It's interesting

So, I work at a summer camp in middle Tennessee, but we have retreat groups who rent the campground during our off season. This is a blog to catalog the strange goings on that happen here

[camp-counselor-life]

Co-Counselor Mash-Up: How to Work More Collaboratively — and Happily — With Your "Co"

Mariana and Jessica are exasperated with one another. Mariana thinks the girls they share responsibility for as co-counselors are way too noisy and messy. She is always the one who gets these rambunctious fifth graders to quiet down or finish their cabin cleanup chores. Because she is typically the counselor who speaks up first, the girls have begun to favor Jessica, whom they see as "nicer." Jessica, who went to camp here as a camper, thinks that Mariana is too strict.

The Critical Five

You and your co-counselor(s) can benefit from five critical parameters or personal tendencies by reflecting on and then sharing the following. These are the areas that will most directly impact the way the two (or three or four) of you work together with your campers and even with other staff members:

Do you tend to be an introvert or an extrovert?

Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Do you tend to have a high or low tolerance for noise, mess, and “organized chaos”?

What is your preferred style when it comes to planning things? Are you a go-with-the-flow kind of person, or do you prefer to spell it all out ahead of time?

What is your experience with and your go-to when it comes to discipline?

Knowing beforehand how you stack up in these areas and how your co-counselor(s) compares with you can help both (or all) of you to plan ahead and avoid being at odds with one another.

—

When working with other staff, communications is key, and that’s the jist of the article. You can be a variety of combinations to the above five answers, but being able to work with someone else, even someone with the same answers, relies on communication.

[oldcampblog-blog]

games: tag variations

aside from the typical game of tag, where one person is “it” and tries to tag other people so they have to be “it”, there are a myriad of variations of the game you can play. you can also ask any of your campers if they have a favorite tag game to play if you’re looking for new ideas!

chain tag/link tag/blog tag when “it” tags another person, they both link arms or hold hands and both chase people together without letting go. as more people are tagged, the chain/blog grows, and only those on the end can tag others. if your group is big enough, you can start the game with multiple people being it to have a few chains/blobs running around in the game.

freeze tag as “it” tags someone, they become frozen and must stay in one place until another player tags them to unfreeze them. “it” wins when every person is frozen. different versions of this game change the method that players unfreeze each other, such as tunnel tag where a player must crawl between the legs of a frozen player to unfreeze them.

carry tag have an object, like a shoe or a ball, for players to carry. “it” can only tag the player who is holding the object, but if anyone drops it they automatically become “it”.

flashlight tag this game is best played in the dark when it is hard for players to tag each other, but in an area with distinct boundaries so campers can’t get lost. “it” has a flashlight, and tags others by shining the light on them. once a players is tagged, they are out. tagged players can join “it”, or stay frozen on the ground. the last person left standing wins!

shadow tag “it” tags others in shadow tag by stepping on their shadows. because of this, shadow tag needs to be played in the mid to late afternoon on a sunny day. it’s best to play this game with an older group who will play fairly and accept being “it” when their shadow is tagged, as it can be a subject of debate for younger kids.

[iworkatasummercamp]

Is this loss?

[glumshoe]

I used to get so mad when other counselors would tell the campers that the fruit trees around us were poisonous, or that they were all sprayed with dangerous chemicals. They weren’t! They were Himalayan blackberries. Salmonberries. Thimbleberries. Raspberries. Oregon grape. Cherries. Apples. Pears. All good, delicious stuff!

I know some of them did it out of ignorance, and probably really did believe that the fruit was inedible, or were too afraid to say “I don’t know”. But others did it because they wished to keep kids on-task for activities so that they weren’t distracted by ripe berries. You fools! Nothing is worth that—nothing! I can promise you that no camp activity was of more worth or value or general life enhancement than allowing children to find delight and appreciation in nature. No game or ceremony or arbitrary rule can offer more joy or freedom than plucking a wild fruit off the bush, knowing it is good to eat.

Sure, you can make it on time to lunch if you tell a child that a salmonberry will kill them. But you’re lying—you’re teaching them to view wild things as innately hostile and foreign, when you ought to be teaching them how to identify plants, how to be cautious, and how to see themselves as part of the world. Let them be late to activities! Let them hop fences if no one’s around to complain! Let them be distracted and juice-stained and sticky! Let them be sweet-seeking animals, and, if you really want to be responsible, just make sure they wash the fruit before eating it. When are they going to have another, better chance…?

[campcounselorcoyote-blog]

I'm going to be a cit this year and I'm so excited! But I'm also kinda nervous so I was wondering if you had any tips for me? Thank you so much and I love this blog so much

Of course! And anybody who follows this, feel free to pitch in! 

My best advice is always just to be yourself- and I know how hard that can be. I started my CIT year when I was fifteen, and I was in a group with ten other girls who didn’t know me and I had no idea if they were going to like me at all. But really, your best bet is to show ‘em what you’re made of- be your best and brightest self, whatever self that may be, and I guarantee you people will latch on!

From a personal standpoint, a good work ethic is very important too. Camp counselors are hired to work with children, so you should always focus and take good notes; take what your CIT Director says seriously, and set a good example by following the rules and showing initiative where you can. This is job training. It’s really fun job training, but try not to get too distracted!

Communicate. I can’t stress this enough. Conflict resolution is important in the workplace, and it’s going to come up. Be honest and forthright, express your feelings calmly and politely, and listen to other people’s thoughts and feelings. The more open you are, the better off things will be. 

Have fun! This isn’t supposed to be a scary job. Remember, you’re still a kid, too. Enjoy your summer! Take lots of pictures, make lots of friends, sing lots of songs and make millions of memories. Being a camp counselor is a unique experience. I hope you have a wonderful time. ♥

- Magic 

[camp-counselor-life]

Connecting with Campers in the Age of Screens, Social Media, and Fortnite

Connecting with campers can be difficult for summer camp counselors now that campers have more screen time than ever.

“Having seen firsthand the way some counselors struggle to connect with their campers — to create money in the bank with them — I have put together the following list of practices that can help you do just that.

Take turns sitting next to different campers at each meal. Change it up so you get to hang out with all of your campers.

Make a point of walking and talking with one, two, or three of your campers together while going from one activity to another. This downtime is often when you hear more from your campers about what is going on among them as a group. It gives you the opportunity to connect with them more like a peer (even though we know you are not their peer). If you tend to walk alone or with other counselors, you are missing an important opportunity to connect with your kids.

Sit with different groups of your campers during rest hour and either talk, play a card game, or engage with them in some other quiet-time activity. Again, especially in the first few days of a new session, this is a terrific chance to connect more informally with your kids. If you tend to sleep during rest hour, once again you are missing a key opportunity to create money in the bank with them.

Make a checklist of things that you know about your campers. For example, do you know the favorite camp activity of each of them? Do you know if they have a pet at home and what their pet’s name is? (Talking about pets, who occupy a special place in many kids’ hearts, is an especially great way to make a more personal connection with most any camper.) Do you know what they are most looking forward to doing while at camp? Did they read an especially terrific book during the school year? What about a movie? A new hobby? A place they went on vacation? All of these are “keys” to connecting with your campers.

After a few days, check your list of “keys” (if you email me, I can send you my version of this handy bunk or cabin group list) to see which kids you seem to know well and which ones you still don’t have much of a connection with. Sometimes, seeing it written out on paper helps to focus where you may need to place more of your attention as a way of getting to know certain campers better.”

[counselor-life]

Hey! So I was hired back to camp this year, but will now be working on the other side of the scout reservation with Cub Scouts (ages 8-11) I have no idea how to work with children ages 8-11. Especially as a camp medic. How do I ease the transition?

Here’s some tips I have from working with 8-11 year olds (3rd - 5th Grade):

- Patients Patients Patients. These kids will test your patients, but remember to take your time with them. This is an age range where everyone will be in different places of maturity so it might seem stressful at times.

- Homesickness is a thing. Remember that it’s okay to talk about their parents and why they are upset. My camp had the policy to wait until day 3 before making a phone call home.

- Bedwetting is rare, but is still a thing. Just make sure to smell mattresses once a day if possible.

- This is the age where individualism is starting to develop. Although many of them will follow what others do, this is such a great age to discover what they enjoy doing or what they are good at (or not so great at)

- At the end of the day, they’re still young kids. Even if some of them are very tall or smart or something that makes them seem older, they will still love any physical activities or games that you do.

When it comes to being the medic remember:

- These kids will take anything you say literally. So chose your words wisely

- If they get hurt or something, the way adults / older people reacts around them will affect the way they react. Like if you start panicking that they fell down, they will start panicking that they fell down. If you stay calm, chances are they might stay calm.

- You can still get away with using childish tricks. Like giving them a bandaid (whether or not they really need it) might help them relax

I’m going to try to do some more research on this, but hopefully this helps while mentally preparing for camp!

[camp-counselor-life]

Calling CPS

So, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. If you work at camp long enough, you will probably have to call CPS at some point. This is generally an admin job but if you’re the one who it was reported to or you’re the one with the suspicion, you will probably also need to be there when they make the call. Here’s what happens:

Step 1: Recognize the abuse. This comes in a lot of different ways. Maybe the child just straight up told you. Maybe you saw them flinch and back away when you raised your hand to lift something off a shelf. Maybe when you went to waterfront you saw bruises. But the first step is to recognize the signs of abuse (x)(x). Your camp should have some type of training on this as well.

Step 2: Report to your camp director. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them right away, or you aren’t sure and need to talk it out, I would recommend you talk to your ACD or health supervisor and they can help you tell the director.

Step 3: Call CPS with your admin support. You can find phone numbers here. What to (most likely) expect from your phone call:

They will ask about the child’s contact information - full name, phone number, address.

They will ask your contact information - full name, phone number (probably use camp’s), relationship to the child.

They will probably ask about the child’s home situation - who do they live with, who has custody. You may or may not know this.

They will ask open ended questions.

They will ask about what signs you saw.

They will ask if the child disclosed anything and (probably) what, if anything, you said.

They will most likely give you a number that you can follow up with but realize that the most they will probably tell you is whether the case is still open or if it is closed.

Step 4: Support your camper.

Step 5: DO NOT CONFRONT THE PARENTS. You also cannot prevent the parents/guardians from taking them home unless the police are there and remove the child into their custody. Trust me, this is one of the hardest things you will ever do as a camp staff.

Step 6: Get support yourself. Knowing that a child is being abused and is going back to that environment is a difficult thing to process. Whoever helped you report is a great source of support. There are also services like 7 cups and Emotional Baggage Check.

If you are the admin involved:

Every step: Support your staff who know. With one case last summer, I helped the UL process after she had reported. The director did the camper’s sign out. With the other case, I did the sign out to the camper’s adults instead of the UL and counselor who knew, and then processed with them after check-out. You can also refer them to services like 7 cups of tea for a trained listener. Your camp may also have something like an Employee Assistance Program that can provide short term counseling. Work with your camp director and/or higher up staff to provide support.

To all the campers/CITs reading this:

Child abuse is never ok, and is never the child’s fault. I’m not just telling you this as someone who works with kids, I’m telling you as someone with personal experience. If you are being abused, you are not alone. I encourage you to tell someone (literally any trusted adult) so that you can get the help that you need. If you don’t feel that you can tell a trusted adult in your life, there are hotlines in most states, the UK, and other countries. 

[camp-counselor-life]

Reminder that it is Child Abuse Prevention month again and child abuse is never ok. It is your job as a camp staff to call CPS if you suspect child abuse. Protect your campers friends.

[summercampcookout]

[summercampcookout]

Things I often wonder about the parents who send their kids to camp without their ADHD medicine because apparently the “fresh air” is all they need.

[camp-counselor-life]

ADHD and Camp

Recently I posted about ADHD kids not being sent with their medications. I wanted to follow that up with an educational post. There are a lot of mental health conditions that you will encounter at camp, both staff and campers. According to the CDC, approximately 11% of children over 4% of adults, with rates increasing. Many children (up to 40% according to some studies) do not receive adequate treatment for their ADHD, and the rate of non-treatment is higher in adults. While ADHD is the but of many jokes, it is a serious mental health condition that deserves recognition, treatment, and understanding.

Symptoms: ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but that name doesn’t completely describe the condition. Some symptoms of ADHD include:

Inattention

Hyperactivity

Impulsivity/lack of inhibition

Executive Function Impairment - executive functions include the ability to start tasks, work towards goals, and plan things.

Frequent talking

Avoiding tasks that require sustained focus

Insomnia

Difficulty handling frustration

Low self-esteem/trouble with self-image

Forgetfulness

Tips for working with kids with ADHD

Camp is a great place for people with ADHD. Counselors can help to make it this way with some of the following suggestions:

Establish rules and routines

Give warnings before transitioning and provide adequate transition time

Use positive reinforcement

Use positive and clear language

Be understanding

Break tasks and instructions into smaller parts

Do hands-on activities

Assist in organizing their things as they would like

Prompt actions or activities.

Model appropriate social behavior.

Reinforce self-worth.

Be consistent, calm, and patient.

Also be aware that some of your co-staff may also have ADHD, which they may or may not share with you. Be understanding with your fellow staff and be supportive.

[thepioden]

Man though you know what makes me sorta sad is when nerdy, “quiet” kids latch on to me during camp and they just talk and talk and talk about a thing they’re into (Skyrim, Pokemon, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, dinosaurs, whatever). And I see the kids just light up when they say something and I can chime in with an ‘oh hey, are you talking about [x]? I love that thing! Tell me more about it.’

Like, their parents will warn me ‘so-and-so is pretty quiet and hard to engage’ but no, man, just listen, your kid is so smart and so into This Thing, they’ll engage like fuck and talk your damn ear off it you let them. Frame it in their damn terms. Or! Just! Listen to them about their Thing! And they will engage with the rest of the material! Because they know you care about them! Amazing!!!

[knightoflodis]

Quiet kids are usually that way because either no one listens, or there is always someone more dominant speaking wise in their group that always talks over them and then they give up. Some quiet kids are starved for attention and really really want to talk, but don’t always get the chance to

[panic-at-casualty]

Everyone who reblogged this are good people. Bless you, this made me happy to read

[blood-trip-god]

Me

[lakeffectqueer-deactivated20240]

this reminds me of my favourite comic ever:

[iworkatasummercamp]

Please listen to kids

[iworkatasummercamp]

Same

[iworkatasummercamp]

I don't even like this stuff

[taahko]

i love being a camp counselor…obvi t posing is big rn so we use it as a quiet call and u havent LIVED until youve seen 100 children t posing absolutely silently in a field

[taahko]

i taught an 8 yr old in my swim class how to do a backfloat by saying “remember to t pose!!” and she got it

[ihaventshoweredinaweek-blog]

When you're on time to flag

[summercampismylife]

I need some recommendations of crafts that are suitable for kids 5-15. Preferably ones that can last more than 20-30 minutes as our event blocks are an hour long.

[camp-counselor-life]

Ok, some crafts that take longer than 20-30 minutes (I’m hoping that I’m not too late and you still need these):

- Book making. Fold several sheets of paper together and stitch along the fold line. Repeat until you have enough pages, then stitch smaller packets of pages together. Glue cardstock to the front and back and fold over the sides. Decorate.

- Wire wrapped jewelry. Trust me, it takes forever to completely wire wrap something.

- Really intense dream catchers. It also takes forever to completely wrap these, especially if you’re using larger hoops with smaller string. The internal pattern (if you want it to be super fancy) can also take a while.

- Knit bunnies. These take me 30-45 minutes depending on size. Use big needles for the kids to make them go faster.

- Paper lanterns. This one is done in a variety of ways, but the one I’m thinking of is four sided, where you make the frames out of popsicle sticks and make the coverings out of stamped relief wax paper.

- Paper mache sculptures.

- Clay masks (requires either baking or overnight drying though)

I kind of realize that these crafts are better for the older range of kids (10+) though. I’m having a bit of trouble remembering longer activities for little ones.