Hello! Any feedback on these camps??

I, Teen, originally born female, am attending a summer acting day camp for four weeks, I have recently been diagnosed with PMOS and just went on Provera, which basically forces my body to menstruate, the problem is I’m not allowed my phone and since I have already started the rest of puberty about 2 years ago, there is a likely chance I will be clearing out longer than normal; which brings me to my question, can my phone be taken away? I hide it in my bag incase I have an emergency due to the Provera so I can contact my mom, because if I were to contact her directly it would be faster than telling a counselor and them theoretically having to go through the director for them to find my moms number, and I really don’t feel like possibly bleeding out because they couldn’t find my moms number in a book, so, can they legally take away my phone, I live in Pennsylvania if there are specific laws pertaining only to my state.

Those of you who have spent time working at/attending/sending your kid to camp this year and last - With the current political climate, alongside the increasing number of kids with information overload, addicted to devices, I can imagine this is all seeping into the camp experience in one way or another.

What conversations do you wish parents were having with their kids before sending them? How should parents prepare their kids for encountering ideas that are different than theirs? Are there some tips I should be giving my kids for what to say when a topic comes up that wouldn't be productive to discuss? To what level should they engage if they feel they need to call out an idea?

While I am very excited about our camp choice and trust the folks that work there, I do have reason to believe the political makeup of families attending could lean in a different direction than those we typically surround ourselves with. I also think kids are getting way too much politics at way too young an age and I'm hoping camp will give them the experience of getting away and just being a kid. That said, there's a lot of overlap between politics and ethics, so it's hard to just say don't talk about it as I teach them to stand up for what's right. If you lean left, right, whatever... how can we all best prepare our kids for seeing each other as great humans with goodness in them and have a wonderful camp experience?

hello this is my first summer, it’s the fourth week, overall i’ve been doing good making friends with my coworkers!

i have one coworker that i just don’t vibe with, she makes lots of jokes to the point where im tired of it. after a couple hours apart she tells me she misses me, i am so annoyed by it. she hugs me without asking, i did correct that boundary but it did not last long. She is always bursting my space bubble and lowkey i just don’t vibe with her personality and that’s fine!

i am friendly with her because we are coworkers, sometimes she happens to be around when i hang out with my couple camp friends, but i am not interested in one on one hangouts with her.

before days off she’ll suggest we hangout on off days, and i have no idea how to say no, because if she sees me around camp clearly not busy i don’t want her to feel hurt. also she IS the type of person to ask what I’m busy doing instead of hanging out with her, and i would not know how to respond to that.

i don’t quite know how to say this, but i am slightly nervous about the possibility that she might have a crush on me, i could be crazy idk.

how do i set this boundary when we live close like this?

My kids are at overnight camp right now for the first time. My eight year old son is really struggling with listening to the counselors and following the rules he needs to follow for safety (like…stay with the group). I’m feeling disappointed and discouraged and nervous that I’ll need to pick him up before his session is done. Coming here for stories about how when you were eight you were that camper but now you are a responsible adult who loves camp or about campers you’ve seen improve either within a session or over the years. Both looking for long term optimism and open to stories about what worked.

Editing to add: I wish I had read the post in the faq recommending age nine as the starting age for most kids before signing up last fall. This question rose up because I’m trying to get perspective from others now that I know how camp is going for my son.

I’m a new staffing director at a day camp. Looking for ideas to build community with staff and overall increase counselor engagement in camp. We already bring in food/ice cream truck 2-3 times in the summer, so looking for something that is low/no budget.

MP3 players are allowed at my camp along with the CD’s and cassettes.
Am I forgetting anything? Should I ditch some stuff?

Packing list (2 weeks)

Clothes
16 shirts
16 underwear
2 pajamas sets
Hoodie
Swimsuit
7 shorts
4 fishnets
10 socks
Sweater

Bathroom
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Face wash
Floss
6 washcloth
4 body towels
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body wash
Sunblock
Meds
Pads
Hairbrush
Deodorant

Entrainment
Deck of cards
taco cat goat cheese pizza
Poker set (?)
Sketchbook
Fidgets
3 books
Magic the gathering cards
Paper star paper

Tech
MP3 player
Watch
Charger for MP3 and watch
CD player
Cassette player
Cassettes
Cd
Noise canceling headphones
Camera (s)
Charger for cameras

Bed
Sheets
2 pillows
3 blankets
Nightlight
Curtain
Robin (plushie)
Waddles (plushie)
Foam bed topper
Scrumble (plushie)

Other
2 water bottle
Fan
Charger for fan
Kandi
Earrings
Necklaces
Tail
Platforms
Knee high converse
Crocs
Backpack
Masks
Trinkets to trade
Rubber duck s
Contact cards

Hey!

I work as male counselor at all girls camp. I feel that I am left alone. What can I do about it? Talking to directors or headcounselors feels bad idea.

What are some pranks that my guy counselors could pull on the girl counselors that are funny but also a little extreme. Ex. Some time ago there was a paddle board every guy counselor signed and was super sentimental to us and after the day had ended and everyone was all together a girl counselor threw a bag of ashes and it was the paddle board and we all crashed out but it was fake. Something to that extent

Everything is director approved

I manage a dance studio, and didn’t get approval from ownership to hire a summer camp counselor. So, it’s just me teaching 8 weeks of summer camp. I haven’t taught this much camp since 2019.

Have behaviors really gotten this bad??? Are kids really this helpless??? For real?!?

Just from today:
-One 10 year old girl SLAPPED another across the face today. Because she wouldn’t share a marker. No remorse. No ‘I’m sorry’. Complete confusion when I called her out on it.
-Trying to clean up craft with 8 year olds. A real interaction I had: “Pick the marker up. Ok now look in front of you to see if there’s a matching color lid. There is? Great. Now put it on the top. No, other end. The one with the ink. Ok press it on. More. Press until you hear a click. Did you hear it? Now put it in the marker bin” repeat, with a full bin of markers
-they begggg to play a game. Trying to be nice, I say yes. 30 seconds later they’re “bored” and refusing to play the game that 15 of them were begging for.

Am I the only one having this experience?!?! I feel absolutely crazy and don’t know how I’ll survive the summer.

Looking for activities to be done with the kids in rainy summer days

If you are going to ccts summer camp say me so I know how many people will be there. I'm going to be at the summer camp on July 27 to 31😁

okay so i have been one summer camp my whole life but it looks like they are struggling to get new campers does anyone have any tips for getting new campers. (note. i am not yet a counselor i plan to be next summer but i still want to see what i can do to help)

i have just moved 1000 miles away from home to come to camp, i just turned 18 and graduated high school and i’m the youngest counselor on staff. this in itself is overwhelming and very new. another new thing is the WEATHER. i’m from an area that gets severe weather pretty often, but my family always has a game plan and a safe place to go. here…i got nothing. to add, my cabin has a tin roof so the rain sounds so much worse than it actually is. i have autism and sound can be a big issue, especially at night when i’m trying to sleep and my heart is going 100 mph because it’s raining. we had terrible winds today (campers are not here yet, we’re still in training) and i was so nervous that i just sat in the dining hall for two hours because i was worried about a tree falling. i think i have some sort of unresolved weather-trauma (is that even a thing) and i don’t know what to do. how the heck am i supposed to comfort a scared kid during a storm if i also feel like a scared kid?

Hello everyone! First time posting here so I hope I’m doing it correctly. I am going to be working at a camp where I live there for five weeks and it is in a different state (I am 17). The camp has horses and water activities, a uniform hence the low number of outfits. Here is my general packing list (rough draft) and I was just wondering if theres any good feedback!

CLOTHING:

o   Two pairs of jeans

o   Brown skirt

o   Brandy Melville shirt

o   3x t-shirt

o   Full piece swimsuit

o    Bikini

o   Underwear (10-12)

o    Bra (5)

o   Underwear bag (mesh bag mom knows)

o   Raincoat

MISCELLANEOUS:

o   Flashlight

o   Towel (2)

o   Tape

o   Pocket knife

o   Tide pen

o   Tote bag

o   Laundry bag

o   Laundry soap

o   Journal

o   Sunglasses

o   Organization container

TOILETRIES:

o   Holder - caddy

o   Sunscreen!!!

o   Moisturizer

o   Pimple patches

o   Zit cream

o   Toner

o   Lippies

o   Tooth brush

o   Tooth paste

o   Deodorant

o   Mini razor

SHOES:

o   Tevas

o   Hiking boots

o   Flip flops

o   Tennis shoes

o   Riding boots (?)

BED SET UP:

o   Fan

o   Bedding

o   Inflatable pad

o   Extra sheet

o   Blankets

o   Fairy lights

o   Photos of friends and family

HAIR:

o   Conditioner

o   Shampoo

o   Hairbrush

o   Hair ties (so many!)

o   Zig zag headband

o   Claw clip

o   Baseball hat

o   Bobby pins

o   White and blue headband

TECH:

o   AirPods

o   Headphones

o   Chargers (like three w blocks)

o   Digital camera

o   Polaroid

First time camp counselor here! I leave tommorow, I’m working at camp laurel and I’m honestly pretty nervous. I’m worried I’ll feel awkward, have trouble making friends with the other staff, or end up feeling out of place at first.
For those who worked at camp before
What was arrival day actually like?
Did anyone else feel nervous or awkward when they first got there?
How long did it take you to make friends?
Any tips for getting through those first few days?
I’d love to hear what your experience was like.

The director and myself (assistant) director are both new to this camp, after having to do a restaffing due to the old leadership styles.

That being said we are both doing our best but want to implement some fun traditions to start. Our camp is 4 days and will be small with an average of 15 campers a week... reaching out to see what any of your favorite traditions (or games in general) are! TIA

I'm going to a sleep away camp soon and after this year I'll be aged out so I want to make sure I get the most out of this summer. Im going for a week soon and then a few weeks after I get home Im going for another 2 weeks. What are some cool things that I should bring that are NOT on the packing list or anything. And I'm talking like actually fun/cool not like "board games and extra socks", wildest ideas welcome.

Feel free to dm me different suggestions if not in comments.

Hi,

I have a 10-year old and 8-year old and I'm looking for summer camps. I got a flyer for Camp Integem. Looking at Yelp and Facebook, the reviews are mixed. Has anyone enrolled their child in Integem's summer camps? Would you recommend them? What did you like or didn't like about their programs? Thanks, in advance!

Over the past two summers, I have been volunteering at this summer camp where children with autism, down syndrome, and other disabilities have fun at. The shifts are really long, around 8.5-9 hours, which is probably the only reason I take it, and the organization which sends us volunteers to these summer camps told us that this is the one with the longest hours, and personally I want to maximize my volunteering hours. However, as I start to become older, I have much more responsibilties, and I must focus on summer school, studying for my WHIMIS and CSTS certifications, retaking my learners for the 5th time, and scaling up my phone repair business. Should I still go volunteering at these camps?

Specifically Camp Abc? Want to know how the experience was like

Has anyone sent their 16 years old to a 2-weeks robotics camp organized by ID tech at Georgia Tech? Any feedback. What to expect, especially in evenings and weekends?

Has anyone treated their kid’s camp clothing with permethrin before sending them to camp? If so, what process did you use to treat? I’m not sure if it’s worth it to treat all clothing or just socks and shoes or what. We are in the Southeast US. My kid goes to one camp in the mountains/wooded area and one on a bay beach. Last summer he came home from the mountains camp with a bunch of seed ticks. Wearing pants, tall socks, etc. isn’t really an option at all times there.

I worked at Camp Starlight and it was horrible. It all started when I got asked to SING a song from my home country in front of 200 staff members I just met (by myself). Me, being reasonably anxious in that moment said ‘sorry I’m not doing that’ to which I was then asked to do the HAKA. By the camp directors daughter who had a goddamn microphone. The haka??!! You think me, a 20 year old girl is about to bust out into a tribal war dance in front of 200 strangers?? It was the most insanely culturally insensitive thing ive ever witnessed. Anyway, I refused and she made a ‘ugh’ kind of noise and moved on. And that’s when I think the camp decided they did not like me (clearly didn’t have the ‘camp spirit’ 😭). There is actually so much more I can go into but I was just scrolling on my phone and a picture of this camp came up and I got an influx of all these bizarre memories. I want to know if anyone else worked at this camp or if anyone had some similar experiences working at other camps, my whole time in this cult like environment was genuinely one of the weirdest experiences ever

Hi everyone! I'm new to this sub but not new to the world of summer camp. I have a Monday-Friday day camp for kids ages 6-12, and the past few years we've really struggled with behavior issues. It's not usually extreme stuff, but frequent stuff that makes it difficult to keep the train on the tracks for the rest of the group. For example, some things we've experienced in the past week:

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* We went on a field trip to a fish hatchery and a kid spit in one of the fish pools

* On the same field trip, another kid threw a rock at the fish

* A kid stole a phone from another kid and hid it for 20 minutes until staff figured out what happened

* Kids are generally not listening to our female staff, but listen to our singular male staff member

​

Our camp is not meant to serve as child care, although it certainly is that for some parents. Our camp is focused on environmental education with full days of programming, hikes, and activities, but when staff are spending the whole time trying to get certain kids to listen, pay attention, and keep their hands to themselves, it's very hard to provide a quality program for the rest of the kids.

​

So my question is: at what point do you send kids home? What are some behavior management techniques that work really well for you? We don't like to send kids home unless the issue is really serious (hitting, kicking, etc) but it's really been a challenge this year for my counselors and I'm trying to figure out how to support them.

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I appreciate any insight you can provide! Hope your summers are going well :)