Posts Tagged ‘ready for summer camp’

Generation Z Living Tech Free

Sunday, September 27th, 2020

  1. iPhone/ Smartphone
  2. iPad/ Tablet
  3. Laptop.
  4. Television.
  5. Apple Watch/Fit Bit/ Smart Watch
  6. Amazon Echo/ Google Home/ Apple Home Pod
  7. Bluetooth Speaker.

This list of items can be found in nearly all our campers’ homes. We live in a tech-ridden world where technology is not only common, but a must to keep up with the fast-paced environment. However, at summer camp, we allow campers to remove themselves from technology and slow things down.

By eliminating technology in the bunks, Camp Starlight fosters an environment that allows campers to develop relationships and grow. Without electronic distractions in the bunk such as social media and video games, our campers have real face-to-face interactions, creating bonds stronger than technology.

This is most evident on a rainy day at camp. While a rainy day may seem glum and uneventful from an outsider’s perspective, campers in their bunks are anything but glum. Imaginations seem to run wild when 10 friends are stuck in a bunk together for hours. They create games, bunk traditions, or even mini business ideas in their bunk all because they were in an environment that nurtured this creativity and teamwork between campers. When the option is to create a game or play a video game, the video game is often the easy choice. When the option is creating a game or sitting on your bed, imaginations go into hyperdrive, allowing children to grow individually and with their bunkmates.

We do understand the value of technology, however, which is why many of our member camps incorporate technology into their daily program with activities like coding, digital photography, music production, and digital media arts. We utilize technology in this capacity as a learning tool to equip our campers with a new skill set to use when they return home.

In a world where technology does so much for us that campers often don’t need to think for themselves, we take this influence out. We allow campers to think. We allow campers to grow. And we allow campers to slow things down, if just for a short few weeks.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

-Ferris Bueller

At Camp Starlight, we don’t miss it. We live it. All summer. Every summer.

Upper Plebes and Lower Senior Boys Hockey

Sunday, July 9th, 2017

Starlight Upper Plebes and Lower Senior boy’s hockey fell behind early in the first few minutes of the game against Wayne County but recovered with a strong comeback. Down 2-8, Jonah S. and Jared F. each scored to change up the pace of the game. Then the boys found themselves down 5-8 going into the 3rd period, but Jonah S. was able to score using his hat trick technique. Jackson F. put himself in the right spot scoring on a onetime from Jonah S. and then again from Ozzie F. Jackson F. completed his hat trick with the game winning goal 8 minutes into the 3rd period. Starlight closed out the game and securing their win with their airtight defense.

4 Constellations visible from Camp Starlight and how to find them

Monday, September 28th, 2015

UntitledLights out doesn’t have to mean the fun is over; after all, Camp Starlight is the perfect place for stargazing! All you need is a clear sky, a few tips and pointers, and of course a helpful counselor.

Once you figure out how to find the north star, it’s a slippery slope to becoming an astronomy expert. Who wouldn’t want to be knowledgeable about this beautiful universe of ours?

Here are four of the easiest constellations to locate during the summer months at Camp Starlight, and how to find them.

The Big Dipper

For many aspiring astronomers, the big dipper is the first constellation they ever discover. The Big Dipper is visible all year round, making it a dependable friend even if you aren’t an astronomy master.

The distinctive dipper or ladle shape is hard to miss, since it’s composed of a few of the brightest stars in the sky. Take a look at the shape in the picture below; this is what you’re looking for.

bd

Image source: http://www.instructables.com/

 

Found it? Awesome!

Beyond being dependable, the Big Dipper is your secret key to the celestial world. Once you can find the Big Dipper, you can use it to pinpoint many other constellations.

Now let’s use the Big Dipper to find our next constellation: the Great Bear.

The Great Bear

The Big Dipper is actually part of the Great Bear, so if you’ve already located that elusive ladle then you’re literally halfway there. Hint: the handle of the dipper is the tail of the bear.

Look for the brightest stars directly forward from the dipper part of the Big Dipper to find the bear’s head, and extend downwards from the dipper’s bottom to find the bear’s legs. Can you spy the Big Dipper in this picture?

  Image source: https://misfitsandheroes.wordpress.com/


Image source: https://misfitsandheroes.wordpress.com/

The Little Dipper

The Big Dipper isn’t done helping us; we’re also going to use it to help us find its smaller but no less important sibling, the Little Dipper!

Find the two stars that make the “front” of the Big Dipper and draw a line with your imagination upwards. The brightest star in that line is the end of the Little Dipper’s handle.

Image source: http://astrobob.areavoices.com/

Image source: http://astrobob.areavoices.com/

The Little Dipper is much fainter than the big dipper, and if any wispy clouds are hanging around it might be quite tricky to find. But there is a reward! That bright star forming the end of the Little Dipper’s handle is none other than Polaris, the north star.

If you can get this far, you have everything you need to find your way in the wilderness. North is always the direction of the North Star, which is why sailors used to be so concerned with astronomy in the old days. Pat yourself on the back!

Draco

Everyone loves dragons, so let’s finish by finding the dragon constellation, Draco. We can use the Little Dipper as a reference point, just like we did before.

The snakey part of Draco wraps around the spoon part of the Little Dipper in a giant “s” shape, leading up to the “head” of the dragon — a suspiciously ladle-like four-point star formation, as you can see in the shape here:

11111111

Image source: http://www.rocketmime.com/

Show off your new astronomy skills to your friends!

Astronomy is like everything else at camp: challenging, but rewarding. And most importantly, tons of fun.

The best part about these four constellations is that they’re visible all year around. Be sure to show your friends at camp, or if you’re a counselor, be sure to teach your campers. That way they can take their newfound astronomy skills away with them and show their friends at home!

When they ask where you learned something so cool, you can just say, “at Camp Starlight.”

New Year, New Summer

Thursday, January 2nd, 2014

There comes a point for everyone involved with camp when we finally stop wishing for it to still be last summer and begin looking forward to this summer. The beginning of the new year is the perfect time for this. The new year is a time of new beginnings for most people and, although that long list of resolutions most of us start out with in January has already been all but forgotten by the time the first spring blooms begin to peep out of the ground, there is always the promise of camp. January starts that final countdown toward summer. We’re finally in the year 2014, and it is only a matter of months before we arrive at the Summer of 2014.  And a fast six months it always is! We spend cold winter evenings watching our camp videos or reading our camp newsletters. We attend camp reunions and follow our camp Facebook pages. By spring we’ve ordered all of our new camp gear and are eagerly awaiting for it to arrive.  We start to set goals for the summer with our camp friends. Then we blink, and it’s May. It’s time to start packing! School ends and the countdown is down to days…days that seem to take longer than all of the months we’ve waited put together. But it comes, the new summer of the new year, faster than we ever thought it would a year ago.

Learning from the Starlight Program

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

Each summer the Starlight program gives campers the chance to be individuals, build confidence, as well as promote teamwork. By providing a well-rounded experience and offering so many activities, campers are able to learn in different environments.

Our staff members encourage campers to push themselves to try new things. From climbing the rock wall to zipping down the zip line to hosting their own radio show and calling play by play for an inter-camp game, campers are gaining self-confidence in many ways. Starlight Athletics allows campers to increase their skill-set through great instruction, practice, and drills. Campers also get swim lessons, boating lessons, and have the chance to waterski all throughout the summer. Seeing their kids grow and get better throughout the summer is one of the most rewarding memories a staff member can tell you about camp.

One of the greatest aspects about being at camp is the ability to perform at the Starlight Playhouse. This is something campers may or may not pursue at home, but each and every camper is involved with a show. Everyone has the chance to get up on stage and perform in front of the entire camp audience.

All campers have different and individual experiences, some love playing the guitar, directing movies, while others enjoy creating new moves at dance, building a model rocket or conquering a fear of riding a mountain bike around the lake. Even if it is as simple as shooting an arrow for the first time at archery, trying new things at camp is always a great thing.

Not only do we want our campers to have fun and enjoy activities, but we hope that they learn from the well-rounded program Starlight offers. There is truly nothing better than seeing campers grow throughout the summer and then transfer those skills to their daily lives once they leave.

-Patrick Francis

Eagerly Awaiting the Arrival of Campers!

Thursday, June 20th, 2013

In just a few short days, campers will arrive at each of America’s Finest Summer Camps in droves.  But summer camp campuses all over the country have already been populated by someone else for the past several days: staff.  Working with children 24/7 requires more preparation than simply showing up ready to work and being given a brief tour of the “office.”  When your “office” is a summer camp campus, there is quite a lot of preparation to do before the campers arrive.  That’s why summer camp staff participate in orientation sessions that last for a full week.  During this time, staff are trained in everything from inclusive techniques and ice breakers to emergency procedures.

Some of the staff members, like many of their campers will later this week, stepped off of a bus and into summer camp for the first time.  They were nervous, as is expected of everyone showing up for their first day on the job.  Having carefully been selected by year round camp staff over the course of the past year, many of them are working toward degrees that will lead to careers working with children and have some idea of what to expect…but not completely.  Over the past several days they’ve learnt a lot about camp, a lot about themselves, a lot about each other, and a lot about the campers they will meet in a few days.

If you ask any of them, they’ll tell you it has been an intense few days, but beneficial ones.  They’ll tell you that not all of it has been fun, but a lot of it has.  They’ll tell you that they’ve already made some new friends they know they’ll have for life.  But, perhaps most telling about the type of people who choose to embark on an adventure as seemingly crazy as working round the clock for seven straight days in an unfamiliar place for two straight months, is that they’ll tell you that they can’t wait to meet their campers!

Signs It’s Almost Time for Camp

Thursday, May 30th, 2013

You’re counting down the time left in the school year in days, not weeks or months.

You start almost every sentence with, ‘When I get to camp…’

An area in your room has been designated as the gathering place for things you intend to take to camp—and the collection is starting to grow rather large.

You find yourself imagining that moment on arrival day when you step off the bus and your camp friends come running toward you

You’ve pulled your camp trunk out of its winter storage location.

You’ve already started your visiting day treat list.

You and your camp friends have started speculating about the names of this year’s Olympic teams…and whether this year you will be wearing blue or white during Olympic week.

Your stomach jumps every time a “camp song” from last year comes on the radio.

You and your camp friends have already started wagering about what this year’s camp songs will be.

You’ve started a mental “to do” list for the summer.

Staff has already started arriving at camp for the summer.

You chant Dining Room cheers at the kitchen table.

While reading this, you mentally tried to calculate how many more days there are until camp starts (24) because you can’t wait.

Are You Ready for Camp?

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

Are You Ready for Camp?

The bags are sent.  Your alarm is set.  The buses are ready.  The staff is excited.  But are you ready for the summer of 2012?  You are if…

*You’ve set your ringtone to a favorite camp song.
*For the past several days, you’ve started every sentence with, “This year at camp…” or “When I get to camp…”
*You find yourself humming the camp alma mater.
*You’ve been earmarking songs on the radio as this year’s “camp song” between you and camp friends.
*You’re already allocating your day according to the daily camp schedule.
*You can almost taste your favorite camp meal.
*You got excited about the waterfront while packing your bathing suit.
*You’ve already started thinking about which Olympic team you want to be on and who the officers will be.
*You have designated arts and crafts days at home.
*You haven’t worn an item of clothing that doesn’t have the camp logo on it in at least a week.
*You’ve found yourself looking at last year’s photos or the camp video while imagining poses for this year.
*You’ve been practicing your theater show audition in the mirror.
*You’ve been online reading Facebook, Twitter, and the camp blogs all week scouring for any and all information about what awaits for the summer of 2012.
*You are reading this blog right now because it’s the night before camp and you can’t sleep because you are SO excited!

See you tomorrow!  We can’t wait until everyone is here.

Time to Start Thinking about Packing…

Monday, May 7th, 2012

May means a lot of things to a lot of people.  To some it’s Memorial Day and the official beginning of summer.  For others, it marks the end of another school year.  For summer camp parents, it means it’s time to start thinking about packing.  For first time parents, the task can seem absolutely overwhelming.   How much sunscreen and shampoo do I pack?  Do they really need shinguards?  How many t-shirts are enough?  For seasoned camp parents, packing is a science based on experience.  The art is in packing just enough but not too much or too little…and knowing which items the children have sneaked into their bags to take out and which ones to let go.  Packing properly takes time…and patience.

Camps provide rather comprehensive packing lists.  These should not be disregarded.  They’re compiled by professionals with years of camping experience who have excellent knowledge of what children’s bags need to contain in order for them to arrive prepared for a successful summer at camp.  Also keep in mind when packing that living space is somewhat limited at camp.  Your child will not have his or her own room at summer camp.  He or she will live together with several other campers as well as a couple of counselors. This means that there is not a whole lot of room for “extras” and labeling clothes is important as mix-ups are otherwise bound to happen.  If laundry is your primary concern, rest assured that camp laundry is done at least once per week.  Your child’s counselors and other camp staff will see to it that your child has clean clothes.

Summer camp values also often downplay appearance.  The emphasis of summer camp is on fun, friendship, and safety.  Before the end of the summer, your child will likely get wet, slimed, painted, generally messy, and a host of other cool things that tend to make children laugh and adults cringe.  So keep the really good stuff at home and send clothes that neither you nor they will miss too much if they have to be “retired” at the end of the summer.

It’s important for both new and seasoned camp parents to pay as much attention to the items your child’s camp asks not to bring as those items it asks to bring.  There is a reason your camp requests that certain items not be brought onto campus, whether it’s to help facilitate a specific environment, protect those with allergies, or to avoid other issues not conducive to the spirit of summer camp.  Packing “do not bring” items risks them being lost or confiscated until the end of the summer.  This ultimately causes undo stress on your children.  Alleviating stress that results from the idea of having to leave a beloved item such as a cell phone or notepad at home is typically accomplished by reiterating to children about what they will have at camp as opposed to what they won’t.

By following your camp’s advice and being proactive rather than reactive, packing for camp can be a fun countdown to camp rather than a reactive chore.

Got Communication?

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

Parents: Camp is here.  You’re packing bags, making last minute preparations, and listening to endless stories with increasing enthusiasm about what happened during the summer of 2010 in eager anticipation for summer of 2011 to begin.  You’re checking and re-checking to make sure all of the paperwork has been submitted and the bag pickups have been scheduled.  So we figure now is the perfect time to talk about the importance of maintaining good communication with your Camp Directors—now and throughout the summer.

Camp is a big deal for your children and for you.  Whether you’ve planned a quiet summer at home or have an awesome vacation planned, we know that your top priority is to know that your children are having an amazing summer.  You can help, simply by being informative.

We’re first and foremost concerned for your child’s safety and well being.  Some of you probably wonder why we ask for photos of your children prior to camp.  It’s so that we can show them to your children’s counselors when we discuss your children’s activity preferences with them so that they can greet campers by name from the moment they step off the bus and have full knowledge of how to make their summer successful.

We can’t emphasize enough the importance of communicating medical issues.  Whether it’s an allergy to certain foods or insects, perhaps a dietary restriction, asthma, a vitamin deficiency, or wetting the bed, your camp directors need to know so that these matters can be handled appropriately as situations relating to them may occur throughout the summer.

We also want to know what your children’s interests are.  If we know your child can’t get enough soccer, for instance, we can make sure that he/she gets maximum exposure to soccer during the summer.  Knowing what your children like only helps us guarantee they have the summer of a lifetime.

Personal family matters are never easy, but if there is something happening at home—a divorce, illness in the family, academic issues, etc. it helps us to know.  Perhaps it’s a positive development.  Your child has landed a new role in a film, has made a particularly competitive athletic team, has earned a special honor at school.  Whatever IS your children’s lives at the moment they come to camp, we want to be able to channel it into an amazing summer for them.  And we’re confident we can.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t ask.  As your child’s “summer family”, we want to know how we can help them be at their best.

If anything comes up between the time you put your child on the bus or plane to come to camp and the time we put them back on the bus or plane to come home that might affect his or her summer, please call us.  We want to know what’s happening.  We want to understand how we can make your child’s stay at our camp effortless and memorable.  Even if it’s minor, if you have any reason for pause, please call us.  We want to be proactive in making your child’s experience memorable.