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#128013 01/10/15 02:07 PM
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What is everyone's plans for camp for this year? For me, I am going to the same camp as last year and the same position.

Has anyone officially applied to your camp(s) of choice yet? My camps applications will be available later today at a camp kick off event, and for those who can not make it to the kick off event the applications will be available online either later tonight or tomorrow.


PM me if you want to sign up for the camp buddies for this summmer.
marty #128017 01/18/15 08:21 PM
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I've applied to my home camp for either the job I had last year (unit coordinator of the 1st-4th graders) or unit coordinator of day camp. We'll see what happens. I was "hired" before applications were out. In the sense that the directors were asking me what I was going to do this summer which meant which position at camp are you going to do. But still waiting on all my references to turn their stuff in so an interview can happen. Year 13 baby! this summer and 2 more for my 15 year!!


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128018 01/19/15 11:32 AM
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2015 will be year three as the chef at my camp. The director asked me to come back after our last manager's meeting of last summer. I signed my contract in November.

marty #128042 03/01/15 06:37 PM
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I will be the day camp coordinator at my camp!!! I am excited about the new challenges that come from the position and the return to the day camp days. I was a day camp assistant for 4 years as a teen and with the exception of the occasional week as a day camp counselor for the first few years of my camp counselor days I haven't spent much time there. So I'm going to love returning to it! I LOVE resident camp and am happy to help in the evenings with my unit from last year (1st-4th graders)!!!!!


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128046 03/06/15 05:31 AM
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I am still looking for a new camp.

marty #128057 03/10/15 11:49 AM
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I'm missing camp. :( Giggles I loved being a day camp director. I hope you like it as much as I did. With that said it was a huge jump going from over night camp to day camp. (Even at a camp that also did over night.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

marty #128062 03/10/15 12:41 PM
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Returning for my 8th summer at my current camp. This will be my 13th summer in total working camps over the summer.

- Teenster


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marty #128071 03/12/15 02:19 AM
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Thanks, LukeBK! It is a jump just in the different type of day and energy and all. Friday morning comes around in res camp and I have to really work to get the kids and myself out of bed. Day camp I have to work to get myself up since I'm living at camp and work in the evenings helping res camp after my 2 hours off. The kids however come bounding off the bus raring to go after getting a good night's sleep after an early bedtime and eating a good breakfast. :) Ok, sure, I'm generalizing and some of them probably didn't get these things, but still, enough of them so totally did!

I am lucky enough to know the camp, and even its day camp program like the back of my hand, and have done the UC thing before so I've got some supervisory experience, but you are right that it's a totally different ball game. I'm also lucky that my supervisor/director started at my camp 8 summers ago as the day camp coordinator and I am friends with the person who did this job 2 summers ago and was the director in charge of supervising the DC coordinator last summer so I have all sorts of help from them!

I will definitely take you up on that if I have any questions! Actually, got any good ideas of free or really really cheap people or activities that come to camps to do something for a special activity? We've got the fire department booked each year, and I believe a planetarium thing coming, and the museum of flight brings their rocket camp kids to our camp to shoot off some rockets for us.


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128072 03/12/15 02:21 AM
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Teenster- wow! This is my 13th summer at my current camp including camper years, my 5th full summer on staff there (WOAH!) and my 15th total summers at camp including the 3 others I checked out. I think I did the math right there...


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128074 03/12/15 08:30 AM
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Giggles that is the big issue with day camps. The kids show up fully rested and ready every day. Well most of them do. lol Do not get burnt out trying to help over night. Remember use the down time to prep and recharge.

There is zero room for error in day camp. One bad day and the kid wont come back to camp. In over night camp a bad first day can be lost to 5 amazing days. In day camp they go home to talk to their parents and its over.

Honestly here is what I learned about what parents want from camp. They want their kids to do all the stuff on the flyers. I learned the kids had to swim every day and have some kind of big activity like climbing wall, BB guns, archery, etc.

We just ended up skipping events like the fire department. Because it took away from the big activities.

Remember to put a lot of thought into the pick up/drop off process. Two things first you want to make sure the right kid goes to the right places. Second it needs to be a fun time. Play some music and have games going. Card games and board games are great for small areas. You want that to be just as much fun as the rest of the day at camp.

Sadly many camps forget about that part and the kids end up waiting a hour board and it kills everything positive you did all day.

Remember Day camp needs to be your main focus. Over night can be fun but don't let it pull you away from getting day camp ready.

I know over night camp makes more per kid but day camp feeds the over night program with new kids.

Have the over night director stop by on Thursday at lunch to talk about over night camp to the kids.

marty #128078 03/15/15 02:40 PM
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Luke- It is part of how our system works- those who work in day camp do the day camp thing from 7:30am-5:30 pm (extended hours, cleaning up, etc) and then at 5:45 show up for flag lowering and dinner so that we can be heads and feet of the tables (and also so that camp makes sure we eat too!) and then from 7-9 we get out 2 hours TO like res camp staff have. From 9-10 we are expected to be in our units offering our help to resident camp as the kids get ready for bed, though to be honest some don't offer and most of the time when we do there's still nothing to do except maybe run to grab a kids sleeping bag from the laundry room or take a couple kids to the nurse for bedtime meds especially since the unit coordinator of that unit is also in unit helping out. Sometimes we help with some homesickness, but the VAST majority of time we can take time in our staff cabin to shower, read or work on our end of the week notes to our campers or paperwork. As the DC coordinator I might spend some of this time in the office working on paperwork or prep work for an all-camp activity, but I'd love to help my littles and campers with special needs who share a unit with their bedtime. It's one way they sweetened the deal for me to accept DC coordinator- I will get to live in my unit from last year so that's the unit I get to help (plus, they know that really it's the best place for me to be of use. Middle/high school is not where I do my best work!)

Yeah, I volunteered as a teen for 4 years in our DC and then worked 1-3 weeks per summer in it as a counselor for 4 years. That's one thing I know- kid loses a coat at res camp you have 3 more days to find it, day camp you have 3 more hours. Kids in res camp have more time to forget the little things they didn't like or arguments they had with a fellow camper. Day camp they go home and tell mom or dad that day.

Our swimming is set schedule that the directors decide. We swim 3 days a week, maybe 4. Mondays we don't because parents don't always send the kids with swim stuff and we send home a newsletter that first day with all those minor details. We need the majority of kids who will swim at all that week to have their stuff the first day because we do swim checks and can't do swim time and swim checks in the same part of the lake together so if we have to take 2 days to test, no one else swims. I haven't heard of much problem with this (then again, it's more likely that parents will be upset that we are swimming because they deem it too cold or raining- we do take precautions to ensure that no one gets too cold and gets out if they get close to that especially if it's a colder day)

Our activities are progression based so our littlest ones don't do things like climbing wall or archery. We have some sort of boating for every age and swim level so they get to boat at least once a week and we DEFINITELY make sure that if a group of kids is old enough that they get to that activity that week unless every one of the kids says they don't want to do it. We do special themed activities each week to help with the fun and mix it up for those kids who spend nearly every week at day camp. Even those who were gung ho about archery or climbing wall can get sick of it by the 8th week (or we mix it up so that there is extra challenge or just a fun twist for them.) We also make sure to find special activities for the little ones like Pooh Parties (read a book with honey and graham crackers for Winnie the Pooh) and rowboat lunches- take your sack lunch on the rowboat! We also do tie-dye every single week with every group and that is a necessity for parents and kids alike.

I haven't been involved in day camp when the fire department comes in YEARS so I don't honestly know whether it's something that is loved by kids and parents or just kinda ok. We try to get it in with the week that the theme fits the most.

A lot of these things have already been decided by our directors or have been operating this way for years (because it works for us) like our pick-up and drop off time. We have extended hours so for an hour and a half before and after camp those who need to be here for that time, or part of it, hang in the parking lot (sectioned off from cars, and it has an undercovered area with a lot of picnic tables) where we have board games, card games, soccer balls, books, puzzles, etc. We also have our counselors there to play those games, talk, or get some camp games going, sing songs, etc. Though it's a struggle I hear, to get the counselors to interact with the kids sometimes, especially at 7:30 am, it's a neccessity so that when parents come to drop their kid off they see our good work! We also have teen volunteers who come in and they will interact with the kids too. It's almost too helpful because they end up getting all the work of that while the counselors clump together a little. This will be my struggle and I'll talk with my friend who used to do the job as to how she managed to get everyone involved in that. I am primarily involved in making sure that sign in and out are going smoothly and the kids go home with the right people, but have some time to play with the kids too and set that example. With the exception of the staff motivation issue I think we do a good job of that and sometimes kids just want to read their own books that they brought and wake up (some of our kids are middle schoolers!)

Yes, day camp absolutely is the priority! I'm sure I'll be running around crazy most of the evening getting ready for it, especially the first few weeks, but I'm lucky that I have been around in both day and res camp for so long so the learning curve won't be as steep!

I know we do talk about overnight camp with the kids primarily just casually as they ask, and one of the things I've been brought into this position to do is merge the two back together again so that the day campers get to interact more with the res campers and that will help with showing the kids about res camp.

I hadn't thought about bringing in one of the directors, or even just a unit coordinator from res camp to talk with them about it. I can tell them all the info, but sometimes having someone else do it just makes it that much better. Even if she just went around to the different tables as they were eating lunch and talked with them about it. Or if I couldn't sneak one of them away I could pick a specific time to do that too.

One other big thing we do is that once a week DC does a cookout and makes their food over the fire. While the kids are doing camper planning on Monday morning they also plan what they would like to cook. it's a big deal and a lot of fun. I plan on going on a lot of those cookouts because I love cookouts, but need to remember that the directors even say that I don't have to go on all of them! Many weeks that would mean a cookout 4 days out of the week, which is great for variety of foods (hopefully... unless they all end up with pie-iron pizzas...) and a great way to see the counselors work so I can do a better job on their evaluations and check-ins. Cookouts are A LOT of work, especially with the little ones, though they are still one of my favorite camp activities ever! Especially with the little ones!


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128084 03/16/15 03:05 PM
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I lead/worked a day camp that worked on the same site of a resident camp. Most of our staff rotated between working day camp one week and resident camp the next. I stayed with the day camp the entire summer.

The camp day of day camp is just so quick! There are so many things to do, and it always seemed like we were running out of time to do them. I actually don't remember really having any down time (except at lunch), we were always on the move to a new activity. Our day camp was bigger than the resident camp, and we kind of took over.

Staff, in general, didn't like working day camp because they didn't get to know their campers like in resident camp. The day camp staff lived in units with resident camp staff and that caused some drama at different parts of the summer. There is usually some down time for staff in between day camp and when they have to report to their unit. Have some sort of "short but fun" activity planned for the day camp staff. Have a treat for them or give them time to reflect on how the day went.

I loved day camp, and I actually miss it.

- Teenster


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marty #128091 03/18/15 01:19 AM
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I have done camps for my 15th year inculding all the years I volunteered at camp.


PM me if you want to sign up for the camp buddies for this summmer.
marty #128097 03/20/15 11:19 PM
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Yeah we work some day and some res camp, though since the resident camp is bigger most of the counselors work that most of the summer. Our program staff work with both day and res camp since any group can do those activities (age dependent of course.) Our unit coordinators work the same unit all summer, so they are really the only ones who don't get a mix of the day and res.

I agree that the day camp day is quick. Our younger ones kind of have down time because they aren't quite old enough to do some of the activities, but it's really just game time and sometimes we play sitting down type games. Lunch is the primary down time, especially for our upper elementary and middle school students. We also have the bus or extended hours as pretty chill times or we sing songs and play road trip games. Snack can be chill, but with our older kids especially they were usually eating and then back to activities to fit in all the big stuff.

I think that was our major complaint for day camp was that it is such a go go go day. It's a sprint and res camp is a marathon. But I find that I don't mind the sprint because at the end of the sprint I get a really long "break" from my group of kids. Sure I'm helping with other aspects of camp, but the group I am responsible for and spend so many hours with are at home with someone else caring for them so I really get to unwind from that day. I think the other complaint is that day camp feels so isolated. If you have day camp the first session you meet these people for 7-10 days during training and then 3 days go by before you see them for various reasons and then think "Oh, yeah, that person exists!"

But I love all the benefits day camp provides for the campers and I love the sprint and the fun and the itty bitty kids with the backpacks that are bigger than their entire torsos and all the social skills we learn at camp and the smaller amounts of homesickness! :) Because we know it still happens! Also, it can be easier to check-in with the parents at the beginning or end of the day if there is something you want to ask about or let them know without deciding if it warrants a phone call, which then terrifies the parent. I also love that some kids come back all summer so we get to know them that way, or at least I will since I'll be consistent all summer. We get some inclusion (special needs) campers too and they usually return for more than one week per summer so I get to see them!! A couple of them are my besties now. Last year we formed a bond over taking our glasses off to get face paint on our cheeks (big sensory deal!) and a different kid and I formed a bond over having the same backpack and how after swimming we go get changed and then we get to sing songs and then go home. :) I can not lose or break this backpack before this summer! :)


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"
marty #128110 04/19/15 12:29 AM
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I'll be back at camp eventually this summer. Hoping to be there for 6 weeks, which is the majority of the time that the campers are there.

This will be my 14th summer at camp and my 9th summer at the camp that I am returning to. (There's a few years in there where I was a year round camp employee.) I'll be doing the same job that I have been the last few years - basically assistant camp director/person who fixes problems. It's a small camp, so I do a ton of different things.

As to why I will only be back for 6 weeks, instead of 10 (2 weeks training, 8 of campers), I'm expecting my first biological child in about a month. My step daughter will be 11 in a week. Step daughter has been coming to camp with me for 3 years, and will be coming again this summer. The baby will be accompanying me as well. So barring any complications, it should be a very interesting summer for me and the little one.

marty #128111 04/20/15 08:26 AM
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And Oompa Loompa's post just made me feel old. ;)

- Teenster


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marty #128113 04/20/15 02:31 PM
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Sorry. :)

The camp director just sent out a newsletter where he shared that the movie that was filmed at the camp was being re-released in Australia, and that the movie was filmed at camp over 10 years ago.

Yeah, I was there for that - first year as a counselor at that camp.

marty #128115 04/21/15 11:37 AM
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What's the movie?

- Teenster


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marty #128121 04/27/15 01:27 PM
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Movie is called Summercamp!

If you haven't seen it, you can get it on Amazon, though it is a more expensive movie - around $20. I know that they did a couple smaller film festivals in the US when it was released several years ago.

marty #128139 05/13/15 11:18 PM
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I alreay own the movie and it is very realistic of my camp experience


PM me if you want to sign up for the camp buddies for this summmer.
marty #128143 05/16/15 08:20 PM
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Meatballs and Bug Juice are still my go to camp movie/show. I've always wished the camp I go too was like Bug Juice, but I hear the camp they filmed it at wasn't even like the camp they portrayed in the show.

marty #128149 05/24/15 10:10 PM
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I'm going to a new camp near Camp Lohikan where I worked for two summers back in the early 2000. I was hired as their Arts N Crafts Director which I have done for many years . I am also an artist now so I can' t wait. I'm so excited since I haven't done camp in a long time.

marty #128153 05/26/15 11:55 AM
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CAMPWOMAN38... which camp?

- Teenster


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