Addresses the importance of camp evaluation, including the role of formative and summative evaluations; overviews areas of evaluation such as administration, facilities and grounds, programming, and staff; describes functions of evaluation, including human relations, technical function, and conceptual function; describes evaluation tools; and…

School-to-Work programs can help camps address the chronic shortage of support staff and can provide funding for the training and support of teenage staff. One camp's success with teen workers was based on collaboration with families and local schools and agencies, staff cooperation, and administrative willingness to stretch job roles. Benefits to…

Camp Tawingo (Ontario) started as a summer camp in 1961 based on the philosophy that through outdoor recreation and fun, children can learn about self, others, community, and nature. This philosophy has guided it through its growth into an independent residential outdoor center and an independent, small rural school for grades K-8, Tawingo…

The goal of the present study was to investigate how the quality of the mother-child relationship, social self-concept, and the quality of peer relationships predict girls' feelings of homesickness at a residential summer camp. We expected that children with secure attachments to their mothers, a more positive social self-concept, and better…

This exploratory study used qualitative methods to better understand how youths in a residential setting perceive their relationships with the counselors. Using focus group methodology, the study focused on how youth describe the relationship, what staff qualities the youth are able to identify as important in engaging and maintaining the…

Within school environments, where bullying interventions are usually studied, the preponderance of bullying incidents generally occur in less structured settings (Hazler, 1996; Leff, Power, Costigan, & Manz, 2003; Olweus, 1997). Outside of school, children spend time in relatively unstructured community environments, with minimally trained staff.…

This book is the primary text for the Certified Camp Director Program and the Basic Camp Directors Course sponsored by the American Camping Association (Indiana). It provides an orientation for new and prospective camp directors and a quick reference for experienced camp directors. The book covers the following topics: (1) an historical overview…

Results of a national survey of domestic summer foreign language programs for elementary and secondary students are the basis for information on summer schools, workshops, and camps. A description of a cultural immersion-type camp run by Concordia College receives significant attention. Other camps, including those for disadvantaged or potential…

The 4-H handbook focuses on factors to consider and things to be done when developing a camping program. Since the emphasis, structure, and administration of 4-H camping varies, the booklet is flexible enough to be adapted to different state, district, and county situations. Major topics are camping's importance to extension education,…

Government regulation of children's summer camps, particularly involving health and safety standards, is discussed in a series of brief interviews with camp directors and representatives of camp associations. Transcribed from the National Public Radio weekly broadcast, "Options in Education," the program includes a lengthy montage of…

Gives 10 strategies and examples for camp crisis-management: a written, implemented emergency plan; clear, honest communication; trained staff; good community relationships; learning from experience; knowing the local environment; preparing for the media; considering long-term impacts; avoiding adverse effects; and recognizing good things that…

This article discusses the 4-H Gateway Academies specifically designed to enhance science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and knowledge in middle school youth. The innovative summer day camps partnered Project Lead the Way--trained teachers with county 4-H staff from University of Wisconsin-Extension (UW-Extension) Cooperative…

Guidelines are offered for positive camping experiences for poverty children and youth. There are sections on community organizations which can offer services for camp placement, recruitment of campers from among disadvantaged groups, and the orientation of new campers to camp (including such practical suggestions as the types of food and snacks…

This paper deals with a tragedy in the field of human services. The tragedy lies in the fact that a program with a fair modicum of success will not be continued because the decision-makers in the state government concerned with this area decided with insufficient justification to end this program after the summer of 1968. Six hundred boys, nine to…

Describes a hiring program for senior citizens as part-time specialty counselors in a day camp. Lists objectives, methods, implementation, and means to evaluate the proposed program. Relates background qualifications and camp activities of two persons successfully hired under the program, and two unsuccessful experiences with seniors hired under…