Summer Camp

        Summer camp is a supervised program for children and/or teenagers conducted (usually) during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers.

        The traditional view of a summer camp as a woody place with hiking, canoeing, and campfires is evolving, with greater acceptance of newer summer camps that offer a wide variety of specialized activities. For example, there are camps for the performing arts, music, magic, computers, language learning, mathematics, children with special needs, and weight loss. In 2006, the American Camp Association reported that 75 percent of camps added new programs. This is largely to counter a trend in decreasing enrollment in summer camps, brought about by smaller family sizes, the growth in supplemental educational programs and the popularity of electronic media, all of which have made keeping children inside and occupied much easier than in previous generations. Camps can be for all ages.

        There are also religiously-affiliated summer camps, such as those run by Evangelical Christian groups. The primary purpose of many camps is educational or cultural development. A summer camp environment may allow children to take healthy risks in a safe and nurturing environment.

        Whether you are planning a summer camp or planning on going to summer camp, it is a good idea to have a plan of action. As a camp coordinator, you have to plan events, activities and entertainment for the participants. There are many themes you can come up with, but to get the most participation out of a theme you have to make them sound fun and attractive. Remember that camp is about fun and enjoyment. As a camp participant you want your stay at camp to be enjoyable and something that will create memories of a lifetime.

        When coming up with ideas for activities you need to know all about the facilities and their accommodations. Do you have a gym, baseball and football field, or a place to implement these types of games? Do you have hiking trails, lakes, rivers, boats, canoes, swimming, snorkeling or diving? You should have all this information available to you as to be able to fulfill a complete and full schedule for your participants.

        Now that you have the information on what capabilities your facility has you can start making your plans. First you have to make the decisions on what type of activities or events you are going to do. Play games, cooking, nature hikes and exploration, mystery excursions, and so on. After you have come up with everything you are planning on doing, you then need to name your events. To name your events, you really need to be creative. You want to make the sound fun and exciting. But at the same time you do not want to over glorify the names as to lead to disappointment to the participants. You need to pick a name that will make the participants excited to participate without giving false expectations on what the program is all about.

        Say if you are going to have an outdoor cooking activity, you need to come up with a unique name for it. Let's say something like, Cooking In The Wild. Now that you have your theme, how are you going to implement it? Would you make burgers on the grill? What would you call them to give it some excitement, Survivor Burgers, after the television show Survivor? It takes a lot of time, planning and creativity to make any event a success.

        I have listed some ideas below that could be a theme for an event along with a suggested description of what that event might entail.

Wonders of Nature

For this event you might want to venture into insects, rodents, land formations, mosses, trees or birds. This type of event of has many options to choose from.

All Stars

For this event you would set up sporting games. Be if football, basketball, soccer, water balloons, Frisbee events and what ever other activities in the sporting them you can come up with.

Survivor

This is an event that could be set up on the television series "Survivor". You can set up treasure hunts, obstacle courses or play a creative game on survival.

Splash

This event name could be for your water adventures. You could play water volley ball, canoeing, swimming competitions, diving competitions or snorkeling.

A Day In The Knight

This event could be geared to learning about knighthood. You could get out the turkey legs and maybe play some knight games.

American Idol

This event since it is so popular on television would be a great event for the participants. They could all have a singing competition and let the participants be the judges.

The Red Light Special

This event could involve the Police and Fire Departments. They are usually more than will to volunteer their time for events with children. If there are K-9's they could give a demonstration. If there is a rescue diving team they could also give a demonstration. I would try to be more original on this event as most schools already have the police and firemen come to visit them on fire and protection issues. If they have access to the survive alive house, see if it would be possible for them to bring is also.

Around The World

This event could involve learning other countries customs. Another great idea for this would be to have the participants make some ethnic foods and sample foods from different countries.

Pick Your Star

This event could involve some astrology and learn the constellations. Each participant could also pick a star that is their own, giving them a certificate of ownership.

The Sweet Tooth

This event could involve children's favorite foods. They might make cakes, cookies or candies.

So as you can see, there is a lot of time and effort that goes into the implementation of setting up Summer Camp themes. But with due diligence you will get the job accomplished and the participants will have a great time and something they will remember for a life time.

Australia

        Summer camps are largely non-existent in Australia, largely due to the short window of time during the Southern Hemisphere summer that is available. Most children participate in School-camps, Girl Guide/scout camps, or school holiday camps with some religious groups (Such as the Salvation Army and Seventh-Day Adventists) holding week-long Summer Camps. Girl Guides and Scouts offer 'jamborees' which are camps over 1 to 2 weeks. Multiple-week camps are next to unheard of, because the Australian summer break (known as the Christmas holidays) only lasts between six to eight weeks, and occurs over Christmas and the New Year.

        Many of Australia's youth music organisations hold annual rehearsal camps in summer including the Australian Youth Orchestra's National Music Camp and Gondwana Choirs Gondwana National Choral School.

        Other than the Seventh-Day Adventist Summer Camps, most holiday camps are referred to as "Adventure Camps", because they largely do not occur over summer. Other groups such as CRU Camps, a division of Crusaders run many week long camps for primary and secondary school students every school holidays, including Study Camps prior to final exams. Activities on adventure camps may include white water rafting, skiing, motorbike riding, sailing, rock climbing, waterskiing, horseriding and leadership skills.

        Many groups hold holiday day-camps for Primary aged children, and often run week-long adventure camps during the Spring, Autumn and Winter breaks.

Canada

        In Canada, summer camps are very popular. About 70% of Canadian camps tend to be affiliated with organizations, while the rest are private.

        The Canadian Camping Association (CCA/ACC) represents over 700 camps across Canada.

        There are also many summer camps for ESL students.

        Summer camp fairs are held throughout Canada, usually during the winter months. Parents and children can meet camp directors and collect information about summer camps. Admission to these fairs is typically free, and the camps on display vary in their cost from completely subsidized fees to quite expensive.

        The only international sports camp located on both Canadian and United States soil is the 50th Legion Athletic Camp located at the International Peace Garden on the Manitoba/North Dakota border. More than 42,000 youth have attended this five-week multi-sport camp.

China

        Most of the summer camps are sponsored by the educational bureau. However, nowadays, there are more privately-held camp programs. The traditional camps are only open to the selected students within individual school district. In the recent years, programs have started that are open to kids from different background and different regions. There are also programs tailored for international students who are interested in learning Chinese language and culture.

Finland

        Many Finnish non-governmental organizations arrange summer camps for children in a wide variety of age brackets. Major organizers of summer camps are the scouts, sport teams and the orthodox and evangelic-Lutheran churches. The concept of summer camps arose with the rapid post-WWII urbanization and industrialization Finland experienced. The reason behind this was that Finnish pedagogues of that period, influenced by the values of the largely agrarian pre-WWII society, were convinced that an urban lifestyle was harmful for the development of children. The idea behind summer camps was to ensure that children had experiences of the countryside, experiences that would aid in development into a decent citizen.

        One Finnish tradition also arose soon after WWII, was confirmation camps. Confirmations camps, religious camps for 13-16 years old youths organized by the local churches, aimed to combine the traditional concept of confirmation school and the newer concept of summer camps in order to battle secularization of the society. The concept was successful enough to such an extent that today, 90% of all youths participate in confirmation camps. The camps require their participants to learn certain religious texts, such as the catechism, and the Lord's prayer.

        There are a number of non-religious alternatives for confirmation camps, such as the Prometheus Camp, which aim to generate a positive intellectual and social atmosphere for the participants of the camp without religious tuition.

France

        In France they are called colonie de vacances or more recently centre de vacances. According to the French administration, more than 25% of French children attend this kind of "collective holiday" each year.

India

        'Kanha Makhan Public School,Mathura':"Mr.Anil Yaduvansi Ji " There are very few summer camps in India. Kids and Teen Summer camps are popular in the northern parts of India whereas in the southern parts the trend only started about two years ago. There is a summer camp at Ooty Tamil Nadu called FrolicBoonies(five hours drive from Bangalore) for kids from seven to 16 years old. Each camp is seven days long. Activities include jungle safaris, trekking, bird watching, fishing, wildlife tracking, horse riding, airplane modelling, astronomy and personality development. Personality development includes six sessions on various topics such as time management, healthy eating habits, memory power and concentration, obedience and honesty, leadership skills and development, and goal setting and achievement.

        Another Residential summer camp called Gjnasa: Nachiketas is organized at Dilkhush Mahal, Ooty,Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu. Gjnasa: Nachiketas is unlike another summer camp limited to one single activity like cricket, swimming, dancing or painting. It has a much wider canvas and a deeper perspective. It is an ideal medium for children where they have the courage to ask questions and unleash their talent and creativity like never before. It gives the child a secure beautiful environment where they can discover "who am I?" The Activities are full of Fun, Adventure and Discovery thus channelizing the boundless energy of children positively.

        There are some other camps conducting activities such as drawing, dancing, yoga, vocal music, various crafts, rock climbing, mountain hiking, magic, doll making, rowing, cricket and tennis coaching.

        In Rajasthan, Summer Camps are quite popular. Mostly run by the Mountaineering & Adventure association of Rajasthan or Patrika in Education in various fields.

Ireland

        Summer camps in Ireland were traditionally in the form of Irish colleges. They are residential Irish language summer courses that give students the opportunity to be totally immersed in the Irish language, usually for periods of three weeks over the summer months. During these courses students attend classes and participate in a variety of different activities games, music, art and sport. These courses not only provide students with the ability to improve their language skills but also have proved to be a vehicle for introducing traditional cultural activities (celis, Irish traditional music, etc.) to a new generation.

        Whilst Irish colleges are still popular, a greater variety of summer camps are now on offer catering for a range of interests. Sports camps covering gaelic games as well as rugby and soccer have proven very popular. Arts & crafts, cookery, acting, dance and outdoor pursuits are some of the other niche camps available. There is also a growing popularity for tech or computer camps. They cover areas such as web design, video production, desktop publishing etc., reflecting a more modern and diverse Ireland.

Israel

        The majority of summer camps in Israel are day camps. There are some overnight camps where campers stay for two weeks. The affiliation of the overnight summer camps is Jewish so they celebrate Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. The summer camps are international and are meant for Jewish kids and teens from Israel and countries around the world.

        Some of the summer camps in Israel have a specific focus, for example, eCamp that focuses on high-tech in Israel.

Korea

        Summer camps in Korea are English Immersion camps where the emphasis is on learning through structured lessons, and especially tailored activities to ensure students use the language as much as possible. Korea is quite unique with its over emphasis on acquiring English speaking skills, and teachers for these 2 to 4 week camps come from all over the English speaking world. Some of the teachers are on vacation from their regular work in Korea. Others come from their home countries or other countries where they might be working, and are on special visas just for the camps.

        Some employ as many Korean staff as there are native English teachers to ensure the cultural and communication gaps are narrowed. A good camp should provide equipment and well researched texts for the different levels of students. To maximize the learning time spent there should be no more than 11 students per class. At some of the camps students sleep at dormitory accommodations, which are monitored all through the night by Korean staff. Other camps are day camps where the majority of students are bused to and from the camp.

        Teachers spend most of their time with their students. They eat together, play sports together, and supervise them when there are special group activities.

        Similar camps are also offered in the winter vacation. They are certainly no less popular than the summer camps

Russia

        In the USSR, the first summer camps were created shortly after its establishment and were called Young Pioneer camps during the Soviet Union's existence. Their number grew throughout the history of the Soviet Union and they numbered more than forty thousand in 1973, with 9,300,000 children attending them during their vacation every year. After the breakup of the USSR, the number of Young Pioneer camps greatly declined. However, many of the major camps still exist. There are 2,726 Residential camps (with 2,000,000 children), and more 40,000 Day camps (3,500,0000 children) in Russia (2006). Most of them was united by All-Russian Camp Association "Deti Plus" (Children Plus) in 1994. There is also a forum leaders Summer children's health camps - planerochka and also holds Encyclopedia of mastery children's camp leader - summercamp.

United Kingdom

        Summer camps are not a regular part of childhood in the United Kingdom, as they are in the United States. The term "summer camp" itself is not considered to be British English (the industry body is called the British Activity Holiday Association). Camps in the UK are also generally less specialised than that within the United States and most offer a fairly broad Multi-Activity programme of adventure activities alongside some fun social elements. This is partly because summer camps in the UK grew as an off-shoot of the activity holiday industry and therefore was very influenced by their adventure-only outdoor programme. The UK has for the past few decades had a number of organisations that have established themselves more along the traditional American Camp model with a very wide range of holiday options as well as themed camps and major event days. Some religious groups, such as the Christadelphians, also run well publicised and attended camps throughout the country.

        A very successful attempt to introduce residential summer camps to the UK was made by an organisation known as "The Council of Colony Holidays for Schoolchildren" which ran summer camps called "Colonies" from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s. Colonies were not based on outdoor pursuits or the "action-adventure" model, but were multi-activity holidays designed to appeal to a very wide range of children. This organisation was based on the French model, and was unique in the UK in that the young people who worked directly with the children (known as "Monitors") were unpaid volunteers, and also were rigorously prepared for their work in training courses designed and run by the organisation itself. CCHS had considerable support from the educational establishment and both the residential holidays and the training courses were highly regarded.

        A successor body to CCHS, known as "The Active Training and Education Trust" was formed in 1996. This organisation runs residential summer camps known as "Superweeks" using the same structure, ethos and training courses that were developed by CCHS.

        Popular Camps in the UK include ACT 2 CAM, a screen acting and film making course, and Sunshine Studios Hip Hop Summer School and MJA Language language course, which also offers lots of other activities.

        Any summer or holiday camps in the UK that look after children under 8 must be registered with OFSTED, who will inspect the provider under certain conditions of their registration and make sure the camp is safe and that the children are being looked after properly. Even camps with older children can be registered with OFSTED and this is a sign of quality control.

        Camp Beaumont is organised by Education Travel and sited at Kingswood Centres around the UK. Activities are taught to students who might not have a chance to learn such skills in standard school settings. Camp Beaumont at Kingswood Centre, Bembridge, Isle of Wight has proved to be popular, as it is right next to the sea and plenty of space for the activities to take place.

        In recent years sports specific coaching camps have become increasingly popular with a move away from the traditional tents to bricks and mortar with en-suite facilities - examples include Exsportise, XUK and Futures Sports.

United States

        The American Camp Association (ACA) reports that 10 million children attend camp annually, and there are approximately 12,000 camps nationwide.

        Camps include both religious, for-profit, nonprofit, and government camps. In the United States, youth organizations, like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, the JCC, the YMCA, Camp Fire USA, and several religiously-affiliated groups are known for having many camps and integrating them with their own local organizations.