In this paper, we report on our experience as rookies organizing, funding, and running a summer computing camp for middle school girls. The focus of the camp was building mobile applications using App Inventor. The three day/two night camp targeted girls in rural, high poverty school districts and was funded through an award from the National…

Minimum-impact camping techniques that can be applied to resident camp programs include controlling group size and behavior, designing camp sites, moving groups frequently, proper use of fires, proper disposal of food and human wastes, use of biodegradable soaps, and encouraging staff and camper awareness of impacts on the environment. (LP)

Staff at a residential camp for high-risk youth dealt with campers eating potentially lethal hallucinogenic mushrooms by eliminating the mushrooms instead of confronting the group and thereby jeopardizing the relationship between staff and campers. Analyzes the situation and provides suggestions for handling similar incidents in the future. (LP)

An effective approach to camp staff orientation involves veteran staff leading orientation groups for new staff. In addition to familiarizing staff members with the camp, group leaders are responsible for making members feel at ease through activities. Details a highly successful five-day orientation led by veteran staff. (LP)

Describes how camp counselors can foster camaraderie among campers through participative decision making, name games, listening, adventure courses, storytelling, spending time in nature, decorating cabins, avoiding favoritism, setting rules, admitting faults, setting group goals, and praising sincere efforts. (TD)

Describes a severe incident of hazing among 13-year-old male campers. Discusses hazing as a ritual or rite of passage gone awry, indicative of the lack of positive rituals for youth in our society. Recommends camp program procedures for responding to such incidents and strategies to prevent hurtful behaviors among campers and to promote group…

Discusses the importance of planning, implementing, and evaluating camp physical activity programs. Appropriate physical activity programing should consider frequency, intensity, time, and type of activity. Also important are following the principles critical to physical training: specificity, overload, and progression. Two examples of physical…

The planning and operation of Jefferson County (Colorado) Public Schools' foreign language camps are described. The weekend-long camps attempt to duplicate an authentic cultural experience in a foreign village through cultural activities and language immersion. French, Spanish, Russian, and German camps are conducted for county high school foreign…

Discusses how camps can survive by changing their marketing approach, organizational structure, and programming to meet the needs of the community. Profiles Wyman Center, a residential camp near Saint Louis, Missouri, that has prospered as a result of breaking with tradition and redefining the terms "camp" and "customer." (LP)

Resident outdoor environmental education (ROEE) is a camp-based extension of the classroom for two to five days, promoting student independence, interpersonal skills, and ecological awareness. Advantages and disadvantages of the "camp as innkeeper" and full program-provider models are given. Program development guidelines cover expenses,…

Camp Minnow Lake (California) for at-risk families was developed with foundation and corporate funders and volunteer staff. Obtaining such funding requires developing a mission statement, identifying funders, making contact, and identifying ways to advance funders' goals. Describes elements of successful proposals and how to attract, work with,…

Since 1976, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) of Nassau County, New York, has utilized a 1600 acre site at Caumsett State Park for its Outdoor and Environmental Education Program. Once the estate of Marshall Field III, the center retains many historic buildings and provides a unique combination of natural habitats: fields,…

The National Indian Youth Leadership (NIYL) model was created to develop leadership skills for Indian youth to perform their future roles in the family, school, tribe, and nation. The model not only instills leadership skills and values through hands-on learning opportunities, but also challenges youth to apply those skills through projects they…

Nissequogue River State Park is one of the last large tracts of undeveloped land on Long Island (NY) and is a refuge for organisms displaced by the rapid and extensive growth of suburbia. A reconstructed 120 year old barn and stable house the Outdoor Learning Laboratory which consists of interpretive displays (bird and mammal identification,…

The clean and plentiful waters of the Connetquot basin's ponds, streams and marshlands have nurtured an extraordinarily rich ecosystem which has always been prized by both Native Americans and subsequent immigrants to this country. Since 1973, 3,476 acres have been preserved as Connetquot River State Park. To aid elementary and secondary teachers…