Camp Taught Me:

A blog for every camp person to share what they've learned at camp. Everything from basic skills to life lessons.

[camp-taught-me]

You go to a girl scout camp in ny just like me and your camp sounds so similar to mine! My camp has a sister camp and I was wondering if yours does to? I was also wondering if you have a fake animal for kids to write to so counselors can fake reply

We do have a couple sister camps and I know a lot of Girl Scout camps have Tajar and allow girls to write to him and the counselors respond!

[camp-taught-me]

Hi, the summer camp I go to has pretty strict rules on pranks we are allowed to pull, any ideas for younger kids that are safe, fun and preferably don't involve going into someones cabin (unless its the staff) or touching the belongings of others?

Heart attacks are fun (cutting out paper hearts and writing nice things on them), filling cabins with balloons, decorating randoms areas in theme decorations (luau, Harry Potter, etc), random floating objects in the lake or pool (rubber duckies, floaty animals, etc), ‘pull a prank’ in a common area (tape up pieces of paper that say ‘prank’ so anyone can pull one down), spiderweb a common area with yarn between trees or porch posts or something. These are all ones I’ve seen done, but I’m sure there are plenty more!

[camp-taught-me]

Update

For me, this is the end of this blog. I have no more submissions waiting to be posted. Also, I have decided to start moving my life in a direction away from summer camp, at least for a little while. It will forever be a major influence on who I am, but it’s time for me to move on. I will try to answer any remaining or future question asked to this blog, but I think that there will be no more blocks posted. I am so happy with how much joy this blog has brought to the summer camp community and I hope people still search through the archives to share some of their favorite posts in the future, but this is me telling you that I will no longer be committing much time to this blog.

Thanks for all of the support over the years. Happy camping.

[camp-taught-me]

[camp-taught-me]

[camp-taught-me]

[camp-taught-me]

Cutest story about a camper?

Most of my stories really aren’t super cute since probably about 75% of the time I’m with middle school girls. Most of my stories are about the weird/sassy/funny kids that I’ve worked with. Like when one of our staff members spoke in a Southern accent and couldn’t stop (we still have no clue why) so by the end of the week, all of our staff and girls were talking in Southern accents without meaning to. One of those kids definitely asked me how often I cleaned out my ears.

But in terms of cute stories, most of those are from out littles, the 7 and 8 year olds who I’ve never been placed with, bu I have run program with. They do cute things like hold  your hand or cuddle into your lap during campfires. They’re the ones who I’ve seen draw pictures for their counselors and whatnot. Super cute, but never really my kids. Mine are sassy and ridiculous.

[camp-taught-me]

What was the most important thing you learned from being a counselor?

So I’ve definitely learned things along the lines of patience and improved my understanding about how kids function, but the most important thing I think I’ve gotten out of being a counselor has to do with my own limits and how I respond to various situations. One summer we had a wildfire near our camp that led to an evacuation. During the whole long process, I found out that I was able to push all of my emotions and worries to the back of my mind and focus on the kids and everything we needed to do for them. It wasn’t until I was in my car driving away with my friend that I finally broke and let myself feel everything. As much as I wish the situation hadn’t happened as a whole, I am really glad I know that about myself now.

[camp-taught-me]

[camp-taught-me]

Do you think 29 is too old to be a counselor?

Definitely not. I’ve worked with some counselors around that age who have been my supervisors and such. We also have a program at my camp where a child’s parent or other adult can come and volunteer as a counselor for a week to get a discount on their kid’s session. So I’ve worked with plenty of older counselors and they’re generally pretty rad. Go for it!

[camp-taught-me]

This Saturday is my interview with the second day camp that I applied to. The other camp didn't work out, and I have a feeling it's because of the interview. Any suggestions for this new one?

Be confident, dress professionally (yes, even though it’s camp), be passionate, take as much time as you need to think about answers to questions (it feels like forever, I know, but make sure you figure out what you want to say), play up your strengths, admit that you’re willing to grow, and relax because as intimidating and stressful as it can be, it’s going to be okay in the end.

[camp-taught-me]

I'm about to return for my second summer as a specialist (cooking) and counsellor combined. I'm bunked with around 10 middle school aged girls along with 2 counsellors and 1 other specialist. Last year 1 of the girls took a dislike to me (she was an attention seeker and I didn't tolerate it) and turned my whole cabin against me - not hugely but enough to make them torn between liking me and her liking them. It's made me really worried that my new bunk this year won't like me either.

So general disclaimer: based on your description, our camps are run in very different ways. I’ve never had a group of kids for more than 2 weeks at a time, and I’ve never personally had major issues with my group of kids outside of general annoyances and overly clingy kids.

That being said, I do know that every single group of kids is going to be different. You’ll have different individual personalities and different group dynamics. This means that no matter what happens, you’ll have a different experience this summer than you did last summer. I really hope that it works out well for you though!

[camp-taught-me]

on the topic of first year counselor, do you have a packing list or any essentials since it will be much different than being a CIT/ camper? :)

I might be the worst person to ask about this because I honestly don’t pack too differently as a staff than I did as a camper. I might actually pack lighter because I know how much I can get away without.

I really just go for the basics: clothes (which include a couple options for days off in town), toiletries (full size rather than travel size like campers generally have), shoes (at least 2 pairs), so on. For my backpack, I’ve got a clipboard, plenty of pens/pencils, a book for breaks, a small notebook for notes or planning, and general basics in terms of personal care that are always good to have on hand (period supplies, sunscreen, chapstick, ibuprofen, pocket knife, bandaids for myself and fellow staff but not campers because their stuff has to come out of the first aid kits, etc). I’m not really one for friendship bracelets or letter writing because when I’m with kids, I like to focus on them and not on my own activities and when I’m on break I like to veg out, check my email if I’m somewhere with reception, shower, or nap. A lot of people bring instruments like guitars or ukuleles. Snacks aren’t a bad idea if there is something you really like that you never get up at camp, like a delicious chocolate stash or something. Other people stock up on things for instant program games and songs, like coloring books, string, bandanas or squishy balls, and so on.

So really, the basics are the same, it’s just having things for your breaks that can really be different or adding in things for entertainment of your kids during downtime if they aren’t prepared with their own things.

[camp-taught-me]

What was your first year being a counselor like

It’s an experience that’s hard to put into words, but I’ll try.

First of all, there is absolutely nothing that will prepare you for all of the added responsibilities of being a counselor rather than a CIT. You now have access to the campers’ personal information and such, and you’re actually responsible for their safety and well-being. You’ll get way less sleep than you wish you could. You’ll adore your break periods. But as hard as the job is and as weird as the transition to staff can be for a long-time camper, it’s worth it. You get the insane adoration of your campers (at least some of them, I promise) and knowing that you are making their experience great is the best feeling.

I had a really rough summer overall though. There was definitely a rough start as I figured out what I was actually supposed to be doing in my first couple weeks. Then I got sick and was taken into town to go to the doctor and get meds and such. Then some really major stuff happened that I’m not about to go into. It was seriously intense. But I think I’m better off for having had such a rough first summer. It’s made everything since then seem manageable.

Make sure you have friends and mentors on staff that you trust and can talk to about your problems and about your life outside of camp that might be making you crazy. Keeping each other sane is so important (but try not to gossip, it’s really hard, I know). Talk to your supervisors about how you can improve and give them your feedback as well. That made me such a better counselor, I swear.

Involve yourself in the activities your kids are doing. Get hands-on in arts and crafts, go all out in the pool, be silly and fun and crazy.

Finally, never ever forget to have fun. If the job isn’t fun for you, it’s not the right job for you.

[camp-taught-me]

[camp-taught-me]

I'm to this camp session and it's like a pre CIT session. I have been going to this for 9 years and this is my 10 year. Any advice for those wanting to become a counselor ?

Be genuine. If you really want to be a counselor, it shows. At the pre-CIT level though, don’t worry too much about it and still have fun because it’s all about getting to know camp and your leadership type at that stage. Granted, you probably know quite a bit about your camp, so that’s not going to be a major issue. At my camp, the pre-CIT program doesn’t work with kids at all, it is all about learning about leadership as a general subject. It’s still fun and you get to still be a camper for a little bit longer, so cherish that. You’ll miss it.

[camp-taught-me]

Camp staff training starts tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! Good luck and best wishes to all of the counselors this summer!

Woo! Have fun! I’ve still got quite a bit of time left to go…