Displaying items by tag: First time at Camp
A Summer Camp OPEN HOUSE is a great way to learn about a summer camp, meet the Directors (Lonnie & Jeff) Plus meet a few counsleors. This will be a perfect time for parents and kids alike to ask questions and feel comfortable with their camp decision.
At Swift Nature Camp, we usually have nearly 35 campers and parents attending. It is a great time to meet other campers and Staff! We will play games and answer any last minute questions you might have about camp, it's perfect as a "getting to know you time" before camp starts. If you are still not sure if Swift is the place for you this summer stop on by, we love to talk about Swift Nature Camp.
WHEN: Monday May 30th Memorial Day
TIME: 2pm-4pm
WHERE: Willowbrook Wildlife Center, Glen Ellyn, Il
We hope you can make it to this fun program. Please dress for the weather. If you have any questions call us at 630-654-8036.
Please review these, prior to calling the Camp Director. It is also a good idea to ask if the camp is American Camp Accredited, this is an independent agency that does onsite inspection of over 300 different items at each camp. Remember, this is only the beginning of your search and be sure to always ask for references.
These professionals and their staff will guide, support, entertain and educate your child while at summer camp. They are really what makes for a successful camp experience. Here are the top 5 important issues to consider in order to make the best possible choice. |
1.Camp Director's Experience.
2.Camp Philosophy.
3.Staff Requirements.
4.Rules & Discipline.
5.Special Needs.
Summer Camps are not just about sports and playing games. A goodsummer camp want to be of your child’s development and offers a critical role in it.
Informed decision
Affirmation: Sometimes one simple word of affirmation can change an entire life. Recognition from outside can turn into recognition from the inside. also known as confidence.
Art: Everyone who wants to create… can. The world just needs more people who want to, and a child who is free from the pressure of competitive achievement is free to be creative.
Challenge: Encourage a child to dream big dreams. In turn, they will accomplish more than they thought possible… and probably even more than you thought possible.
Compassion/Justice: Life isn’t fair. It never will be – there are just too many variables. But when a wrong has been committed or a playing field can be leveled, we want our children to be active in helping to level it.
Contentment: The need for more material things can be contagious. Therefore, one of the greatest gifts we can give children is a genuinely content appreciation for with what they have… leaving them to find out who they are.
Curiosity: Children need a safe place outside the home to ask questions about who, what, where, how, why, and why not. “Stop asking so many questions” are words that need never be heard.
Determination: One of the greatest determining factors of success is the exercise of will. Children flourish when they are given independent opportunities to learn how to find the source of determination within themselves and exercise that determination.
Discipline: Discipline is really a form of concentration learned from the ground up, in arenas that include appropriate behaviors, how to get along with others, how to get results, and how to achieve dreams. Properly encouraged, self discipline can come to be developed into an self sustaining habit.
Encouragement: Words are powerful. They can create or they can destroy. The simple words that a counselor or mentor might choose to speak can offer encouragement and create positive thoughts for a child to build from.
Finding Beauty: Beauty surrounds us. A natural environment can inspire our children find beauty in everything they see and in everyone they meet there.
Generosity: The experience of generosity is a great way for a child to learn it. Generosity is a consistent quality of heart regardless of whether the medium that reflects it is time, energy or material things.
Honesty/Integrity: Children who learn the value and importance of honesty at a young age have a far greater opportunity to become honest adults. And honest adults who deal truthfully with others tend to feel better about themselves, enjoy their lives more, and sleep better at night.
Hope: Hope means knowing that things will get better and improve and believing it. Hope is the source of strength, endurance, and resolve. And in the desperately difficult times of life, it calls us to press onward.
Imagination: If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that life is changing faster and faster with every passing day. The world of tomorrow will look nothing like the world today. And the people with imagination are the ones not just living it, they are creating it.
Intentionality: This word means the habit of pausing to find the intent behind each of the ongoing choices that comprise our lives. It is the moment of reflection toward one’s own source: slow down, consider who you are, your environment, where you are going and how to get there.
Lifelong Learning: A passion for learning is different from just studying to earn a grade or please teachers. It begins in the home and school but can be splendidly expanded at summer camp. A camper has fun being safely exposed, asking questions, analyzing the answers that expose more and having more fun doing it all again. In other words, learn to love learning itself.
Meals Together: Meals together provide an unparalleled opportunity for relationships to grow, the likes of which can not be found anywhere else.
Nature: Children who learn to appreciate the world around them take care of the world around them.
Opportunity: Kids need opportunities to experience new things so they can find out what they enjoy and what they are good at.
Optimism: Pessimists don’t change the world. Optimists do.
Pride: Celebrate the little things in life. After all, it is the little accomplishments in life that become the big accomplishments. Pride in the process is as important as pride in the results.
Room to make mistakes: Kids are kids. That’s what makes them so much fun… and so desperately in need of our patience. We need to give them room to experiment, explore, and make mistakes early, when consequences are so much less severe.
Self-Esteem: People who learn to value themselves are more likely to have self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. As a result, they are more likely to become adults who respect their own values and stick to them… even when no one else does.
Sense of Humor: We need to provoke laughter with children and laugh with them everyday… for our sake and theirs.
Spirituality: Faith elevates our view of the universe, our world, and our lives. We would be wise to instill into our kids that they are more than just flesh and blood taking up space. They are also made of mind, heart, soul, and will. And decisions in their life should be based on more than just what everyone else with flesh and blood is doing.
Stability: A stable environment becomes the foundation on which children build the rest of their lives. Just as they need to know their place in the family, children need an opportunity to learn how to make their place amongst their peers. Children benefit from having a safe place to learn how stability is made and maintained outside the home.
Time: Time is the only real currency.Children can learn to believe to respect the value of time long before they come to realize how quickly it can pass.
Undivided Attention: There is no substitute for undivided attention, whether it comes from a parent, a teacher, a mentor, or a camp counselor.
Uniqueness: What makes us different is what makes us special. Uniqueness should not be hidden. It should be proudly displayed for the world to see, appreciate, and enjoy.
A Welcoming Place: To know that you are always welcome in a place is among the sweetest and most life-giving assurances in the world.
Along with lifelong friendships, the recognition and development of these attributes is the lasting gift of a child’s experience at summer camp. A summer at camp is the most fun possible way a child gets to experience what it is to be human.
Summer camp is usually thought of in terms of all the traditional activities and facilities that come to our mind, and those elements are indeed part of what makes the experience memorable. But the true essence of the experience of summer camp is human connection. The attributes in this article are qualities that are rediscovered and expanded by interaction with counselors, staff and other campers in a natural setting. The best summer camps are carefully staffed and creatively programmed by directors with this concept in mind. As one director put it, “Our hope is to give the world better people one camper at a time.”
In addition, there are camp directories, that help minimize the time You spend searching the Internet. These many camp directories have paid camp listings. These directories can help in the selection process. They organize summer camps by regions or particular specialization. After spending a little effort on each of these sites, you’ll have a good idea about which summer camp will be best for your camper. Please remember that this is only the beginning and its’ best to always call the camp director and make sure you feel comfortable with all areas of that summer camp.
Please be sure to check out Swift Nature Camp as an option for your child.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
In addition, there are camp directories, that help minimize the time You spend searching the Internet. These many camp directories have paid camp listings. These directories can help in the selection process. They organize summer camps by regions or particular specialization. After spending a little effort on each of these sites, you’ll have a good idea about which summer camp will be best for your camper. Please remember that this is only the beginning and its’ best to always call the camp director and make sure you feel comfortable with all areas of that summer camp.
Please be sure to check out Swift Nature Camp as an option for your child.
Informed decision
Choose a camp taking into account the requirements and desires of your youngster beyond your own preferences. Include your child in the search process and have an ongoing discussion about the important things that you and your kid want from attending the camp. A child is going to want to do what he or she thinks will be fun, and that really IS important. As a parent do you want your child to enhance particular skills, learn independence in a safe envoronment, or develop self-confidence? Together, take note of his or her special interests and find out if your child has any intellectual, social or physical issues that require consideration. Summer camp populations may be all girls, all boys, brother and sister or co-ed. At co-ed summer camps, boys and girls do participate in many supervised camp activities together. They share use of amenities such as dining halls and swimming and waterfront areas. Brother and sister camps provide structured opportunities for social interaction but most of the time facilities and activities are separate for girls and boys. Private summer camps are more expensive than nonprofit summer camps, but price does not always equate with the quality of a young camper's experience at that camp. It is recommended to anticipate extra expenses involved in choosing and going to summer camp such as extra canoe trip or activity charges and the cost of your visit to the camp. When you contact a camp you are considering, the director should be happy to give you complete information about the true cost of that camp. Keep in mind as you discuss this or other topics that the attitude of a camp's directors and staff will have more bearing on your child's experience than the cost. Typically the duration of a camp can range from one to eight weeks. Consider your child's readiness to be away from home, for days or overnight. Ongoing discussion with your child will be helpful, especially for balancing fear with anticipation and excitement. A first time camper will often face an adjustment and that may be temporarily challenging for some kids. Find out how the camp accommodates and deals with a first time camper's homesickness and the initial adjustment to camp life. A conversation about this area with a camp's director can also show you if the attitude so important to a good experience of camp is going to be there when your child arrives. Your child may want to join a camp with friends. Although it is natural for a youngster to want to go to camp with his or her friends, there are times when there is value in time away from accustomed peer pressures. When it comes to learning independence and developing self confidence there can be an advantage to starting fresh in an unfamiliar environment. Children usually have boundaries and achievement pressures when in school and at home, but at summer camp they are free to try different things with new friends. With the help of knowledgeable staff and counselors in the camp, campers of all ages can safely find out what works best and what doesn't in terms of interpersonal relationships. You can find out more about how to bring these opportunities to your child's life by visiting www.summercampadvice.com.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
In addition, there are camp directories, that help minimize the time You spend searching the Internet. These many camp directories have paid camp listings. These directories can help in the selection process. They organize summer camps by regions or particular specialization. After spending a little effort on each of these sites, you’ll have a good idea about which summer camp will be best for your camper. Please remember that this is only the beginning and its’ best to always call the camp director and make sure you feel comfortable with all areas of that summer camp.
Please be sure to check out Swift Nature Camp as an option for your child.
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
In addition, there are camp directories, that help minimize the time You spend searching the Internet. These many camp directories have paid camp listings. These directories can help in the selection process. They organize summer camps by regions or particular specialization. After spending a little effort on each of these sites, you’ll have a good idea about which summer camp will be best for your camper. Please remember that this is only the beginning and its’ best to always call the camp director and make sure you feel comfortable with all areas of that summer camp.
Please be sure to check out Swift Nature Camp as an option for your child.
Here are the top 10 questions to ask a summer camp director. This list was compiled by the American Camp Association.
1. What's the camp's philosophy?
permalink=”http://www.swiftnaturecamp.com/blog”>
Here are the top 10 questions to ask a summer camp director. This list was compiled by the American Camp Association.
1. What's the camp's philosophy?
2. How does the camp recruit, screen and train its staff?
3. What about return rates?
4. What's the ratio of counselors to campers?
5. How old are the counselors?
6. What medical staff work at the camp and what backup facilities are nearby?
7. How does the camp handle conflicts and Discipline?
8. What does a typical daily schedule look like?
9. Will the camp be transporting the children?
10. Ask for references.
To get even more information on how to create a super summer camp experience click Finding a Summer Camp
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But this is still praise isn't it? I thought praise was supposed to be bad. What are we supposed to do instead? Arrggghhh!
As I am putting together the final preparations for my upcoming Art Of Intentional Parenting tele-seminar, I have been reflecting a great deal on the struggles modern parents have to find the way to do it right.
This Ain't The 70s:
Like many of you, I was raised at the end of the "spare the rod, spoil the child" era (they allowed corporal punishment in my school until I turned 12), then was educated professionally in the beginning of the self-esteem "I am loveable and special" era of the 1980s and 1990s.
I was also raised in an era when religion still mattered and it was socially acceptable to teach kids that right and wrong and morality were not about individual preference.
Lastly, I was raised in an era when the standard upbringing and education would prepare us to make a needed contribution in the workplace. Mostly employers didn't need our creativity and unique contributions our gifts and talents could offer them. They just needed our willingness to play our role.
Our children are not being raised in any of those eras.
Knowing how to parent them is not just a matter of "so they will grow up to be good, successful people." It now must be about "So they will be prepared to thrive in spite of the chaos and instability of the modern world."
By the end of this tele-seminar, you will think differently not just about how you parent, but about what your role needs to be as a parent in the 21st Century - different and far greater than it was for our parents when they raised us.
This critical piece of input you will receive here, will position you to give your children a serious edge in these turbulent times.
Failing to make this adjustment though almost certainly leaves them on course for years, if not decades, of unnecessary frustration and disappointment.
Just ask many of the recent college graduates and 20somethings who are now experiencing what it's like to have done everything right, earned degrees from top schools, been told they are special, only to find the world not only doesn't owe them a thing, it isn't going to hand them anything.
I know this may sound harsh, but it is the growing reality for those who are still following the outdated parenting practices that most experts out there still readily encourage and endorse.
A professor of mine in college used to say, "The truth will set you free." I've since discovered that the truth can also empower you, if you let it.
It will certainly empower your children.
Best regards,
Jeff Leiken
PS: There are three more days to take advantage of the EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT. The tele-seminar series begins Thursday November 3rd. Remember, you do not need to be available to listen live. All calls are recorded and will be available for participants to listen to on-demand.
Register here --> http://leiken.com/parenting
Did you read the piece in the NY Times yesterday about how "Too Much Praise Is Not Good For Toddlers"? You may wonder why an article about toddlers is relevant to you, but I assure you it is.
You may be familiar with the study about how praising children for being "smart" or "intelligent" sets them up for disappointment and self-confidence issues when they become teens - when natural intelligence alone won't be enough to keep getting them A's. The study instead encouraged praising effort and hard work. It found that those who were raised this way instead, consistently performed better in school. |