Camp News

10 Tips for Coordinating Activity Stations for Camp

Coordinating different activities in stations and rotating groups from one station to the next is a common practice at camp.

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10 Tips for Safe Swimming at Camp

Swimming and water activities at camp with friends can be a highlight of the summer. However, swimming can also be very.

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12 Tips for Recreation Program Planning

Planning is the cornerstone of any well-run community recreation program. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. Proper.

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15 Incentives to Boost Family Engagement Attendance

To encourage families to attend school or organization events and boost attendance, it’s essential to offer incentives that make participation.

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3 Tips to Improve Your Agency’s Supporter Communications

Communicating effectively with supporters is essential not only for getting visitors to your organization, but also for encouraging those visitors to deepen.

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4 Ways to Introduce STEM in Early Childhood

Imagine planning to build a tall and strong building. Once you’ve chosen the perfect location and prepped the site, there’s.

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5 Fun and Colorful Foam Craft Projects

Looking for some fun and easy craft projects? Dive into these 5 foam crafts that are perfect for all ages..

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7 Game Packs to Boost Social Skills, Build Life Skills, and Reduce Stress

Who doesn’t love playing games? Beyond just being fun, games play a crucial role in developing important social skills. Through.

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8 Quick and Easy Tips for Reviewing and Updating Your Camp Songbook

Think about your camp songbook. If you don’t have one, create one! It’s the best way to formalize your song.

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Advancing Accessibility in Outdoor Recreation

The demand for facilities that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been on the rise, which.

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Anticipating The Cold

It’s important to prepare facilities for winter weather. When park leaders hear other organizations complaining about frozen pipes and expensive.

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Battle of the Bully

Bullying can happen anywhere, and the dynamics can be complex. To put preventative measures in place to tackle incidents of.

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Bridge the Gap: Start a CIT Program to Combat Staffing Woes

A Counselor in Training (CIT) program typically allows high-school students to volunteer within a camp program. Set up properly, it.

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Camp Administration 101: Fine-Tuning The Details

Proper planning pays dividends in running programs smoothly. Planning is the cornerstone of any well-run camp. However, the beauty of.

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Camp Cool Age: Summer Camp for Seniors

It will feature fun, relaxing and recreational activities for local seniors during the day. Some sessions include pickleball, meditation and.

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Camp Planning, Hiring, and Marketing Timeline

While it may feel like summer camp just wrapped up, camp directors know that it’s never too early to start.

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Conversation Cards to Promote Student Group Discussions

Looking for a fun and engaging way to spark meaningful conversations? Conversation Cards are the perfect tool to promote group.

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Counselors In Training

To create an inclusive program where all CITs could thrive, an extension to the program was added. Directors in Training.

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Crafting with Kids: Top Crafts for Developing Fine Motor Skills

Crafting with kids is more than just a fun activity – it’s an excellent way to support their development. Engaging.

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Decodable Tool Kits for Classrooms – Support Phonics and the Science of Reading

Years of research across multitudes of studies have led us to the same conclusion – children learn more effectively when.

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Defining Great Fundraising

In the world of philanthropy in community rec and nonprofit organizations, fundraising plays a crucial role in supporting important causes and.

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Defining Organizational Success in Community Rec

For leaders and organizations, redefining success to emphasize values, impact, and collaboration can lead to more sustainable and meaningful outcomes. This shift.

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Disability Inclusion at Camp

Camp is community. Camp is friendship. Camp is childhood. As camps advance their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, practices, and.

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Eight Tips for Creating Safe Spaces at Camp

For generations, a camp director’s focus on safety meant protecting campers from physical harm. In today’s reality that is still.

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Elevating Youth Voices for a Sustainable Future

In recent years, the growing impacts of climate change have galvanized youth across the globe to demand action and advocate for sustainable policies. In.

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Empowering Youth Through Parks and Recreation

Park and recreation professionals play a vital role in shaping the lives of young people across the country.

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Engaging Families Leads to Profound Impacts for Youth in Mentoring Programs

Youth development happens every day in park and recreation spaces and programs. The growth that young people experience in their.

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Essential Tree Management Tips for Camps

Having a comprehensive tree management plan can help mitigate risks by identifying and addressing issues and problem areas and ultimately.

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Exciting New Findings Highlight Summer Camps’ Role in the US Economy

Through innovative research conducted by the University of Michigan Economic Growth Institute (EGI) in collaboration with the American Camp Association.

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Facilitating Inclusion in Parks and Recreation

To create meaningful and lasting change when it comes to including people with disabilities, it is important to involve people.

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Field Day Activities for Team Building

It’s time to get excited about Field Day! Campers look forward to this day because it gets them outside and.

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Health and Fitness Games for Camp

Are you ready to turn exercise into an exciting adventure? In a world where screens dominate entertainment, it’s crucial to.

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Help Your Staff Better Prepare for Your Program’s Summer Marathon

Camp professionals often compare the summer season in their program to running a marathon. During interviews with seasonal staff, we.

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How Exciting Challenges Ignite Youth Potential

Have you ever watched a child hit their first ball, swim their first lap or read their first book aloud?.

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How to Run a Teen Program at a Summer Camp Wary of Teenagers

Some camps welcome teens, but others do not — perhaps because they find normative adolescent behaviors intolerable. Why should we care?

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How to Survey and Evaluate Your Recreation Programs

You should make it a priority to survey and evaluate every aspect of your operation before, during and after all recreation.

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Improving Your Recreation Programs With Technology

Technology is important in all facets of our lives and it’s no different in your recreation operation. Technology can be.

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Inclusivity: Serving All Ages and Abilities

Embracing inclusivity is not merely a gesture of goodwill, it’s a moral obligation and a societal necessity. All too often,.

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Managing Risk: Protect People and Property with Proper Plans and Procedures

Anyone running a camp must consider the exposure to risk and ensure that any space the camp occupies is safe..

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Marketing Messages That Work for the Parks & Rec Industry

The most effective marketing opportunity is the ability to build a relationship with members of a community. As experiential-based organizations,.

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Navigating the Camp Offseason

Whether you run camps all year round or just over the summer, there are always going to be peaks and.

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Planning a Successful Arts and Crafts Program at Summer Camp

Arts and Craft projects are one of the cornerstones of camp activities and a staple for any camp. It is.

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Return To Form

When campers are ready to return, directors and counselors are tasked with keeping them happy and occupied, but it’s also.

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Safety and Supervision at Camp

Proper safety and supervision at camp is important and should be taken very seriously. Whether coordinating an activity, on a.

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Scrapbooking for Students – A Fun and Educational Afterschool Activity

Plan a scrapbook activity for your afterschool program or during events throughout the school year! Scrapbooking is a great craft.

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Seasonal Staff Development

The average seasonal staff member will clock approximately 840 work hours over an 8-week period. This means we camp professionals.

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Staff Engagement: It’s as Simple as a Holiday Card

Being intentional with camp staff doesn’t take a lot of effort. However, the effort we do make reflects how they.

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Successful Camp Activity Stations and Transitions

Coordinating different camp activity stations and rotating groups from one station to the next is a common practice. It’s also a great.

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Supporting Staff Well-Being

It is no secret that our nation’s mental health crisis has grown rapidly over the last several years. Park and.

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The Art Of Station Rotation

Coordinating different activities and rotating groups from one station to the next is a common practice at camp and a.

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The Importance of Advocating for Youth Recreation Programs

Advocacy is defined as any attempt to influence someone or support something to effect change. Advocating for your industry can.

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The Importance of Teambuilding, Ice Breakers and SEL Activities

Camp can be intimidating for your campers, especially younger age groups and first timers. Ice breakers, teambuilding, and social and emotional.

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Tips for a Thoughtful Staff Application and Interview Process

Whether you’re just starting to think about hiring camp staff for next summer, or you’re already in the thick of.

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Transforming Outdoor Organizations: A Journey into Human-Centered Hiring and Belonging

Many organizations and camps want to increase diversity and representation in their staff, but often see high turnover and little.

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Trees for All: The Benefits of Trees

In an increasingly urbanized world, the role of nature within our communities has never been more important. The need to.

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Unlocking the Potential of Tomorrow’s Leaders

It’s undeniable. The research proves how important and impactful high-quality youth programs and activities are for the development and success of children..

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Using Journals to Help Your Summer Camp Staff Succeed

In support of Project Real Job, one camp shares why they started providing journals to their camp counselors in hopes.

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Vision For The Future

A formal business plan helps directors run a camp, serving as a guide through each stage of operation management. The.

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Youth Engagement Strategies for Camp

Interacting and engaging with a large group of kids in a camp or other childcare environment can be a challenging task. Kids.

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The Summer Camp Source as seen on