Displaying items by tag: Summer Camp
Wisconsin Summer Campsare the perfect place to expose kids to camp. Picking. a Wisconsin summer camp offers a child the chance to be away from daily civilization. No place in the midwest will give a child an amazing experience in the country. At Camp Nature Swift child gets to play, make new friends and learn new outdoor activities, this takes place in the fun sun of the northwoods of Wisconsin.
A Wonderful Summer Camp. (Summary)
The children have such a diverse selection of activities at this Wisconsin summer camp that they can barely fit it all in during their stay! From horseback riding and swimming to archery and craft making the time is action packed with fun filled adventure that your child won’t stop talking about.
Swift Camp is dedicated to the spirit of Naturalist Ernie Swift. The camps goal is to provide a traditional summer camp while encouraging children to respect nature and to understand it in a more profound way, This ACA accredited camp has been helping children have a great summer for over 40 years.
The Discovery Program is a unique camp program only for the first time camper. This special session is unlike any other sleepaway camp because it is designed to give additional attention to those children a little reluctant to leave home for their first overnight summer camp experience. Regardless if your child is a first time campers or is experienced at overnight backpacking and canoeing trips your child can attend this camp.
To learn more about picking the best summer camp for your child visit SummerCampAdvice.com
My first time on the Mighty Namekagon River
Camp was Over and all of you guys left... camp was sooo lonely, empty and quiet... So we had to do something....I remember the campfire when you guys share your favorite camp memories, and most of them are from your trips! Well, I wanted to experience thoseAdventure Trips too so the three of us: Jeff, Forrest and myself got our gear ready and set off for the Nam 1 trip. The weather was perfect...no rain in the forecast for this trip :)
Even Super Tom after dropping us off did not want to go back to camp so he also jumped in the canoe and paddled with us for a few hours. It was beautiful... all the wildlife we saw, we even made friends with a great blue heron and named him Billy. Billy followed us the whole first day. When we stopped for a swim, Billy stopped too :) We ate RJ’s, played UNO and spent a night in a tent. We also sang camp songs. I realized then why trips are often your favorite part of SNC. We wished all of you were there then, too. Love you all, Lonnie
Halloween has got to be one of those times of year that is most like summer camp. IT IS OK TO GET CRAZY! I think deep down we all love to dress up in some wacky way and make others laugh. Remember those crazy days at camp when you wore something outlandish or dressed like someone else? This picture is of a costume that Forrest and I wore for a local Halloween party. Can you guess who we are? We won a prize for one of the best costumes. Please be kind this Halloween and do not participate in mean tricks...it’s just not nice :)
Recently Backpacker Magazine set out to find the best cities to raise kids in Nature. Suprisingly, or maybe not, Duluth was ranked in the top 25. These are the best places in America to “beat Nature Deficit Disorder.” Read more atOutdoors Camp. That’s not too surprising when you think about all the incredible fun outdoor things to do around Swift Nature camp. Remember Lake Superior, Apostle Islands, Amnion Falls, Superior Hiking Trail and THe Boundary Waters. So nest summer do What Back Packer Magazine Recommends go Play Outside in the Northwoods of Minnesota.
YOU MUST See this Video. Guys you must see this too (what you see is not what you get)!
We at Swift Nature Camp have always been focused on each child’s inner beauty!
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YOU MUST See this Video
We at Swift Nature Camp have always been focused on each child’s inner beauty!
Top Reasons for Summer Camp
My son, currently 15, has attended Swift Nature Camp for four years and we are going to send him back for as long as we can. He loves it. Although, he has ADHD and is very smart, but has trouble at school with attention-seeking ploys.
The counselors and directors at SNC have a great, hands-on approach to leadership, social skills development and confidence-building......read on
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Top Reasons for Camp
My son, currently 15, has attended Swift Nature Camp for four years and we are going to send him back for as long as we can. He loves it. He has ADHD and is very smart, but has trouble at school with attention-seeking ploys.
The counselors and directors at SNC have a great, hands-on approach to leadership, social skills development and confidence-building.
Jeff and Lonnie, along with enthusiastic counselors, provide an excellent atmosphere that encourages positive traits to rise to the surface. My son has developed greater peer understanding and empathy, greater self-confidence and trust, better leadership skills, an understanding of group dynamics and fair process and many other valuable lifelong skills.
At first I felt nervous sending him to a place I had never seen, but it was really worth it! I talked to Jeff and Lonnie over the phone before I signed him up for the Discovery Camp . A special program for the First time at Camp
Their willingness to discuss any question I had and their understanding of my fears made the decision easy. My son took the bus there, but I picked him up at the end, so I got to see first-hand all of the wonderful places he got to explore.
He was so excited about camp that I'm not sure he drew breath on the 8-hour journey home!
The SNC website tells you everything you need to know and I love how the camp is set up. The cabins are by gender and age and do activities together, including laundry (!)
In the afternoons the campers can pick from a variety of typical camp activities (arts & crafts, archery, swimming, etc.).
n top of this, the camp is dedicated to environmental awareness and nature preservation. They have a nature center with microscopes and frogs and tadpoles and lots of hands on activities. There is also a small petting zoo of well-adored animals.
Of course there is plenty of laughter, games, campfires, food, sports, fun, drama, singing, etc. that makes overnight (residential) camp an experience one remembers for their entire life.
As a parent, I appreciate that this isn't a "sports camp" or "math camp" or something ultra specific. Kids at SNC get to be kids and by experiencing all sorts of different activities and a diverse set of campers and counselors, learn more about themselves than at a specialized camp.
My son has learned so much from this camp in the four years he has been attending. We have noticed a HUGE difference in his attitude, manners and abilities. He is more mature, pleasant and competent. We would pay any price for the experiences and social education he has gained from SNC.
We used to joke that you can find math, reading, or science tutors but no tutors in social skills. Well we were wrong! This is exactly what my son needed at exactly the right time in his life.
If you are thinking about away-camp for your child, please consider SNC. Primarily I think of it as a non-competitive, confidence-building camp where kids get to be kids. I know it is the best thing we ever did for our son.
Thanks Jeff, Lonnie and all the fabulous counselors, cooks, nurses, etc. We hope our son will join your camp as a counselor when he is older (it is a new goal of his)!
You can also find more information on how to pick a summer camp at this website FINDING a CAMP
However, as parents know, chronological age is never a definitive marker. Some children are more than ready at six or seven, especially those who have an older sibling at camp, while some eight year olds still need a year or two before they are ready to handle the separation of a sleepaway camp experience. Three guidelines can help you to consider your childs readiness:
1) Has your child enjoyed other overnight experiences?
Many children eagerly sleep over at friends or grandparents homes, a sign of readiness. When a child is successful spending the night away, it’s a sign that he or she can function independently. However, if you’ve gotten middle of the night calls and had to pick your child up in the middle of an overnight stay, its an indication that he or she is not quite ready for overnight camp.
2) Has your child had other camp experiences?
It’s helpful if a child has attended day camp prior to going to sleepaway camp. At a day camp, children learn to move from one activity to the next, make new friends, and develop teamwork skills.
3) Is your child adaptable?
Going to overnight camp requires some flexibility, an ability to adjust to new situations, and a willingness to try new things. Though all children experience some period of adjustment, camp adjustment will be more difficult for the child who is fairly rigid and has difficulty in new situations.
Generally speaking if by 11 or 12 your child is still reluctant to go to camp, the time might come to give some gentle persuasion and insist that they go. Then encourage and guide to help make this transition easier for them.
As parents we have to remember that as much as we love our children our goal is to prepare them to leave the home and be a productive part of society. Summer Camp is a basic part of the growth process. Try it this summer.
At camp, children are given ..........
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Enhanced Self-Esteem
Camp offers children many opportunities to become competent. Practicing both new and old skills on a regular basis, it makes sense that there will be improvement. Novices have chances to learn, while those who are more experienced can improve. Learning new skills and improving on old ones builds self-esteem. Children become more independent and self-reliant at camp with their new-found skills.
Trying New Things
Sending your child to camp is giving them an opportunity to try something new. No matter how many after-school programs or lessons a child takes, its likely they will never have the opportunity to try all that is offered at summer camp. In a supportive environment, the child can try at something new. The interesting twist to these activities is that, since campers often don’t know anyone else at camp before they go, they are more willing to try activities that their friends at home might not expect them to. The athlete can try out for the camp play, while the artist may dabble in sports. At camp, children can try new things and set their own goals for success.
Life Skills
Though years later, your child may not remember capture the flag games or the words to a camp song, the life lessons learned at camp will remain. At camp, a child learns how to take responsibility. The child who has never before made a bed, will learn how to smooth out sheets and blankets and tidy up a cubby. Though counselors will remind and encourage, campers quickly take responsibility for personal hygiene, and for more minor health issues, a camper learns to articulate what hurts and how to get help. All of this personal responsibility further fosters a sense of independence and self-esteem. Camp also improves a child’s social skills by making new friends and learning how to reach out to strangers. At camp, children learn to get along with others, all while living together 24 hours a day, learning about courtesy, compromise, teamwork, and respect.
Hidden Benefits of Camp
The benefits of overnight camp are not limited to children, but extend to parents as well. There is relief in knowing that your child is in a safe, exciting environment for the summer. Even if child care isn’t an issue, it’s often hard to find suitable activities for the summer, as well as finding peers for children to interact with. Camp offers entertainment and constant peer company. For parents that have more than one child, camp can give a younger sibling a chance to shine in the older one’s absence. And if you Homeschool camp is a wonderful way to help your child socialize. For families where all the children go to camp, parents have a chance to do things that would not interest the children. When a child makes it clear how excited he or she to go to camp, these parental excursions are guilt free.
Summer Camps Make Kids Resilient
After all, summer camps are places where children get the experiences they need to bolster their range of coping strategies. There are the simple challenges of learning how to build a fire, going on a hike, or conquering........
a high ropes course. There are the much more complex challenges of getting along with a new group of peers, learning how to ask for help from others, or taking manageable amount of risks without a parent following after you.
The best camping experiences offer these opportunities for manageable amounts of risk and responsibility, what I term "the risk takers advantage" (see my book Too Safe for Their Own Good for more examples). The worst camps pander to children as if they are entitled little creatures whose parents are paying big sums of money. Children at camp can't be treated like customers if they are going to get anything out of the experience. They need to be treated like students whose caregivers, the counselors, know what the kids need to grow.
Camps that pull this off and make kids, especially teens, put away the makeup, stash the iPods, get a little dirty and even a little frustrated while having fun and making new friends, are the kinds of camps that offer children the best of what they need. Looking at those experiences from the vantage point of my research on resilience, I know that camps help our children develop great coping strategies when they provide seven things all children need:
1) New relationships, not just with peers, but with trusted adults other than their parents. Just think about how useful a skill like that is: being able to negotiate on your own with an adult for what you need.
2) A powerful identity that makes the child feel confident in front of others. Your child may not be the best on the ropes course, the fastest swimmer, or the next teen idol when he sings, but chances are that a good camp counselor is going to help your child find something to be proud of that he can do well.
3) Camps help children feel in control of their lives, and those experiences of self-efficacy can travel home as easily as a special art project or the pine cone they carry in their backpack. Children who experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new situations long after their laundry is cleaned and the smell of the campfire forgotten.
4) Camps make sure that all children are treated fairly. The wonderful thing about camps is that every child starts without the baggage they carry from school. They may be a geek or the child with dyslexia. At camp they will both find opportunities to just be kids who are valued for who they are. No camps tolerate bullying (and if they do, you should withdraw your child immediately).
5) At camp kids get what they need to develop physically. Ideally, fresh air, exercise, a balance between routine and unstructured time, and all the good food their bodies need. Not that smores (marshmallows, chocolate and graham cracker treats) don't have a place at the campfire, but a good camp is also about helping children find healthy lifestyles.
6) Perhaps best of all, camps offer kids a chance to feel like they belong. All those goofy chants and team songs, the sense of common purpose and attachment to the identity that camps promote go a long way to offering children a sense of being rooted.
7) And finally, camps can offer children a better sense of their culture. It might be skit night, or a special camp program that reflects the values of the community that sponsors the camp, or maybe it's just a chance for children to understand themselves a bit more as they learn about others. Camps give kids both cultural roots and the chance to understand others who have cultures very different than their own.
That's an impressive list of factors that good camping experiences provide our children. Whether it is a subsidized day camp in a city or a luxurious residential facility up in the mountains, camps can give our kids a spicy combination of experiences that prepare them well for life. Add to that experience the chance for a child's parents to reinforce at home what the child nurtures at camp, and maybe, just maybe, we'll find in our communities and schools amazing kids who show the resilience to make good decisions throughout their lives.
Oh sure, I remember the days when I was a camper but over the last 40 plus years
I know my mind has altered the memories. Here in the enclosed info is the story line
of an overnight camper and how his story is much like that of a Hero form a book.
New Campers: A Hero’s Journey
I was first introduced to the story pattern of the Hero’s Journey when I took a screenwriting course in college and read The Writer’s Journeywhich uses the Hero’s Journey concept to help storytellers create their story. The Hero’s Journey describes the stages the main character (the hero or heroine) goes through in nearly every story in existence from plays to books to film.
The Hero’s Journey can also relate to our own personal lives and the lives of those around us. In fact, using the Hero’s Journey a person can find inspiration to create their own extraordinary life story.
But this is not a post about you or me. It’s not about creating or bringing meaning to our own story. Instead it’s about the journey that first time campers take, how they go through the stages of a hero’s journey. The next post I write will be about how we can enhance that journey and help our young heroes and heroins to grow and become better people through this experience we call summer camp.
The Stages
Stage 1 – Ordinary World
Every Hero starts off in the mundane world. They go to school, participate in activities, etc. But many times they have this feeling that something is missing, that there is more out there. Most kids have this sense of adventure and exploration that isn’t met at school or in the city. With dangers all around, parents don’t allow their children to stay out of the house and explore their surroundings like they used to years ago. That sense of adventure stays inside them, laying dormant.
Stage 2 – The Call to Adventure
In every Hero’s journey there is a moment when they get the Call to Adventure. For future campers they may hear about camp from an enthusiastic friend or from their parent who has sent away for a brochure. Some kids may have found information online. No matter how they found out about camp they have been Called to this new Adventure that awaits them and all the exciting opportunities it brings.
Stage 3 – Refusal of the Call
Now, our Hero, our future camper, has heard the Call to Adventure but is nervous about it. There are so many unknowns; will I make friends, will I have to shower with others, I’ll miss home, what if I don’t like it, will there be spiders in the cabin, will the other kids make fun of my snoring, will I like the food, are there bears, etc. This new adventure can be exciting but it can also be dangerous (and possibly life-threatning). It wouldn’t be a real adventure otherwise. Our Hero is refusing the Call to Adventure.
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Creative License
Here is where I change the pattern of the Hero’s Journey a bit. In the classic version the Hero meets a Mentor that guides him or her to heed the Call to Adventure. So step 4 would be Meeting with the Mentor. Step 5 is Crossing the Threshhold where our Hero commits to the Adventure. In my structure those two steps are reversed as the Mentor in this typical scenario is the camp counselor that helps our Heros and Heroines through the tests of the Journey.
Now back to our story…
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Stage 4 – Crossing the Threshold
Our Hero is now encouraged to answer the Call by parents, other family members, friends and even camp videos. Through this encouragement many children finally decide to commit to the Journey. They are going to camp. This commitment leads to all kinds of feelings and emotions. The camp fee has been paid and our Hero is gathering his/her gear for this Adventure (sleeping bag, toiletries, camera, clothes, etc.) and the feeling of excitement mixes with dread and anxiety. But our Hero must have courage (taking action in the face of fear). They must go forward. And our Hero does. They take the drive to camp and cross the Threshold onto the camp property where there are new sounds and sights. This is an unfamiliar place that is scary. Our Hero is committed though.
Stage 5 – Meeting with the Mentor
Now our Hero meets their Mentor, the camp counselor. The Mentor is confident, wise and protective. The Mentor knows that our Hero must face challenges during this Adventure but is there to help guide them through. The Mentor understands that our Hero will have to stretch him or herself, that they will grow as people through this experience.
While the Mentor may want to shield our Hero from adversity by letting them sit out of the challenges a camper faces (community living, camp competitions, high ropes course, swimming, performing, etc.) they also are wise enough to know that these challenges, these trials, are improtant to the Hero’s Journey.
Stage 6 – Tests, Allies and Enemies
Our Hero will face tests during this Journey. Our Hero may not know it but he/she is on a Journey for Treasure. That Treasure is completion of the Journey. It’s like a treasure chest filled with all the experiences, personal growth, relationships and memories that the Journey brings. But no treasure is worth having if there aren’t obstacles, challenges, tests, adversity.
The good news is that our Hero will not only have a Mentor but also Allies that will help our Hero get through it all. If our Hero goes to the pool for swim instruction their Ally will be the swim instructor. On the archery range it’s the archery instructor. Our Hero also has a cabin or group full of Allies (and possibly a few Enemies, which is also part of the Journey). These peer Allies will be important when it comes to camp competitions, ropes courses and team building, performing skits and evening activities such as camp dances.
Stage 7 – Approach to the Innermost Cave
On the first day of camp our Hero has met their Mentor and Allies, heard about the upcoming tests and challenges and have possibly met some Enemies (bullies, inner fear, bad food). At some point during the Journey our Hero will venture into the Innermost Cave, the darkest place they can imagine, the ultimate test. For many first time campers at resident (sleep-away) camp that Cave is night time where they will face their worst enemy - homesickness. As night approaches our Hero feels a knot growing in the pit of their stomach. They begin to think about home and mom and the safety of their rooms. Even their little brother, who they fight with constantly, is being missed right now. If our Hero has not created Allies or has created more Enemies than Allies at this point then homesickness will be strong.
For other campers the Innermost Cave can be the fear of heights on a ropes course, the fear of drowning in the pool, the fear of body image when in the community shower, the fear of not making friends, the fear of being made fun of or losing a camp challenge.
Stage 8 – The Ordeal
Our Hero must now deal with their fear. Hopefully the Mentor has recognized that our Hero is in the Cave facing his or her ultimate camp fear and is able to give our Hero advice on how to deal with it. Allies can also be a big part of getting through the Cave. For example, if our Hero has a fear of heights then his/her Allies will encourage our Hero to persevere as our Mentor gives clear, calm instructions. If our Hero does not face his/her demons then the Treasure may be lost to them. If homesickness leads to the parents taking our Hero home, if our Hero never leaves the gound at the high ropes course, if fear keeps our Hero from entering the water, then the memory of the Journey will be tainted, the sense of accomplishment will be lost, our Hero will not have stretched himself/herself and will have the hole in their soul to prove it. They MUST accomplish the task.
Stage 9 – Reward
Our Hero has conquered the fear, climbed the mountain, seized the sword, vanquished the dragon. They have emerged from their Ordeal. This was their initiation. They should now be recognized as special, a part of the select few that have conquered their fear. Now is the time for celebration. This may be an ending campfire, a group celebration of cheers and whoops, a token or trophy of their accomplishment or even a proud look from a mentor.
Stage 10 – The Road Back
Our Hero has done it – gone through all the experiences camp has to offer (and then some). The Treasure has been earned. Camp is over. Now it is time for our Hero to leave this Special World and return to the Ordinary World. But our Hero is not the same person they used to be. The Journey has strengthened them. Camp is no longer an unknown and scary place. It is a place of wonder filled with friends and Allies – a place where our Hero has learned that he or she can be courageous and do things they didn’t think possible. It is a place that taught them they could be without electronics, a place they found independence, a place they stretched and grew.
Stage 11 – Resurrection
But the story does not end there. Now that our Hero is home they must cope with a new Ordeal – the Oridanary World. The excitement fades as the Special World is out of site. Our Hero wants to return to the place of wonder, but they cannot. They have left a place of acceptance, encouragement, love, peace, challenge and accomplishment only to return to a harsh reality. This seperation anxiety is tough for many Heroes. Their new friends and Allies are missed, as is the Mentor who guided them through so much.
Camp is a place where kids can be someone else, someone better. They can start fresh. When they come home they return to the people that know them and their weaknesses. These people (family and hometown friends) weren’t there to see the strength our Hero used and the accomplishments our Hero made.
This is a time of rebirth, where our Hero sheds the personality of camp and builds a new one suitable for the Ordinary World, taking the lessons they learned on their Journey and fusing that with the best parts of their old selves – like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
Stage 12 – Return with The Elixer
Now that our Hero has returned to the Ordinary Life and has ressurected into their new selves they bring back with them the Elixer – stories, pictures, momentos of their Journey, their Adventure, that they can share with others. This may inspire friends to go on journeys of their own. This may be the Call of Adventure for others that hear our Hero’s tales. The Elixer is the final part of our Hero’s Journey. It is the proof that our Hero was there, that he or she vanquished the dragon showing all others what is possible and that it is a Journey worth taking.
Once everyone back home has heard the tales our Hero has brought back – the time is right to plan the next journey.
this article is from http://summercampprogramdirector.com/new-campers-a-heros-journey/
