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Displaying items by tag: summer camps for outdoor kids

Canoe Camp 65Roughing It: The Benefits of Tripping at Summer Camp

Too often today are we surrounded by life’s luxuries, so much so that we can begin to take these things for granted. There seems to be an endless supply of food and water, sturdy shelters, and freedom from the primal forces of nature. However, for those who are brave enough to go venturing into the wild to go camping with no more than necessary equipment and provisions, they find themselves not only on an outdoor adventure, but also a personal journey. One group who can particularly benefit from these experiences are children, and summer camps can provide this opportunity to them. While there are tripping camps, designed so that the majority of the camp experience is with tripping, there are other camps that also can provide these experiences, though perhaps less often. These trips at a Minnesota Summer Camp can create life-changing experiences, allowing campers to grow both their skills in tripping and in life.

The first and most basic goal of tripping is for campers to learn how to live and work with nature. No longer can they go and get food or water from the fridge, but now must survive with what they have, and what they can even scavenge. Being in nature provides a great opportunity to teach campers about how to purify water, fire safety, edible and medicinal flora, and so much more. As they go on more and more trips, campers will grow their outdoor experience, making them better at tripping, but also more knowledgeable of the natural world around them. Camp can provide a unique experience for campers to be leaders. Not every kid that goes to camp has spent a night in the woods with not much more than a tent, but some have, and these campers can be turned to as leaders that can assist and pass on their tripping knowledge. Giving campers responsibility in these scenarios allows them to develop various skills, another important aspect of tripping.

Another goal of tripping is self-improvement and development. Trips are not always easy, in fact, they can be extremely challanging. There are so many factors that are outside of our control that suddenly can change everything, like weather, accidents, or the particular environment you are camping in. These challenges are both an obstacle to be overcome and a lesson in life. It teaches campers to focus on the things they can control rather than the things they cannot control, to work efficiently and effectively, and with certain tasks, to work together and synergize. Maybe the trip was more difficult than anticipated, but that too can have a positive effect. This can show them that they overcame a great challenge, and if they say that it was the hardest thing they ever did, then show them how impressive it is that they rose to the challenge. Along with this, you can take this chance to teach skills that are much more applicable to everyday life. While they may not always use a campfire as their heat source, you can teach campers how to cook. Theres always cleaning up to do after taking camp down, so teach them how to do dishes and make sure they leave no trace. The importance of these developments cannot be understated and can have a hugely positive impact on the camper’s whole life.

Lastly, the goal of Adventure Camp Trips is to allow campers to have fun. It allows for a change of pace in life, to try new things, see spectacular places, and live in it all. Go canoeing if you can, try swimming up river and float back down. There are unique experiences offered on trips that simply cannot be replicated in other places. Making the actual trip to the location can be an adventure itself. When hiking, make sure to look around more and make up silly games and songs to keep it more engaging for campers. Canoeing can offer fun places to have a mid-paddle lunch right next to the river or lake. If a trip has taken a turn for the worst, adding a little bit of fun can boost morale enough to make it home, and there may be no better feeling than getting home from a trip in the wild.

At Swift Nature Camp our campers tend to be those smart kids who like to learn and since they have no screens, they have plenty of time to read. At this old fashioned summer camp we have an achievement award for those campers that read while at summer camp. It takes a little prioritizing but their are plenty of opportunities to read, before bed, quiet time and even outside during activities. Our camp library is loaded with books that campers can choose from. However recently I found this article with a list of books that you might want to give your camper to read at camp

Summer Camps Activities 2020: Campers, Be Sure To Pack These Books This Summer

By Alissa Silber
Published: Mar 07, 2020 08:00 AM
 
summer camp books

 

Sleeping bag: check! Flashlight: check! Books to read …

For children and teens not sure what books to bring to their overnight camp this summer, C.H. Booth Library’s librarians have them covered.

Children’s Librarian Alana Bennison and Young Adult Librarian Catherine Findorak have crafted a list of camp-specific books that will be sure to keep pages turning well after the campfires have died out and the counselors have called lights out.

Young Readers: First Through Third Grade

Camp would not be complete without some ghost stories, and The End of Orson Eerie? by Jack Chabert helps with just that. The spooky book is part of the Eerie Elementary Series, which consists of easy-to-read text and illustrations on every page.

Another popular children’s book series is the Bad Kitty series by Nick Bruel. It features Bad Kitty Camp Daze, which chronicles the hubbub that ensures when the main character, Kitty, bonks her head, causing her to act like a dog, and gets sent to Uncle Murray’s dog camp.

Grow Grateful by Safe Foster-Lasser and Jon Lasser is a lighthearted read for children that features character Kiko embarking on a campingq trip with her class where she learns about gratitude. The book even provides advice and tips for mindfulness and being grateful.

Campers looking for a heart-racing, white-knuckle inducing story can check out I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis. There, the readers will learn the dangerous tale of an 11-year-old girl coming face-to-face with a grizzly bear in the wild.

Another book shining light on the great outdoors is The Camping Trip That Changed America by Barb Rosenstock. The book highlights the true story of President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir’s trip to Yosemite in 1903.

Middle Grade: Fourth Through Sixth Grade

Fans of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes will enjoy the follow up book Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier. The fictional journey takes the characters on an adventure they will never forget.

Out of the Wild Night by Blue Balliett will keep readers on their toes as they read about ghosts who select a group of children to help save the island of Nantucket.

Released just last September, The Light in the Lake by Sarah Baughman is perfect for campers by the water. It tells the tale of a 12-year-old girl studying Maple Lake’s pollution; what she discovers will cause her to make a pivotal choice.

The great outdoors is the setting in The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, where a robot named Rozzum unit 7134 — also known as Roz — finds herself on an isolated island where she has to find a way to survive in nature.

Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs is the third and final installment in the New York Times bestselling Moon Base Alpha series. As exciting as it is to travel the world, this book takes readers on an adventure in space to solve a murder and rescue the moon base commander.

Fans of Kelly Barnhill, Michael Buckley, Adam Gidwitz, Adele Griffin, Lisa Brown, Claire Legrand, Nikki Loftin, Daniel José Older, Dav Pilkey, R.L. Stine, and Rita Williams-Garcia will be delighted to read Guys Read: Terrifying Tales edited by Jon Scieszka. The book features a collection of ghosts stories from each author with illustrations by Gris Grimly.

Those looking for a fright in the night can also dive into The Haunting of Henry Davis by Kathryn Siebel about two kids who meet a ghost named Edgar. The duo goes on an adventure to find out who Edgar was when he was alive and why he has chosen to haunt Henry now.

Grades 5 And Up

A popular young adult series capturing the hearts and attention of graphic novel readers is Lumberjanes, Volume 1 to 13, by Noelle Stevenson. The series features five teenage best friends at Scout camp who go on adventures solving mysteries and fighting monsters.

Another graphic novel sure to delight older campers is the coming-of-age story All Summer Long written and illustrated by Hope Larson. When her best friend leaves for summer camp and our protagonist Bina is left to figure out how to spend her time, she discovers a new friendship based on a mutual love of music.

Grades 8 And Up

With the last book in the “Arc of a Scythe” trilogy by Neal Shusterman finally released last November, campers can binge-read all three books — Scythe, Thunderhead, and The Toll. The dark series takes readers to a fictional world where humanity has conquered everything from hunger and disease to war, and even death. Two teens must apprentice with a scythe, whose job it is to take people’s lives, and if they fail, their own lives could be at stake.

The graphic novel This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki tackles some adult content as its main character, Rose, goes through the turbulence of fighting parents and the unexpected discovery of an older teenager being involved in something life threatening.

So, children and teens heading off to overnight camp this summer will need to be sure to scoot over their toothbrush and socks to leave a designated spot in their knapsack for these page-turning reads.

Here is all the latest info about camp. Enjoy!

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* A quick update(2/3/19) Michelle is out of surgery and the pain is slowly going away. Sadly she now has peunonia, so please wish her luck!
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1st time overnight campSchool is over and Now Summer Vaction has begun. With increasing knowedge that Millions of children suffer from a lack of outdoor exposure and play. Summer vacation is often seen by parents as the only oppertunity to get their kids off of the dreaded SCREEN.
Tratitional Overnight Summer Camps in the Midwest promote a safe and nurturing place that encourage outdoor play. Yet, Non-sports summer camps build more than sport skills they build important life skills. Overnight summer camp has one the hearts of many, here is what a few famous folks have to say:

"Free play in natural areas enhances children's cognitive flexibility, problem-solving ability, creativity, self-esteem and self-discipline." and that "Children are simply happier and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for experiences in the out-of-doors," says Richard Louv.

Michael Eisner, past president of Disney in his book "Camp" believes in the summer camp experience. Summer camp provides the right setting for building self-confidence, social comfort, peer relationships, environmental awareness and a deeper sense of values. It is clear that "Overnight" camps result in even higher levels of success in fostering relationships and building life skills.

Traditional Overnight summer camps provide a wonderful opportunity for children's first time at summer camp, because they often offer an non-competitive, non-sports kid a friendly atmosphere that tends to be more accepting. Whether it's a 1 week camp, 2 week summer camp or 3 week summer camp, the opportunity.
 
Along with the benefits of supervised, outdoor recreation and play, there are other reasons to consider camp as an important part of youth development:
Studies show self-esteem comes from feeling competent and having successful experiences, and youth report significant increases after attending camp. We call this -Building Self-Esteem.

Camps play a critical role in fostering leadership skills by giving young people responsibilities unavailable in other settings, such as self-selecting activities, maintaining camp areas and mentoring younger campers. We call this Building Leadership Skills.

Camps provide fun and positive ways to define and cultivate life skills, whether learning patience through archery, building confidence by zip lining or working as a team playing water polo. We call this Learning Life Skills.

Summer camp teaches youth to be "more green" by connecting campers with their outdoor surroundings and opening awareness for our planet. The Children & Nature Network, an organization that is dedicated to help children experience nature's joys and lessons, supports summer camps as a way to connect children with nature. We call this Getting Kids Outdoors.

Trying new challenges is the key to building self-confidence, research shows 75 percent of campers push themselves to learn new things at camp. We call this Stretching Our Comfort Zones.

Counselors help campers discover how fun the great outdoors can be designing safe, engaging activities that let kids be kids, while teaching valuable life lessons. We call this Having Fun.

Camps create community cultures that minimize social pressures, making campers feel more themselves. Camp fosters an environment for supportive adult relationships, like those between counselors and campers, which research proves is a source of emotional guidance. We call this Developing Quality Relationships.

While the idea of sending kids away to camp may give parents uneasy feelings, the American Camp Association reports the experience of achievement and social connection away from home can nurture a child's independence. We call this
Gaining Independence.
 
To learn more about selecting the right summer camp for your child see Summer Camp Advice
Old Fashioned Camp AdventuresFor many Summer Camp Seems to be an old Fashioned summer activity, Yet writer Josh Noel, of the Chicago Tribune seems to have unique insight that every parent needs to hear. This summer institution is old-fashioned — and as relevant as ever.

Summer camp provides folks with a special place unlike any other, ask anyone who has been to summer camp. Camp is uniquely child centered.Providing an open and friendly place. It’s where you can put aside your reputation from school, avoid a lot of the drama, and just relax into who you really are. That’s a big part of why you make your best friends at camp; you’re not trying to impress or be someone else. It’s just you. All this with some really cool adults providing constant interaction.

Read the article from the Chicago Tribune by clicking on read more.
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KEWADIN, Mich. — On a warm summer morning thick with dew, the counselor stood before 50 sleepy kids in T-shirts and sweatpants at the flagpole — the meeting place before all meals — and bellowed, "Good morning, Camp Maplehurst!"

"Good morning," they mustered back.

He asked for announcements.

Nothing for a moment, then one camper offered, "Ryan farts in his sleep."

Giggles.

"Are there any real announcements?"

"But it's true!" the camper insisted.

Another said, "It's Lindsey's birthday Saturday!"

The kids, ages 10 to 16, cheered and descended into chatter. The counselor raised his hand, reeling them back with a simple command: "Listen to your camp family."

After quickly running through the Camp Maplehurst Song ("I've got the Maplehurst feeling up in my head, up in my head …"), the kids headed to a breakfast of French toast, sausage links and strawberry yogurt on plastic trays.

It was an average Camp Maplehurst morning, the details likely forgotten before the last sausage was served (except maybe by poor Ryan). But in the camp family, as the counselor put it, even the ordinary is extraordinary. Every moment matters. Consider: For a few weeks every summer, each camper takes on a few dozen brothers and sisters. They sleep together, eat together, play together, sing together, work together and learn together. They fight and make up. They start figuring out love. They see one another in pajamas and bathing suits. They develop their own vocabularies that allow them to know the differences among the Moose Song, the Beaver Song, the Pirate Song and, when rushed, the Flagpole Song ("This is the flagpole song/It doesn't last too long").

In the togetherness, idiosyncrasies are forgiven. Peer pressure dissipates, or as much as it can at the age of 14. Material things prized back home are made moot. What good is a PS3 at camp?

And judgment is withheld. Don't believe it?

"I don't have many friends at school," said Roberto Soto, 13, of Guadalajara, Mexico. "I like to read, and in Mexico reading is considered nerdy, and if you're a nerd, you're considered an outcast. Here, people are from a lot more places and everyone is open."

Anyone who has been to summer camp knows that the relationships are like few others. Friendships form quickly, intensely and with open minds. Even if camp friends don't keep in touch long-term, what has been shared is long remembered.

One hundred fifty years since summer camp was born, the American Camp Association estimates there are as many as 15,000 summer camps in the U.S., much of the recent growth in specialized camps: music, religious, athletic, etc. Peg Smith, chief executive officer of the ACA, said the camp experience "is probably even more important than it was 150 years ago."

"It is a microcosm of a community," Smith said. "You learn to contribute to that community and to make relationships. Being able to communicate needs and resolve conflict stays with you."

Even the youngest campers realize the difference between what happens at camp and what happens back home.

"There's a lot of drama at school," said Charlotte Thomas, 12, of Short Hills, N.J.

"You get into fights with your friends, but here, you figure it out because you have to," said Anna Stern, 12, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
That was Thomas Cohn's plan when he started Maplehurst in 1955. Cohn, a University of Michigan psychology professor, wanted an outlet for kids built on freedom and creativity not promoted in schools. The camp is particularly popular with kids from Midwestern suburbs and attracts many international campers.

Laurence Cohn, who grew up attending his father's camp, took the reins with his wife, Brenda Cohn, in the 1970s. They deal with issues the elder Cohn never had to address, such as restricting use of MP3 players to afternoon rest time and asking for cell phones at the start of each session.

"The kids don't want to give up their phones," said Laurence Cohn, a psychology lecturer at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. "So we ask nicely."

He figures phones get in the way of the real business of camp, namely, being at camp. It's difficult to miss text-messaging when post-breakfast activities include biking, tennis, archery, arts and crafts, model rocketry, basketball, fencing, golf, kayaking, floor hockey, improvised comedy, tai chi and photography. And that's just before lunch.

Campers can program their own time to learn what they like, Cohn said. But that freedom is balanced by the responsibility of cleaning their cabins daily.

"I don't even have to do that at home," said Jordan Correll, of Farmington Hills, Mich.

Leaving usually ends up being the worst part of camp. It happened a few days early last summer for Maud Foriel-Destezet, 16, because of her family's travel plans.

Seemingly everyone at the camp offered Foriel-Destezet a hug, and tears flowed quickly. Her cabin mates formed a circle and took her in, heads down, arms around one another's shoulders, to create a world of sniffling teenage girls in shorts and T-shirts.

"The real world is waiting for you on the other side," said Margot Kriete, 16, of Birmingham, Mich.

A few hours after Foriel-Destezet had left, those same girls were all smiles while performing in the long-awaited camp talent show. Dressed in brightly colored clothes, they lip-synced to a top-40 hit, leapt, giggled and made new memories.

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Oak Brook, IL 60523

Phone: 630-654-8036

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W7471 Ernie Swift Rd.

Minong, WI 54859

Phone: 715-466-5666

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