Our program empowers campers to make choices that directly affect their experience both at CAMP! and back home, while putting a particular emphasis on kindness and cooperation. From the experience, campers become aware of an expanded set of possibilities and are better able to make good choices in their lives, and to have a positive impact back in their home communities.
Our campers are grouped into six Pods, based on gender and grade level, which are led by a group of counselors. Kids spend some quality time with the Pod, getting to know one another and taking part in Pod programming, but also interact with the rest of camp at mealtimes and through participation in numerous activities. Among these are a daily swimming lesson, one “Awesome Workshop” each day, several shorter “Choice Workshops” throughout the week, and a variety of evening programming.
The morning Polar Bear Swim and Penguin Paddle, along with free swim and canoeing in the afternoon keep the Waterfront buzzing with activity. Some campers learn to swim for the first time while they are with us, while others swim across the lake during their week at camp! The Art program offers kids options like charcoal drawing, watercolor painting, jewelry making, origami, knitting and more. Campers learn about the environment through offerings at the Nature Center, where there are always interesting “critters” to observe. Other favorite activities include a variety of sports on the playing field, canoe games, bread making, learning to use chopsticks, rocket launching and the famous Egg Protector competition.
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) has partnered with us for many years, providing a wonderful lending library for campers and staff to read during the week, and giving each camper two books of their choice to take home. CLiF also launched our Storytelling Night, when three wonderful storytellers visit camp for an evening campfire program, a well-loved tradition for both campers and staff. Our final night of camp together is the Carnival, a hand-made country fair inspired and created by the campers and staff. Every year the theme changes, and is highly top-secret until the last possible moment.
We invite you to watch two short films produced at CAMP! in 2017 and 2015, shown below, to get more in-depth look at the CAMP! experience.
