Homesickness is a normal response of campers to the stress of being separated from their families. Suggestions for interventions include preparing children and parents for the camp experience, educating staff concerning child development and homesickness, developing a plan for the child who has adjustment problems, and following-up with campers at…

Addresses the importance of camp evaluation, including the role of formative and summative evaluations; overviews areas of evaluation such as administration, facilities and grounds, programming, and staff; describes functions of evaluation, including human relations, technical function, and conceptual function; describes evaluation tools; and…

Presents a model of integrated residential camping, providing a resource for other models. The model program creates an inclusionary environment responsive to the needs and interests of children with and without disabilities. Parental responses, anecdotal information on interactions, and descriptions of changes in attitudes are included. (SM)

Describes Korea's Camp Gonee for mainstreaming disabled children, based on American continuum-of-services approach to therapeutic recreation. Describes camp's systematic design, planning, objectives, program development, and volunteer training. Describes campers' experiences, progress, and relationships with volunteers. Discusses implications of…

Describes the efforts of two camps administered by the Brandeis-Bardin Institute (Brandeis, California) in implementing water and energy conservation programs, involving recycling, composting, and landfill savings. Programs were successful in eliminating excess waste and teaching campers to care more about their environments at home and at work.…

Determined the effects of a highly structured and intensive 10-day camp program incorporating behavior modification techniques on 111 boys and 16 girls, ages 6-12, with severe behavior problems. Results of pre- and posttesting indicate that brief, intensive, and specialized camping programs can significantly increase these children's self-esteem.…

For camps to be successful, management should empower camp staff to be heroes (leaders). This is based on three rules: campers look for heroes; heroes build successful camps; and successful directors build heroes. Being a hero implies being the best one can be and always attempting to improve the example communicated to others. (LP)

A survey of 44 secondary level students who attended a summer camp for gifted/talented youth analyzed reasons that campers did not enroll in certain course offerings, ideas for future course offerings, occupational areas of interest, the extent of racism in the schools, and the amount of drug use in the schools. (JDD)

School-to-Work programs can help camps address the chronic shortage of support staff and can provide funding for the training and support of teenage staff. One camp's success with teen workers was based on collaboration with families and local schools and agencies, staff cooperation, and administrative willingness to stretch job roles. Benefits to…

Camp Tawingo (Ontario) started as a summer camp in 1961 based on the philosophy that through outdoor recreation and fun, children can learn about self, others, community, and nature. This philosophy has guided it through its growth into an independent residential outdoor center and an independent, small rural school for grades K-8, Tawingo…

Mountain School, run by North Cascades Institute, is a camp in North Cascades National Park, Washington, where elementary school students spend 48 hours living and learning about science and the environment. In addition to science and nature, responsibility and teamwork are taught. Describes innovative instructional methods used, such as…

A study of 743 disabled and nondisabled youth in inclusionary outdoor programs at 12 resident camps and 2 resident outdoor schools found that disabled youth significantly increased their social interactions with peers and their active participation in the program. Youth without disabilities improved their social interactions and developed greater…

A camp serving the New York City area provides year-round support and educationally based experiences for economically disadvantaged children. Evaluations indicate that campers and parents were aware of the psychological, social, and physical benefits of camping; parents and the community benefitted from children's camping experience; and setting…

A study explored the influence of experiential adventure activities on nine girls with emotional and behavioral disorders at a residential wilderness camp. New members found the activities exciting, but did not relate them to treatment. Established members began to see connections to treatment issues. Advanced members understood the relevance of…

This study sought to determine the effects of using a talking pedometer on walking behavior and the value placed on walking by 22 children who are visually impaired or deaf-blind. The results revealed that the children were motivated to set challenging goals for increasing daily activity levels through the feedback provided by the talking…