The camp community understands that participation in camp produces a variety of impacts; what is less understood are the causal mechanisms leading to outcomes. In the past, research on the camp experience treated causal mechanisms as monolithic; this commentary argues that a weakness in existing camp research is the assumption that…

As 4-H evolves to include a wide breadth of youths' modern interests, innovative educational opportunities and evaluation practices become necessary. Horsemanship and safety-based horse camps were created in response to a statewide challenge to develop competitive 4-H members and retain those members as they approach adolescence. This article…

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…

Camp provides an opportunity for a child to have fun, learn and grow in a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment. Tucked away in the picturesque Catoctin Mountain Park in Western Maryland, The League for People with Disabilities has run a summer camp program for over 70 years. Camp Greentop, the campground, is part of the national park, built…

This article recounts the authors' experiences at the Authentic Voices of America summer camp for severely disabled youths who are learning to become more proficient at using computerized communication devices to speak. The five-day camp was founded by Jon Feucht, who also uses a device and continues to serve as its director. In the summer of…

Over the course of three summers, Sierra Health Foundation hosted a weeklong summer youth development camp for REACH coalitions at its Grizzly Creek Ranch retreat facilities in Portola, California. Located 130 miles east of Sacramento, Grizzly Creek Ranch is set in the mountains of Plumas County and encompasses 1,500 acres of forests, streams and…

As summer comes to close, students are already buzzing about what they plan to do for summer. Many student are likely to choose (along with the help of their parents) summer camp. There may be a few students and families, however, that are "on the fence" about what summer camp to choose. This article offers some advice to help parents sort through…

This article profiles Camp Barnabas, a non-denominational Christian camp for people with special needs located in southwest Missouri. For one week, campers have every opportunity possible to be a participant in the world around them, not just an observer. The camp's goal is to provide a typical camp experience--bugs, chants, cheers and incredible…

This article is the eighth part of a 12-part series that chronicles the life of a fictional family--Amita and Samir, and their daughter with special needs, Anjali. This article describes the transition process experienced by Anjali as she learns to become independent despite her disabilities. In this article, Anjali's experiences as an employee at…

Culture and tradition are two highly contested concepts in religious education. Grounding their theoretical contribution in concrete practice, the authors begin with a report on a summer camp with young adults and analyze that experience in light of concepts of culture and tradition, focusing on participation and transformation as two core…

Summer camps provide opportunities for children to experience play, pleasurable activities, and social interaction with other children of similar ages and interests and are an integral part of the modern-day American cultural landscape. The authors discuss the emergence of summer camps for children with special needs, the types of play activities…

An external evaluation documented what occurred in an inaugural summer camp to teach high school students how to preserve religious freedom by learning about and acting on the history and current state of church-state separation and other first amendment issues. Camp designers hoped to promote religious diversity values and civic engagement in…

Briefly described with anecdotes by a mother and camp counselor is the Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, a summer residential camp program for children with talents and interests in these areas. (DB)

Describes the successes and challenges of David King. King's long-standing service to children in Ohio and West Virginia through Camp Horseshoe is presented. (EV)

Camp Mind's Eye is a one-week residential summer program for intellectually and creatively gifted children provided by Camp Tyler (Texas), one of the oldest outdoor education facilities. The camp program stresses right brain thinking, a flexible curriculum, and autonomous instructors. (DB)