Summer camp jobs - a place to grow!

Welcome everyone to my blog. Running a residential camp (Maine Arts Camp), as well as MySummers (a staffing site) and Camp Finders (a summer camp referral service), I have gained a unique perspective about sleepaway camps. I first attended camp in 1970 in Maine; I'm still at camp and love it!



Rick Mades

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Pick an activity night - evening activities

We just spent the week in New England, visiting with interested families and meeting some talented staff applicants. Often parents ask us what we do for evening activities. About once a week, we do a "Pick an activity" night. Kids like to choose their activities, especially with how structured school and some camps can be. What we try to do is find special talents that our camp staff have. If the staff can offer something special that is meaningful to them, it is easy to get excited about the activity and sell it to the kids. We have each staff put on a quick skit so that the campers can figure out what activity is for them. It is interesting how some activities would be loads of fun for the kids, but the staff doesn't sell their idea enough. Each staff member needs to figure a fun way to present their activity to hook the kids. We usually have one or two arts activities, one or two active options, maybe cooking, karaoke and more. Lots of fun! The key is that the staff needs to feel empowered and energized and part of a team. For good information on team building, read this article. For a good resource on activities for camp, go to the Ultimate Camp Resource.

Rick Mades
owner of Camp Finders and MySummers
owner/director of Maine Arts Camp

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