https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/air-quality-camp-environment

Severe weather events and changing climate are contributing to many challenges for summer camps. The summer of 2023 presented new obstacles for traditional outdoor camp activities due to an onslaught...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/how-caffeinated-wild-animals-helped-nine-campers-fall-asleep-other-field-observations-one-camp

I sat on a red camping chair in the middle of a cozy cabin in the woods with the beams of nine small flashlights shining in my face from the surrounding bunks. Third- through fifth-grade 4-H campers...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/cits-our-future-leaders-risk-management-gray-area

For many of us, Counselor in Training (CIT) programs — sometimes called Leaders in Training or Junior Counselors — are an essential component of camp operations and culture. Not only do they serve...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/fumble-or-fiasco-ensuring-leaders-staff-campers-learn-failure

We need to fail before we achieve success. In our personal and professional lives, we generally try to succeed, which is perfectly sensible. To reach our potential, however, we must stop fearing...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/make-strategic-decisions-not-guesses

Enjoy one of camp’s sweetest sounds as you walk up on a dining hall or an evening campfire and hear a chorus of voices singing a favorite camp song — 100 campers, 250 campers, 500 campers — can you...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/five-essentials-supporting-staff-mental-health-well-being

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define mental health as “your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It can therefore affect every stage of life and impact how you...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/camp-counselor-self-care-guide-emotional-physical-well-being

As a camp counselor, you have many responsibilities to juggle, including home life, camp life, and life after camp. It’s important to prioritize your physical and emotional health, as they are...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/nobody-ever-tells-me-anything-communication-camp

Growing up, my sister’s catch phrase could have been, “Nobody ever tells me anything!” because she said it so often. More and more, this sentiment is being shared at summer camp, too. Our camp staff...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/what-camp-staff-can-do-help-children-excerpt-homesick-happy

Dear Colleagues, When I sat down to write my new book, Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, I wanted to answer three questions: 1) Why is it...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/campline/medical-marijuana-current-issues-camps

Introduction A call recently came into the American Camp Association (ACA) Crisis Hotline from a member camp: Three adults attended a family camp and brought medical marijuana with them. Upon...