I don't have a whole bunch of experience with this area because I work at camps with week long sessions and the kids all go together as a group to activities. At the beginning of the week we do camper planning, which in the younger ages looks a lot like their counselor asking them if they want to do an activity and most of them saying "YEAH!!!!!!!!" When some don't want to do an activity we remind them that we decided as a group and later we'll be doing an activity you want to do that someone else might not have wanted to. There aren't as many activities that we sign up for that the little kids are able to do (for instance, high ropes is only for like high school or so) so there is a lot of flexibility outside of those activities to really do anything and everything within reason.

That being said, I rarely work with the older groups so I can't offer much advice on that. I think that community contracts (creating the rules with the group and having the kids sign the paper and posting it) can help a lot with reminders, but if a kid is going to do something, they're just gonna do it anyway or they have some impulse control needs.

I like natural or logical consequences, so it's not like having to go to the principal's office. Clearly natural consequences just are what they are like throwing your camera on the ground will break it and then you have no camera. However, logical consequences are awesome! If they are coming late to a non-preferred activity from a preferred, maybe that "must mean they don't have time to get from one to the next," wink wink so leaving preferred a little earlier with a junior staff or some other person if you believe they would cause trouble in between.

Bullying is a little more serious and thus a little trickier. Most of what I've done (keep in mind I rarely work with kids older than 10) is working to teach the kids to be nice to each other. I've learned though, that directors typically like to be aware of small bullying problems because big problems can arise and lawsuits can happen. So even if it's small, report it up and absolutely document. Monitor areas where campers have more alone time or privacy. Our new cabins have stall doors but just a doorway between the sink area and cabin so the counselor can hear. Watch me time activities closely. Perhaps if they can't be respectful to their peers their peers won't want to play with them and maybe they spend some time with the unit coordinator doing paperwork and such (keeping in mind that you NEVER want to be alone with a camper and also that you don't want to sour them on the very chores you're asking them to participate in daily as part of their responsibility to their group and camp. I don't like making kids sweep and clean sinks as a method of discipline because then it's not easy to convince them the very next morning that it's just what needs to get done)

It's entirely likely I'm just telling you things you already know, so I don't know if I have much more thought on the matter. Have counselors document and report any serious infractions and if they aren't having success with their ideas, ask their supervisors... umm yeah.

Perhaps have them have conversations about what the problems are in a very camper oriented fashion with the supervisor. the unit or program coordinator coming in to the conversation asking them if they are having any sort of problems and what we can do to fix them. Then if it doesn't change maybe go the behavior contract route of if this behavior continues then these consequences will happen. In both conversations and contracts include a brainstormed list of what the camper can do when the problem happens or when they might be tempted to do that behavior or a signal from the program staff that they just said something mean to their groupmate so the kid recognizes what they've done and they need to fix it without it being called out.

Sometimes just eliminating or reducing words can help too. If this kid is constantly being told to do or not do something then it just seems like nagging, and it could have been a continued problem from home, so finding ways to not use words or to use fewer words to get the point across.


"I'm always pretty happy when I'm at camp with you!"