Regular physical activity significantly improves health outcomes, yet rates of childhood physical activity remain alarmingly low. Physical literacy has been identified as the foundation for quality physical education, suggesting that sport, education, and public health interventions should seek to increase physical literacy to promote physical…

4-H is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension and has identified Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) as a national priority. Conducting STEM education during summer months for hard to reach youth can be a challenge. However, it is during summer when vulnerable students most often experience learning loss. During…

Background: The differential susceptibility hypothesis states that some genetic variants that confer risk in adverse environments are beneficial in normal or nurturing environments. The cholinergic system is promising as a source of susceptibility genes because of its involvement in learning and neural plasticity. The cholinergic receptor gene…

Camp research conducted by Extension provides ample empirical evidence that the camp experience contributes to healthy child development. National and state outcomes resources have emerged allowing Extension educators to target youth outcomes at camp. Although the emphasis on outcomes has been important and productive, the time has come to focus…

Previous research has focused on who the primary attachment figures are for children in middle childhood, but there has been relatively little research on other important people who may fulfill attachment needs. The goal of the study was to identify who children use as non-parental attachment figures and to examine whether children's use varies…

Using data from a parent survey, the author examined factors that influenced parents to enroll their children in a 5-day summer music camp. Survey questions included (a) What were the determining factors for enrolling your child in the class? (b) What activities did your child enjoy/value the most? (c) What musical activities do you and your child…

Every summer more than 10 million children attend day or resident (sleep-over) camps sponsored by churches, not-for-profit youth agencies, and independent operators. This study explored the outcomes of a 1-week or longer camp experience from the perspective of parents. A national sample of almost 2,300 parents responded to pre-, post-, and…

Background: Health is recognized as an important factor in children's educational achievement, and school-based health education programs are recognized for their potential long-term impact. However, the extent to which children conceptualize health similarly as adults, and the nature of their understandings of health, remain cloudy. Purpose:…

The purpose of this paper is to trace the development of camping and outdoor education in the United States. The early beginnings of camping are described along with the development of organized camps and the influences of urbanization on camping. The basic idea of education through camping is presented for each of the various types of organized…

Since 1936, this Phoenixville (Pennsylvania) school, summer day camp, and day care center for children aged 2-7 has implemented the philosophy that children learn best through play, in a nurturing environment where loving people attend to their physical and emotional needs and their intellectual and artistic growth. Contains a resource list of…

This is one of a series of Education for Parenthood manuals developed by the Salvation Army for use in demonstration programs designed to prepare teenagers for parenthood or for child care careers. This guide offers a step-by-step approach to setting up and conducting a parenthood program for teenage leaders in day camps and community centers.…

This article addresses the need for therapeutic camps to support the disproportionate number of African-American children in out of home foster care and group home placements. A brief review of literature on camp interventions and their failure to adequately address the influence of ethnicity and culture is provided. A pilot of a small culturally…

This document provides data from an ongoing longitudinal study of the degree of continuity in individual development over time and describes the complexities involved in efforts to determine the nature of individual continuity. Findings from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of children in a day camp provide evidence for continuity in individual…

Children learn through movement and interactions with their environment and/or with others. For children who have physical limitations, this natural developmental process is affected. The use of assistive technology to enhance movement, communication, play and learning allows the child with physical impairments to learn in a more independent…

The word "summer" brings to mind images of a relaxed, unstructured season--a time markedly different from other seasons of the year. In the United States, we have a particularly entrenched notion that summer is different--a notion reflected in popular assumptions about summer as a "break" and reinforced by carefree depictions…