https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camps-transformation-economy

What do hibachi restaurants and summer camps have in common? Before I answer that, let me provide some context. Earlier this year, I dined at a hibachi restaurant for the first time. I sat up at...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/nice-save-place-share

It’s free play, the 30 to 45 minutes of magical time at camp when nothing and everything happens. I walk from the dining room to the main campus after dinner and stop to watch five 9- and 10-year-old...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/assessing-summer-health-outcomes

How did it go? After 2020's "different" summer, we stepped into 2021 with hope. More camps opened, some staff were COVID-19 immunized, and protective behaviors — such as masks, physical distancing,...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/excellence-research-practice

In 2015, ACA, with the help of the Committee for the Advancement of Research and Evaluation (CARE), created the Eleanor P. Eells Award for Excellence in Research in Practice. This award is designed...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/health-screening-has-evolved-does-your-practice-reflect

Health screening, a practice typical to most camps' opening day process, has undergone an evolution. Granted, some changes were kick-started by our COVID-19 experience but, like...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/bullying-what-it-what-it-isnt-what-do-what-not

Question: What are the chances that a bully will be among the group of campers you are responsible for this summer? Answer: Zero. Sorry, this is a trick question. Bullying is a behavior, not an...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/search-marketing-web-drive-new-camper-enrollment-alternative-businesses

The quiet, final weeks of August find camp directors exhaling and peering out over empty fields — luckier ones are on a beach somewhere preparing meticulously crafted reenrollment letters. Agonizing...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/preventing-addressing-bullying-camp

An Interview with Emily Bazelon   In her new bestselling book, Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy, Emily...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/teaching-skills-children-need-succeed

In his book Homesick and Happy, child psychologist Michael Thompson, PhD, describes the dilemma that faces so many of today’s parents. “I have spoken with many parents, who, out of the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/parent-study-suggests-strategies-effective-use-camp-research

The question is often asked, “So now that we have this research, how can I tell parents about it?” A fair question. Directors and camp administrators require action plans rather than theories and are...