One of the first things you need to do when your campers arrive is actually learn their names! I can guarantee that on the first day of camp, when all those kids start to pull in to camp and unpack their trunks into your tent/cabin, you’re going to be thinking ‘how on earth am I … More Awesome Games To Play With Your Campers (Part 1): Name Games
A few summers ago at camp a friend of mine made up a new game called, yep you guessed it, ‘Outside the Box‘. It’s a great game and one you can play pretty much anywhere you are, with anything you can find – essentially you give the kids a box or crate full of a … More Thinking Outside The Box: What Camp Is All About
A month ago I wrote about some great questions that will help you get to know your campers and break the ice when you first meet them. That was just the beginning… there are so many things you should know about your campers it can feel a little overwhelming at times. So to start you … More 30 Things You Should Know About Your Campers
What happens when you put 100 or so young people together for a prolonged period of time? Well, a lot of drama, that’s what. And summer camp is no exception. Obviously you are there to do your job and make the summer amazing for the kids you are looking after, but there’s a whole other … More Relationships At Camp
You’ll learn pretty quickly at summer camp that friendship bracelets are AWESOME. Whether you’re already a pro (in which case you’re going be massively popular at camp), or have never even picked up a peice of string before, friendship bracelets are going to be a big part of your life at summer camp – it … More How To Make Friendship Bracelets
I’m assuming that you’re going to camp by yourself and you don’t already know anyone there, in which case the whole thing can seem pretty scary… throwing yourself into any situation where you don’t know a single person is always a challenge, but add to that that you’re in a brand new country too and … More Top Tips For Making Friends At Summer Camp
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while (especially the diary entries), you’ll know that there’s a fair amount of mischief you can get up to at camp without getting into too much trouble. But there are of course some things that will be grounds for immediate dismissal from camp. It is just like … More What If I Don’t Like Camp Or I Get Fired?
At most camps, you’re aren’t allowed to use your phones at all when you’re around the kids, but you can use them when you’re off duty on your own time. However, you’re going to actually need a phone that works in order to use it, right? You DO NOT want to use your current contract … More Phone Plans & Mobile Phone Options For The USA!
This seems to be something quite a lot of first time counselors are worried most about, especially if they are travelling on their own to camp. I was fortunate in that I had 5 other people travelling with me to camp all the way from London (thank you BUNAC for that awesome group flight!), so … More Getting To Camp From The Airport
I’ve talked before about planning your activities, but I didn’t really go into detail about the specifics of physically structuring a lesson plan. Every camp does this differently (at my camp we have a layout that involves both writing and illustrations), but the main idea of a lesson plan is that not only do you … More How To Structure A Lesson Plan
Summer Camp Secrets 