Posts Tagged ‘summer camp programs’

Dance at Camp

Sunday, February 19th, 2012

A lot is made of sports at summer camp, but most summer camps also offer many programs in the arts. Dance is one such program that is becoming increasingly popular among both boys and girls. Like the many sports available to try, summer camp dance programs give campers the opportunity to experiment with several different dance styles. Aside from the traditional jazz, instruction is often available in contemporary, modern, hip hop, and ballet. In addition to offering instruction in multiple styles of dance, many camps also form competitive dance teams that, like sports teams, travel to other camps to compete in dance competitions throughout the summer. Even if campers aren’t quite ready to audition for So You Think You Can Dance, being a member of a camp dance team is still well within reach.

Because summer camp staff work hard to make their camps a safe environment for children to feel encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and try new things, more emphasis is placed on interest than ability. Many camps create teams for beginners as well as the more experienced. Summer camp dance teams are also the reason many campers find their camp dance programs a great way to pursue a non sports related interest yet still be competitive. Another reason that summer camp dance programs have become so popular is that they provide an outlet to still be physically active in a creative environment. Summer camp is about letting go and not being afraid to act a little bit silly. Dance provides the same disciplinary and physical training as traditional sports yet also gives campers the opportunity to express themselves and sometimes even be a tad goofy through artistic choreography. Dance instruction is often provided by trained dance instructors or college students who compete on their university dance team or are pursuing a career in the field of dance. The availability of instruction in popular forms of dance such as hip hop has also driven the popularity of dance. Dance is also versatile. Even though not every camper has a desire to be competitive in dance, campers enjoy learning new moves in dance class and then using them to choreograph bunk or cabin dance numbers for camp shows or talent contests. They also like showing off their moves on the dance floor during camp dances. Having the opportunity to practice new dance moves in an open, accepting environment such as summer camp gives campers the confidence to continue learning, practicing, and trying what they’ve learned at home.

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The Camp Starlight Waterfront

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

One of the most popular program areas at Camp Starlight is the waterfront. With two private lakes housing separate boy’s and girl’s swimming areas, the pool, the boating dock, waterskiing,and wakeboarding. there are always fun times going on down by the lake. However, the swimming program at Camp Starlight has much more to offer campers than just a splashing good time. The benefits of learning how to swim and proper water safety are useful for years to come.

First of all, by learning to swim at a young age, children are given the confidence needed to be in any environment involving water. It gives them a comfort on family vacations, school field trips, and they may even enjoy it enough to try water sports. They may find themselves at pool parties or beach trips, and with the ability to swim, they experience a sense of achievement when they are able to confidently spend time with friends and family.

To establish an environment in which children will grow comfortable in their swimming ability, Camp Starlight ensures the waterfront staff is well trained and highly experienced and certified in Red Cross “Lifeguarding” and “Swimming and Water Safety” Courses as well as the Red Cross“First Aid/CPR and AED” training courses. The heads of the waterfronts also meet with their staff to discuss and share tactics in handling swimmer anxiety during lessons and the properly analyzing swimming skill levels to help provide individual campers with the instruction most beneficial to them.  Most importantly to our campers, of course, is the fact that we make sure our counselors down on the waterfront are full of new and exciting games to make swim instruction the most FUN it can possibly be!

During swim instruction periods, a camper can expect to learn a wide range of aquatic skills. Lessons range in difficulty from basic skills, such as treading and floating, all the way to stroke technique development in the four key strokes. No matter the ability level with which the child enters the summer, there is a place for him or her in swim instruction. The best benefit in spending a summer at the Starlight waterfront is that campers will leave the summer with a sense of accomplishment, whether it is their first time to pass the swim test or because they made a personal best time at the Wayne County Swim Meet. And of course that they have an absolute blast doing it!

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The Social Network–Summer Camp Style

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

If most Camp Starlight campers were asked to close their eyes and think about camp, their minds would be flooded with memories of times in the bunk, at campfires with their friends, winning a Wayne County game, or shaking their napkin in the dining hall. If you asked most Camp Starlight campers about their world outside of camp, most would likely at least mention their use of technology such as computers, video games, or cell phones. The fact of the matter is the era that we are living in is a revolving door of technology. Almost everything is done by computer, involves the Internet, or can be done from the tiny keyboard on your cell phone. By joining the Starlight community during the summer, campers and staff are given an opportunity to be a part of a real live social network away from computer screens and cell phones.

Summers at Starlight give campers and staff the break from all of the technology, therefore creating camp’s own social network. Instead of writing on a friend’s Facebook wall for their birthday, we cheer as they are called to raise the flag at line-up and then join them for canteen during rest hour! Conversations over text are replaced with face-to-face interaction throughout the day. And boy’s side chants and jeers as the sports’ scores are reported to a rapt audience instead of being read from a glowing computer or television screen.

By no means is technology an unfavorable benefit to today’s society. However, at Camp Starlight, we create an atmosphere all our own where campers can step back from the sometimes consuming world of technology. They engage with others around them, creating friendships and bonding through old-fashioned conversations and shared experiences. These experiences bring life to the basketball courts, at project tables in arts and crafts, while helping others learn their lines for the upcoming show at the Starlight Playhouse, and many more every day. This social network buzzing through the grounds of Camp Starlight is fun and exciting while it is also a great way our campers develop stronger social skills and interact with other campers and staff. Countless memories are created without any form of technology, and it is a nice break from the busy and often times impersonal world in which we live.

At the end of the day, campers climb into bed without worries of charging gadgets or shutting down their computers. They close their eyes and drift off to sleep with the excitement for what the next amazing day at camp will hold for them!

–Patrick

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The Fun Doesn’t Stop after 5PM!

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

It’s January.  The kids just returned to school after their winter break, from which you’re still exhausted.  You’re already thinking about summer.  Entertaining them for two weeks was hard enough, let alone two months!  Maybe it’s time to start thinking about summer camp.  Yes, it’s January.  Yes, this is the time of the year when most of us start monitoring the morning radio and news reports for school closings and delays.  But summer is closer than you might think and now is the ideal time to start choosing a camp.

Summer camps come in many sizes and lengths from around one hundred campers all the way up to several hundred and sessions that last a from a few weeks up to seven.  There is truly a summer camp for every preference and budget.  No matter what type of summer camp you prefer, they all have one thing in common:  the fun doesn’t stop after 5pm!

Summer camp doesn’t just occupy your children during those summer hours when they’d otherwise be at school.  It’s a place that entertains them well into the evening hours as well.  In fact some of the best times at camp happen after dinner.  Sure there is plenty for campers to do during the day; play sports, pursue a hobby, swim, boat, play games, make new friends.  But the evening is when some of the deepest bonding moments of the summer take place.  After dinner at summer camp, children don’t retire to the living room sofa to watch television or flip on the Wii.  There are no cell phones in which to engage themselves for hours playing Angry Birds.  At camp, campers may find themselves taking part in a sing along, acting in a camp show, playing crazy games, or watching a magician or hypnotist.  It could be drum circle night or there may even be a campfire with s’mores in store.  Maybe it’s a swim or a dance party…or both!  It could be a sleepover or a night making special treats or craft projects.  Maybe it’s just a night to chill with the bunk or cabin  No matter what the activity, it’s fun and two words that are NEVER heard at camp: “I’m bored!”

Much of the support for summer camp revolves around the skills children develop during daytime programming activities.  The value in summer camp evening activities is often underrated.  However, a great deal of planning intended to extend camp spirit and tradition into evenings.  Camps employ entire teams of people whose sole responsibility is to plan and execute evening activities and special events that enhance the overall camp experience.  While having fun at their evening activities, campers also continue to learn how to shine as an individual, to be part of a team, and to develop their creativity in ways that benefit them as well as others.  At the same time, some of the most prevalent and pervading summer camp memories are made at evening activities.

An investment in summer camp is not just an investment in keeping children occupied during their summer days.  It’s a 24/7 investment that also includes evening entertainment that further develops the skills that are honed during the daytime.  So now and during their next break from school, when your children proclaim, “We’re bored,” think about summer camp.

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Ropes Course: Lessons in Climbing High in Life

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

One of the most popular activity periods for Starlight campers every year is our ropes course. The highly trained and certified staff instructs campers of all ages in the art of scaling the rock wall, shimmying up the Star Jump, and leaping to an exhilarating ride on the zip line every day.  However, during these activities, campers are not simply learning the ins and outs of outdoor adventure. As they leave the ropes course each day, they take with them several lessons in life application.

Upon approaching the ropes course for the first time, Starlighters probably experience a few butterflies in their bellies. However, our staff spends time with them teaching safety procedures and climbing terminology.  They also, of course, pump them up with some pep talk. By the time the campers are fitted into harnesses and belayed up the wall, the sense of anxiety has disseminated  into excitement! When children secure their sneakers into the first step, they take a big step in life as well. Maneuvering the ropes course for the first time teaches campers to try new things despite having a sense of reservation about the unknown. The importance of instruction and preparation is a lesson in safety and demonstrates to campers, ‘Yes, we are going to have a blast! But it is critical to be ready and educated so that it is just as safe as it is fun.’

There are many other benefits to a period spent at Outdoor Adventure. At Camp Starlight’s rope course, you can always hear cheers coming from the ground up to campers advancing up the rock wall. Kids are constantly telling their bunk mates, “YOU CAN DO IT! TRY ONE MORE STEP!” and “WAY TO GO!” This experience is teaches the campers on the ground a valuable lesson in encouraging others. It also gives the climber a sense of support from other campers, and it bonds the group by giving them the opportunity to play both the encourager and receiver of praise. Whether children make it to the fourth step instead of the third like last time or they swiftly navigate to the top of the wall, there is a sense of accomplishment. When campers walk out of the gates of Outdoor Adventure they take with them the praise received from onlookers and the acknowledgement of their success, which is a vital boost to self esteem.

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Now is the Time To Start Choosing a Summer Camp

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

The leaves are falling off the trees and the weather is starting to cool down, but it’s not too early to start thinking about sending your children to summer camp next summer.  There is certainly no shortage of American summer camps and finding the right one for your children is essential to their success there.  There’s a lot to think about, which makes now a great time to start thinking about what you want in a camp.

Traditional summer camps are a great way to introduce children to summer camp because they offer a broad and well-rounded experience.  Children still trying to find their niche in a sport or hobby find great success at these camps because they’re given opportunities throughout the summer to take part in many different types of activities.

The length of the summer camp you choose is also important.  Most overnight camps accept campers from the age of seven.  When considering camps, it’s key to consider your family’s lifestyle, your children’s other activities and commitments, and even your children themselves. Many embrace the traditional seven week experience because it removes the stress of trying to figure out how to keep children active and entertained during summer vacation.

Consider how far away from home you want your child to travel as well.  Some parents prefer to send their children to a summer camp within a few hours of home while others view summer camp as a way to introduce a global perspective to their children and send them abroad to attend summer camp.  This is particularly becoming a trend in Europe, where European parents are deciding that they’d like their children to experience traditional American summer camps.  However, increasingly, parents from all over the world are making this decision as well.  Many American parents find the amazing reputations, beautiful campuses, and the breathtaking scenery of Northeast Pennsylvania idyllic and send their children from as far away as California, Florida, and many other states.

The structure of a camp’s program should be given careful consideration as well.  As they grow older, most campers like to make decisions about their daily activities at camp, and Camp Starlight gives them the opportunity to do so.  However, we find that younger campers, especially those new to summer camp, prefer a more structured program with most of the decisions about their daily activities made for them.

Once you have decided what type of camp, length, location, and program are right for your child, you will likely find your search narrowed to a manageable number of camps.  Since you are reading this blog, you have found Camp Starlight’s website and are on the right track.  We also invite you to check out our Facebook page, and sign up to follow our Twitter feed.  By doing this now, you will give yourself plenty of time to watch, read, and listen.  If you are unfamiliar with camp, you will be pleasantly surprised at how active our summer camp community remains throughout the winter.  In fact, many Starlight families will tell you that camp never really ends for them—and that’s a good thing!

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Create a Camp Atmosphere All Year Long

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Just because your children are no longer at camp doesn’t mean you can’t create a camp atmosphere in your home.  There are several things you can do to keep the camp spirit alive all year long.

This doesn’t have to be a radical flip of the switch that completely eliminates conveniences and luxuries from your lives.  In fact, such an act is probably not very realistic for many families.  But taking small steps to reduce your children’s reliance on things such as television, video games, and cell phones is a great way to remind them that don’t need them as much as they think they do.  Designate a day or two each week in which you won’t turn on the television or play video games.  Have a family game night instead.  Board games and card games are a great, light-hearted way to bring the entire family together for a few hours.  Turn off cell phones during meal times, before a designated time in the morning, and after a designated time in the evening.  Yes, with the invention of smart phones, we’re becoming increasingly reliant on these convenient little gadgets, but you may be surprised at just how much you enjoy the peace and quiet of a few hours without them each day…and, your family will also likely remember just how much they appreciate having a conversation with someone who is not looking at their cell phone or texting the entire time.

Keep supplies for creative bursts.  Arts & Crafts, Eco Science, and Nature don’t have to be activities restricted to the camp setting.  In fact, many of the projects that your children do at camp can quite easily be done at home, and they’re a great way to fill an afternoon or evening on which you’ve decided to have a break from television and video games.  There are books readily available that walk you step-by-step through such popular camp projects as tie-dying, candle making, beading, shrinky dinks, Mentos geysers, goo, and many more.  YouTube also has a host of videos that demonstrate kid friendly home science and nature experiments.  Keeping a closet or a chest of standard supplies for these types of projects will prevent you from having to make a shopping trip every time the kids want to have some summer camp style fun.

Have a “campfire”.  You might not have a backyard big enough (and there may be some local ordinances against this, even if you do), but consider having a backyard fire.  A patio fire pit, if you have one, is actually ideal.  An operable indoor fireplace works, too.  Make s’mores, tell stories, share memories.  This makes for a great evening to invite friends over because, as every camper will tell you, the more the merrier at a campfire.  If you live in an area in which weather permits, actually taking a weekend camping trip is always fun, too.

Start a garden (if you have a yard) or cook with your children once a week.  Gardening and cooking programs are popular at camp.  Even if you don’t have the space in your yard, herb gardens are easy to maintain and can be grown indoors.  Besides being enjoyable and fun, cooking is a valuable life skill for children to learn.  Let your children look up healthy recipes, talk about nutrition with them, and, most importantly, let them do the work in the kitchen.

Have regular family “out of the house” trips.  At camp, children regularly take “out of camp” trips to places such as local sporting events, the movies, or bowling… They look forward to these trips as a special treat and time to create some very special memories with their camp friends.  Why not make special memories like these as a family?

By making just a few (fun) adjustments, your entire family can enjoy the spirit of camp throughout the year, and it just might make those ten months of waiting a little more bearable for the kids!

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Come Rain or Come Shine…

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Do you ever wonder what happens at camp when it rains?  We assure you, it’s nothing like those scenes in movies that depict bummed out campers forced to spend entire days in their cabins or bunks .  Typically, it doesn’t rain all that often in the northeast during the summer and, whenever possible, activities proceed as planned.  We never let a few sprinkles get in the way of our regular activities.  But on those rare days when there is just no way around it, we’re ready!

When we wake up to a morning that makes outdoor activities unrealistic, we swing into action by implementing alternative programs.  Camp is just as fun and active when it’s a little bit wet outside as it is when the sun is shining.  By utilizing our indoor facilities, we’re able to keep the action going by combining our regular programs that are already completely or partially indoors, like gymnastics and arts and crafts, with special activities, like games, trivia contests, or sing-a-longs.  Sometimes, we simply move some of the things we normally do outside to an indoor location.  Ga-ga, basketball, and soccer, for instance, all adapt well to indoor locations.  By making just a few minor adjustments, we’re able to make sure that everyday at camp is full of good times and memories for our campers, not just those days when the sun shines.

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Animation at Camp Starlight

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

The animation program at Camp Starlight is proving to be really popular.  Headed by Cindy, our campers create short films using stop motion techniques.  This clip shows “Nigel” falling off a backdrop designed by campers.

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Crazy Days and Whacky Nights

Saturday, July 9th, 2011

Parents, do you ever log onto your computer to check out the camp photos for the day, see your child painted in blue from head to toe or maybe wearing a crazy wig and big nerdy glasses and wonder, ‘What in the world?’  The answer probably has something to do with your summer camp’s special events and evening activities.  For fifty plus nights (and some days) summer camps entertain your children with some of the zaniest games and wackiest contests that they can come up with.  Why?  Because it’s fun to be painted in blue from head to toe…seriously.  Or at least it is when your bunk is performing a dance to the Smurfs theme in front of the entire camp and you’re Papa Smurf—or Smurfette.  And seeing images of your children and their counselors slipping, sliding, and splashing around in what appears to be multi-colored goo…it’s a camp thing…a really fun camp thing.  Eye patches are always fun.  So is spending a day pretending to be pirates and searching for buried treasure.   Becoming a secret agent and collecting clues to decode a message or pretending to be wild animals is also a great way to spend that occasional non-program day.  From trivia contests to talent contests and everything in between, some of the greatest moments of summer camp happen during the crazy days and wacky nights!

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