Camp Connection

Here are the most recent blog posts for staff, professionals, and the public. Interested in guest blogging for ACA?

Moving Mountains and Herding Cats: Closing Summer Camp
August 21, 2017

The last camper was picked up (46 minutes late, but you won the last office pool). Now your staff stands idly bewildered at what to do next. You and your staff have been flying through the space-time of summer faster than Han Solo’s Kessle Run,... Read More

There Is Still Good in This World
August 10, 2017

I had the most delightful, inspiring experience recently.

I was invited to be a guest judge at the “Mountaineer Cook-Off” at Mount Laguna. “Mountaineers” is our teen program at Marston – they spend only their first and last nights at camp... Read More

Preparing Campers for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse: How to Make a Printable Pinhole Projector
August 7, 2017

Hi, my name is Carolyn and I am an informal education outreach specialist at NASA, partnering with Christine Shupla of the Lunar and Planetary Institute to bring NASA to camps.  My job is to help promote the study of the stars, the sun, the moon... Read More

Tips for Calming Down Overwhelmed Camp Counselors
July 24, 2017

“It’s hot.” “I’m tired.” “My campers are crazy.” “My co-counselor is not pulling his/her own weight.” “I am just not sure I have enough left in my tank to finish the summer.”

All of these are excuses or complaints that I and many other... Read More

The Doldrums of Camp: Overcoming the Mid-Summer Slump
July 11, 2017

As a camp director, when the middle of the summer drew near, I found myself gathering my leadership team to prepare for a possible journey through "the Doldrums." In the children’s novel, The Phantom Tollbooth, a young boy, endlessly bored by the... Read More

How to Plan a Wildlife Adventure
July 10, 2017

All summer long, the National Wildlife Federation is holding the Great American Campout, a celebration of using camping to connect to wildlife and nature. Here, naturalist David Mizejewski offers tips to assist camp staff in planning wildlife... Read More

How to Bring Self-Defense Workshops to Your Camp
June 19, 2017

As you plan your programming, you want to add camp activities that are educational, constructive, and fun. Self-defense is one of the best lessons your campers can learn because it has so many real-life benefits.

Other than the physical... Read More

Camp Builds Powerful Advocacy
June 19, 2017

Last month, twelve camp directors gathered with staff from the YMCA, American Camp Association (ACA), and the Foundation for Jewish Camp in Washington, D.C. to advocate for the Child Protection Improvements Act (CPIA) of 2017, international... Read More

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