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Question Answer Session for Parents
We believe every child can benefit from a Christian camping experience. Like you, we want your child to have a good first camping experience, and will make every effort towards that goal. Below are some questions other parents have asked. Feel free to contact the camp staff with any other questions or concerns you have about your child’s upcoming camping experience. We are here to help.
Why is camping important to you and your child?
What can your child expect from this camping experience?
What have parents suggested after their child went to camp?
How are the meals handled at camp?
How does the camp handle accidents?
Can we connect with our camper?
We are concerned about homesickness. How do you handle this?
What about discipline at camp?
Why is camping important to you and your
child?
Parents like the fact that
time at camp increases positive identity, social skills, and spirituality, as
well as physical and thinking skills, according to American Camping Association
research. These are skills that help children and youth become more successful
adults. Camp staff and volunteers make every effort to provide a safe and
nurturing environment for campers, while encouraging them to try new
experiences. What could be more important than this time at camp for your
child?
Camp and College success: Here is a
great American Camps Association article pointing to success in college and the
impact camping experiences had on student success. http://www.campparents.org/newsletter/1201/creating-advantage-college
Pastor Sharon L.S. Cook shares the importance a getting away to experience camp because camp changes lives. return to questions
What can your child
expect from this camping experience?
Our Program Director, Laura Hutler, identifies these specific goals and outcomes to the American Camping Assocition (ACA) as the basis for camp programing activities and lesson plans.
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Spiritual growth and development
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Develop age appropriate, community and social skills
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Develop new or grow old skills
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Appreciation for God's creation ..... full document can be seen here.
Attending summer camp is a very exciting event for both campers and parents. It is natural for both you and your child to be anxious about the camper leaving the comforts of home, adopting new routines of daily activities, and meeting many new friends. We want to familiarize you and your camper with our procedures to minimize those “first day anxieties.” The camp staff will make every effort to make campers feel welcome and at home by playing lots of “icebreaker and get to know” you games. Camp staff also works with campers the first night to develop a “camp covenant” of behavior expectations for the week. Please feel free to call the Program Director if you have any questions.
A typical day at camp begins with breakfast at 8:00 am. Mornings and afternoons are filled with activities such as crafts, games, swimming, canoeing, riding horses (for horse camps), and more. Special themed camps (such as discovery and adventure) will have daily activities related to that theme. Each day after lunch there is a quiet time for campers. A part of their daily activities will be a daily Bible study related to the theme. After supper, most campers will participate in an all-camp activity. This is usually followed with a trip to the camp store and some informal time recreation time. As the sun sets, we gather around the campfire or in the chapel to worship and praise God for all our daily blessings. return to questions
What have parents suggested after their child went to
camp?
- Invite one of your child’s friends to come along to camp.
- Send pre-addressed envelopes with campers, addressed to family and friends and put on the necessary postage.
- Leave letters to campers at the registration desk that can be distributed during the camper’s stay.
- Send old clothes that your child will recognize as their own. There is no need to buy new clothes for camp. Do not send designer clothing or other valuable items.
- Label everything and pack light.
- Make sure you have all the necessary forms for check in. It will save time.
- Your child will probably come home tired and may need additional rest after their stay at camp.
- Talk with your child ahead of time about how you expect them to behave. Explain to them that they will not be able to call home. Tell them that if they have questions or concerns about anything, talk with their counselor or another staff person.
- Questions about registration and payment are to be addressed to the Camping Office in Sun Prairie at 877-947-2267. For questions about the camp program and/or our facilities, contact Lake Lucerne at 877-582-3763 or Pine Lake at 800-648-9630. return to questions
How are the meals handled at camp?
Meals are
served “family style.” That means we all sit down together and pass around the
serving dishes after the blessing. This gives campers a chance to have
discussions at the table with their counselor. Campers also participate in
setting the table, serving the food, and help with clearing the tables. Special
dietary concerns are a growing challenge for parents and young people today. The
summer camp menu is set up at the beginning of each summer. Our food service
manager plans balanced meals with as much variety as the economy will allow.
Salad bar or salad options are available at least once each day. We are happy to
provide you with a copy of the menu a week ahead of your child’s camp stay so
you can see if there are areas you would need to send additional food items to
accommodate your camper’s diet. Dietary concerns, such as food allergies, should
be noted on the health form. Please do not send “cabin snacks” along for your
camper. Food in the cabins can attract unwanted pests. Contact us with any
questions you have about our meals. return to questions
How does
the camp deal with child medications?
All prescription
medication brought to camp must be in the original bottle or container with the
camper’s name, dosage, time when the medication is administered and the doctor’s
name on the label. If you bring medications not in the original container, they
need to be accompanied by written orders, signed by a physician, which includes
camper’s name, dosage and time. All medications, including over-the-counter
(vitamins, creams, lotions, cold remedies, etc.), are required by Wisconsin law
to be turned into our camp health supervisor. A handy way to bring medications
to camp is to put all of them in a zip lock bag with the camper’s name on the
outside. Please do not send medication in daily pill sort containers. DO NOT
PACK MEDICATION IN your camper’s LUGGAGE. We have many common over the counter
medications on hand and will administer them to a camper following written
guidelines approved by our camp doctor. All medication, both prescribed and over
the counter, is to be given to the camp health supervisor at registration and
recorded on the health
form. Contact the Program Director or Camp Manager with further questions
and concerns about our camp health care procedures.
An insurance contract is provided and the cost is included in the camp fee. This is a supplement to your personal health/medical insurance. Coverage is subject to the terms and conditions of the Master Contract held by the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. Call our Sun Prairie office at 877-947-2267 if you have questions about our insurance policy. return to questions
What if my child has
emotional or physical needs?
Parents are encouraged to share
any special concerns about your child, emotionally, behaviorally, or physically.
You can indicate this on the health form. We will only share the information
with those staff who we feel need knowledge of this special circumstance to
ensure the safety of your child and the other campers. While we try to be as
inclusive as possible with campers who have special needs, we cannot expect our
staff to deal with problems outside the normal range. We cannot accept a child
who requires a large amount of individual attention. Feel free to call and
discuss any concerns you have with the camp director. return to
questions
How does the
camp handle accidents?
In the event of an emergency, camp
staff will take appropriate immediate action, and attempt to contact parents, or
other emergency contacts as listed on the camp health form. We will continue to
attempt contact until one of the emergency contacts is reached. Please be sure
to fill out contact information completely. Should no one be available, we will
act according to the Parent’s Authorization statement located on the health
form. We have found that, from time to time, it is helpful and necessary to talk
directly with the parents or legal guardian, so please, if you are going to be
out of town, leave word with your emergency contacts as to where you can be
reached. return to questions
Can we connect with our camper? Yes, we suggest —
- Emails are printed and distributed to the campers at mail time. Campers do not have access to a computer to respond to emails. We will not print photos, etc.; just plain text.
- Take the time to write a thoughtful letter. A hand written letter can mean so much more to a camper than a quick email – often being kept for many years to come as a keepsake.
- Have a grandparent, aunt, or uncle write a letter.
- Ask your minister or youth leader send a note.
- Send favorite comic strips, stickers, etc. (postal letters only)
- Letters should focus on the camper’s activities and be encouraging. Letters revolving around how much you miss your camper can be hard on a camper already experiencing “homesickness”
- Detailed information about emailing your camper can be found in your camping confirmation letter.
- We suggest your communications stay positive and don't encourage homesickness by emphasizing how much you miss your child.
- Also please avoid writing how much fun you are having on vacation while your child is at camp.
- Stay positive, you can discuss real problems with your camper when he/she returns home.
If you receive a letter written the first night in which your child sounds upset, PLEASE don't be alarmed. By the time you receive it, your child will have adjusted to camp life and will be having a lot of fun. Our counselor staff are coached and trained in how to redirect homesick campers and help them develop life-long coping strategies for dealing with separation and other growing pains we all experience. Please refer to the article above on College success in students who have gone to camp. http://www.campparents.org/newsletter/1201/creating-advantage-college return to questions
We are
concerned about homesickness. How do you handle
this?
Temporary homesickness is a normal reaction,
particularly to new campers. Our staff makes an effort to help campers overcome
homesickness by helping them learn to accept the natural feelings of missing
family and friends. We welcome this opportunity to help our campers grow in this
area and develop life-long coping skills. We train our staff to handle
homesickness in constructive and loving ways. There are a couple of things you
can do to help your camper adjust better to camp life.
One way is to talk about the differences in the routines, and in camp life itself. (No television, air conditioning, no phone calls, no electronic games, meals are on a schedule, shared living quarters, etc.) Let the child know that you, while you will miss him/her when they are at camp, you have confidence in his/her ability to cope with the differences. Telling a child that you can call or will come and pick them up if they are homesick communicates to the child that you do not believe they can last the week. Another way to help with the adjustment is to count out the days (day by day) the child will be at camp, so the child has a better understanding of the length of the event. If you child has never slept away from home, having the child go to grandparents or to a friend's house for a sleep over is a great way to have the child learn what it is like to be away from you for a period of time. Finally, encourage your child to share his/her feelings with his/her counselor if they become homesick. It is OK for them to tell their counselor they miss their family. Telling their counselor something general like “my tummy hurts” doesn’t help. return to questions
What about discipline at camp?
Our camp
staff provides a nurturing environment where children can feel free to express
themselves. Our underlying principle that “every child is a child of God,” is
displayed through our counselors and staff who genuinely care for campers in a
small group, as well as on an individual basis. Staff develop a “camper
covenant” with their cabin group each week to outline behavioral expectations of
the group. Parents, please encourage your child to follow the instructions of
their counselor and other camp staff. Camp life is structured and many of the
rules we have are necessary to ensure the safety of all our campers. We may not
let your child do the things (canoe without a lifejacket, climb a tree, snack at
any time, etc.) that they may do under your supervision. return
to questions
What are campers NOT allowed to
bring?
- Radios, stereos, MP3 players, iPods, Nintendo-type games, toys, etc.
- Cell phones and pagers
- Knives, hatchets, cigarettes, tobacco products, illegal substances, liquor, fireworks, pornography.
- Any type of revealing or suggestive articles of clothing.
- Clothing with designs, messages, slogans, etc., that are vulgar, suggestive, or promotes improper behavior (i.e. smoking or drinking).
- Immodestly cut swimwear or two-piece suite (campers with revealing swimwear will be asked to wear a t-shirt)
- New clothes, designer clothes, expensive jewelry, or any item which the
child can’t live without if lost. return to questions
