Ideal Summer Camp Term Length  

Perhaps the most common question parents have about summer camp concerns the length of the sessions. They often ask us, "What's a good length of time for summer camp programs?" Summer camp can be as short as one week or as long as eight weeks. Parents want to provide the best possible experiences for their children, so they wonder what the trade-offs are regarding the different session lengths.

Effective Discipline Techniques for Children: Part 3

This Blog is Part of our Counselor Training Series, see note below*

[In Part 2 we discussed how to address disciplinary situations in a way that helps kids learn. In Part 3, we discuss what we do about chronic misbehavior that is not improving.]

What About Chronic Disciplinary Issues?

In the case of chronic misbehavior, we need to change our approach because the first has obviously not been very effective. We still want to recognize the cause of the misbehavior, whether a skills deficit or an unmet need, but we need to augment the question-based approach. The following are all strategies that we use in the rare cases when a camper has not learned from our previous efforts to address his or her behavior.

EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE TECHNIQUES FOR CHILDREN: Part 2

This Blog is Part of our Counselor Training Series, see note below*

[In Part 1, we discussed how we train counselors to approach discipline and how to recognize the root causes of misbehavior. Now we discuss how to address misbehavior after it happens.]

How Our Summer Camp Counselors Address Discipline

If the purpose of discipline is to teach better alternative behaviors, then the best approach is to start by asking questions.

The common response to a disciplinary situation is for an adult to want to talk to the perpetrator and immediately explain why that behavior is not acceptable. This stems from good intention, but completely fails to take into account the processes occurring in the child's brain.

Benefits of Long Summer Camp Session

"What is the best summer camp term length for my child?"

Every off season we get calls from parents asking about how long they should send their kids away to camp. Parents are looking for the ever elusive best summer camp term length. 

Here at Camp Champions, we focus mostly on three week summer camp terms, although we also offer two week summer camp terms. Industry research shows that 95% of 2nd graders are ready to go away for three weeks of camp. And in fact a majority of our campers are three week campers. The difference in personal growth, relationships developed, activities explored and fun experienced at camp compounds in the second and third weeks of summer camp sessions.

Effective Discipline Techniques for Children

The Purpose of Discipline: Part 1

Dealing with Discipline at Summer Camp

The first priorities at camp are always to encourage the growth of our campers and make sure that they are having as much fun as possible, so discipline can be a tricky thing to handle. Most of our efforts at maintaining good behavior are directed at prevention. Counselors who use best practices are typically able to help limit misbehavior. These best practices include: 

1. Leading from up close
2. Establishing rules early
3. Building individual relationships
4. Offering plenty of positive feedback

No matter how good the counselor, though, at some point in a three week term boundaries are going to be pushed, feelings are going to get hurt, and rules are going to be broken. Those things are a part of the process of growing up.

We want to share our process for training our counselors how to address these situations, so that you can be confident that they are being handled appropriately, whether or not your child is involved.

Overnigth Summer Camp Vs Academic Camp

Which summer camp should I go to?

It's a question that all parents must wrestle with: “What do I want my kids to get out of their summer?”

Is it a time to have fun and enjoy a break from school, or is it a time to push ahead with advanced academic programs and college preparation?

Fortunately, there's an option that meets both needs. While academic summer programs may be a great fit for certain students, three weeks at an overnight summer camp presents the challenges and growth that all kids will need before they can go away to college and be successful.

In fact, one way we've learned to think about the benefits of overnight camp is with the phrase “College and Career Readiness”. It's practically the best college training we can think of!

College and Career Readiness

Best Overnight Summer Camp Houston 2014 Guide

Summer Camp is a fun-filled experience for our children. It's an opportunity for tremendous growth and youth development is another important aspect of every child's summer. Houston has a variety of options when it comes to summer camp. The city is host to several organizations that put on day camps in the city. However, about this time every year, parents and children start to think about going away to overnight camp.

Overnight Summer Camp vs. Sports Camp

What summer camp should I go to?

There are many kinds of camps that compete with resident camp for our kids' attention during the summer. As parents, it's important to understand what our kids are gaining and learning from different kinds of summer experiences.

One popular option is the specialty sports camp. We see more and more kids enroling at sports camp focused on specialized movement and athletic skils development at an early age. Most families recognize the benefits of both experiences. The best case scenario is for children to get both experiences, however, that is not always possible. This post discusses the benefits and differences between sports camp and overnight camp.

What does your child learn?

Best Overnight Summer Camps Austin 2014

Overnight summer camp is a fun way for youth to get outdoors, and it's an extremely powerful youth development experience. Finding the right summer camp can be a time consuming process. Finding the best summer camp for your family's needs is a process that begins early and involves lots of research and talking to people with sleepaway camp experience. Let's face it, summer camp is a place that is all about people. 

Austin has the distinct advantage of being smack in the middle of Texas, which is great. It gives you a lot of options for summer camp in Texas! Austin has a plethora of summer camping options that are not overnight. This post will provide the top resources for beginning your search in Austin Summer Camps. Additonally, we will provide a list of the best overnight summer camps in the Austin area.

Austin Family Summer Camp Fair

The Austin Family Summer Camp Fair has been put on every year for the past 16 years by the Austin Family Magazine. The event is put on every year at the Palmer Events Center, usually in late January. It is free to attend and offers a variety of camps to come and meet.

January 2014 Austin Family Camp Fair Event: at the Palmer Events Center, January 26th, 12 PM - 4 PM

Best Overnight Summer Camp Dallas 2014 Guide

Overnight camp is an extremely powerful growth experience for children. Overnight camp is is an opportunity for kids to make lifelong friends, learn about who they are as a person away from their normal surroundings and have a lot of fun. I don't want to rattle on about the advantages of summer camp and the critical skills it provides - you can read more about that later if you haven't already.

We have compiled a list of the best overnight Texas summer camps in the Dallas and East Texas area. At the bottom of the list you will also find a few of the top camps in Texas Hill Country as well. Texas Hill Country overnight camps have a long standing tradition of summer camping. Geographic location is just one facet to being looking at summer camps, and we hope this helps you as you begin your search for a summer camp in Texas.

East Texas: Dallas Overnight Summer Camps

Camp Huawni | East Texas | Timpson

Camp Huawni is located in East Texas, right outside the town of Timpson. Huawni focuses on connecting kids with the outdoors and promoting simple fun. Camp Huawni has a strong commitment to promoting meaningful relationships among campers and supporting personal growth. Campers come to Huawni for anywhere between one and two week summer camp terms and are aged Kindergarten through 11th grade.

Learn more - http://www.camphuawni.com/