Camping Magazine articles from July 1996

Camping Magazine archives from July 1996

Creating a welcome mat for campers.
July 1, 1996... By the time orientation is over, many counselors are eager to welcome campers and get on with the business of having fun and learning new things. Most want their charges to get off on the right foot and feel comfortable in their new home....

Effects of friendship on evaluations; homesickness in boys.
July 1, 1996... Friendship, group acceptance, and camp evaluations Hanna and Berndt attempted to determine the relationship between friendship and group acceptance at summer camp. Friendship was defined as a mutually affectionate relationship with another...

Understanding property insurance.
July 1, 1996... Property insurance is often considered of secondary importance in a camp's insurance portfolio. Sometimes this situation is the result of limited resources, but more often it stems from a lack of understanding about need, insurance options, and...

Ghost-story telling: keeping it appropriate.
July 1, 1996... Ghost-story telling is an age-old pastime. There's something mystical about the unknown, something fun about imagining encounters with the supernatural. To frightfully entertain campers and not overwhelm them takes an understanding of young...

Rainy days: program ideas that make a splash.
July 1, 1996... Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day!" This rhyme is many children's lamentable response to a rainy day. At some camps, campers awaken excited because it's raining; at other camps, they just fall back into bed, disappointed. What's the...

Los internacionales: working with international staff.
July 1, 1996... Each year, more than 16,000 international staff members work in U.S. camps; 20 percent return to camp a second year. International staff can be invaluable assets. Here's how to help your staff get the most out of this summer's experience....

When it's not on the forms: camper behavior - two case studies. (includes related article on behavior agreements)
July 1, 1996... Have you ever resented that the information on camp forms did not prepare you for a camper's behavior? In reality, you can never get enough information about a camper, and frequently parents and guardians fear that their child will not be...

Customer service: one of camp's best marketing tools. (includes related article on the importance of parent involvement in camp customer service assessments)
July 1, 1996... Customer service is one of camps' most neglected marketing tools, but it's also one of the best. Effective customer service can help you increase enrollment, set your camp apart from the competition, and improve your camper retention rate each...

Creating a sun-safe camp.
July 1, 1996... Sun protection is an integral part of outdoor and wellness education. As much as 50 to 80 percent of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. Clearly, campers and staff are a vulnerable group when it comes to sun exposure; they attend...

Using toys in the camp health hut. (includes related article on proper toy selection)
July 1, 1996... Creativity is an important ingredient in determining the degree of a camper's illness. Often, because of cramped space and limited medical equipment, camp nurses must be selective when deciding which tools to use to examine campers. As...

Weird bugs and other basics of a good hike. (includes related article on essential backpacking equipment)
July 1, 1996... Before you became a trip leader or nature program director at camp, you probably viewed a good hike as a chance to enjoy the peaceful solitude of nature, a time to think and reflect on life and its wonderment. Now you have six to 10 trail...

Appreciating staff surprises that make a difference.
July 1, 1996... An enchanted creature quietly moves through the night, stuffing surprises into staff shoes left at the door... New, clean, dry socks appear in the staff house after 10 days of rain... Campers present staff with jewel-encrusted crowns......

A word of encouragement to the new camp counselor.
July 1, 1996... So, you're a new camp counselor. This will be a rewarding summer for you. In the next few weeks, you will be like a parent, as you guide your "family" through the fun and adventure that camp provides. You will be a role model, the most important...

How three special teenagers with disabilities became CITs. (Variety Club's counselor-in-training program)
July 1, 1996... "Relax! I know you can do it! You can float, just relax!" said Dan Lafferty, a counselor-in-training, to his 6-year-old camper at Sesame Day Camp in Blue Bell, Pa. It's a familiar scene in summer camps all over America. But this is one of the few...