The camp community understands that participation in camp produces a variety of impacts; what is less understood are the causal mechanisms leading to outcomes. In the past, research on the camp experience treated causal mechanisms as monolithic; this commentary argues that a weakness in existing camp research is the assumption that…

Missing from the growing literature on Jewish camps is Lukinsky's (1968) pioneering study of the curriculum to teach responsibility that he designed for the 1966 Ramah American Seminar. Reviewing this work I discovered that Lukinsky--under Schwab's (1971) influence--creates a rare balance between his own perspectives as an educational practitioner…

As summer comes to close, students are already buzzing about what they plan to do for summer. Many student are likely to choose (along with the help of their parents) summer camp. There may be a few students and families, however, that are "on the fence" about what summer camp to choose. This article offers some advice to help parents sort through…

Summer camps provide opportunities for children to experience play, pleasurable activities, and social interaction with other children of similar ages and interests and are an integral part of the modern-day American cultural landscape. The authors discuss the emergence of summer camps for children with special needs, the types of play activities…

Geospatial and Robotics Technologies for the 21st Century (GEAR-Tech-21), teaches science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through robotics, global positioning systems (GPS), and geographic information systems (GIS) activities for youth in grades 5-8. Participants use a robotics kit, handheld GPS devices, and GIS technology to…

Camps have long addressed multiple components of young people's development, including spiritual development. In particular, transcendental communion with nature and the outdoors may provide one pathway for young people's spiritual development. The physical, mental, social, and spiritual growth of young people has been at the core of camps for…

Reports the responses of 1,176 resident and day camps, members of the American Camping Association. Includes 5 bar graphs that depict 1989 versus 1988 enrollment, enrollment as percentage of available space, client type, camp sponsorship, and camp type. (SV)

Briefly described are four award winning summer programs including a Massachusetts Girl Scout camp which mainstreams girls with disabilities; a New York camp serving siblings of children with disabilities; a Texas camp which utilizes volunteers to serve disabled children who may have serious medical conditions; and a California camp offering…

Shooting sports teach discipline and responsibility, permit universal participation, and are popular with campers, yet are declining because of certification, cost, and safety issues. BB guns and air rifles are safer and quieter, need less space, can be used indoors, and are inexpensive compared to small-bore rifles. New target systems reduce…

Responding to the fact that young people today have more personal problems and challenging behaviors, Camp CHI (Lake Delton, Wisconsin) and seven day camps affiliated with the Jewish Community Center of Chicago began utilizing trained clinical camp consultants to address individual camper's behavior problems and related staff needs. The positive…

In this article, the author talks about three special needs camps--Camp Kirk, Camp Talisman and Camp Caglewood. Camp Kirk's philosophy is to encourage their children to take risks in a structured setting, like high ropes courses, rock climbing wall, martial arts, and traditional activities like swimming, arts and craft, drama, and others. Once…

This article describes the steps taken by the University of Oregon to create a prototype contracted camp service for 6-13 year old children of military personnel stationed overseas. Selection and training of college students for staff positions is outlined, and brief descriptions of the day and resident camps are given. (IAH)

Written with the hope of improving communications within the outdoor/environmental education network, this catalogue lists 158 school boards or organizations and 40 camps in Ontario. It is organized by region and contains the following information for each group: Type of program (organized, incidental, residential, school based, elementary,…

Fairview YMCA Camps (New Jersey) simultaneously hosts three different camp programs. Sense of community is created by shared staff training, shared staff facilities, common areas, and social and project intermingling. Campers also make cross-program connections, influenced by staff behavior and shared facilities and activities. Shared marketing…

A cooperative camp program trained three teenagers with developmental delays to be counselors-in-training (CITs) for a children's day camp. Trainees learned about the basic chain of command at camp, first aid and emergency care, child development, and behavior management. The program was deemed successful in increasing job opportunities for…