive atmosphere always improves activities.
101 Fun Things To Do
There are plenty of activities that lend themselves to real-world, in-person gatherings and events while maintaining appropriate physical distance. I’m sure if you put your mind to it, you can probably create a similar list of possibilities, just from the many activities you already know.
Adapting On The Fly
Many day camps and resident camps had to quickly adjust or unexpectedly cancel their sessions last summer due to COVID-19, but the faculty at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, made a different decision. Actually, there wasn’t much choice; the week that classes were to begin, the campus closed for the remainder of the year.
Authenticity, Immediacy, And Delight
Running a camp requires leaders to pay attention to more variables, details, and input than they can possibly manage. Children, staff members, bugs, sunscreen, pools, parents, email, homesickness, newsletters, websites, lice, and payments: the proverbial firehose from which camp leaders attempt to drink daily is endless.