https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/case-melted-fingerprints

My first time working at summer camp, in fact during my first week, I melted off every one of my fingerprints. I was only 16 at the time, and I remember feeling shocked that this could actually...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/handling-sensitive-issues-campers-bring-you

When You've Earned Your Campers' Trust, You May Get More Than You Bargained For You are out on an overnight hiking trip, sitting around the campfire with your campers and co-counselors, enjoying...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/its-complicated-beyond-hookup-culture-taking-initiative-mitigating-risks

Navigating what has become known as the “hookup culture” is no easy task for young people of all ages and both sexes. Although it has now been popularized in song (including pop star Katy Perry’s “...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/be-superman-teach-campers-wear-cape

Staff training? Check. Nametags ready? Check. Ready to do a great job? Check. Campers are here? Check. It is my first day of camp and I am ready to put everything they taught us into action. I will...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/rejectology-helping-dorky-kids-fit-requires-understanding-social-rejection

You know them when you see them: the boys and girls who don’t mesh. Maybe their shorts are pulled up a tad too high; maybe they don’t know the rules to common games; maybe they blurt out dumb jokes...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/moving-mainstreaming-outsourcing-what-everyone-can-learn-working-different-needs

I run two different camps for kids with different needs, including a resident camp for kids with autism. A concerned parent called to talk about how she wanted her son to be “mainstreamed” in the...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/welcome-world-camp-food-service

If you’re new to the food service staff at camp, then the first week may feel a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of mouths to feed! But rest assured, the camp administration wouldn’t have hired you...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/fight-flight-or-form-use-brain-research-connect-campers

We are lucky to be at camp, in the modern world, and not living in a jungle where each new thing might kill us. The fight or flight response comes from ancient times when a person encountered a...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/welcome-generation-camp

I live in Minnesota where the season’s changing is often dramatic and spectacular. One day it’s ten below zero and the next 65 with bright sun and birds gleefully singing. And although we are all...

https://www.acacamps.org/article/camping-magazine/homesickness-it-isnt-just-campers

With technology, there is simply more to miss. Here are some tips on how to get through it. One of the more interesting challenges borne of this era of connectedness and technology is that camp...