New Camper Day!
Will this be your first summer at Camp Starlight? If so, you already share something in common with almost 100 other campers. We invite you to come to New Camper Day on June 13th to meet other first timers and find out what other things you might have in common. You’ll also be introduced to several of our staff members and get to try some of the fun activities you’ll be enjoying all summer long at camp.- Meeting your new bunk mates and counselors for the first time
Do you have butterflies in your belly about that? Betcha they do, too! Don’t worry. As soon as you meet them, the butterflies go away and you’ll forget you ever even had them. - The Opening Night Show and Sing-Alongs
Every year, we open camp with an awesome show. We sing, we act silly, and we laugh a lot. - More of 50 of the funnest activities in camping!
Sports, crafts, dance, science, nature, outdoor adventure, swimming, water-skiing, tubing, cooking, and a WHOLE LOT MORE! Everyday is different and even more exciting than the one before it. - Your camp sibling
Every new camper gets two camp “siblings”, an older and a middle camper who have been coming to Camp Starlight for several summers and who were once first time campers like you. Your camp siblings are special friends. The three of you can talk to each other, attend special camp sibling events together, and cheer each other on during camp activities like Olympics. - Awesome evening activities and special events
Singing, dancing, games, cooking, sleepovers, Wrestling (in jello!), square dancing, concerts, carnival, slip ‘n’ slide…you name it. If it’s fun, we do it at Camp Starlight! - Jason Glick and Barrie Dratch
Our two Lower Camp Head Counselors also happen to be two of the coolest, funnest, most adored people in camp. Along with the Lower Camp Division Leaders, ADLs, and counselor staff, they go out of their way during the summer to make sure that our Juniors and Inters have the most spectacular time of their lives. - Trips
Bowling, the movies, baseball games, and more! - Junior and Inter Day
A special day at camp dedicated to just your division. Need we say more! - New friends
Friends, friends, and more friends. Camp Starlight is full of friends. In fact, there are so many friends at Camp Starlight that we made it our camp song.
Posts Tagged ‘summer camp 2010’
10 Things for First Time Campers to be Excited About
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Life, Unplugged
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010I don’t know about you, but my kids are constantly plugged into something, whether they are texting their friends (does anyone talk anymore?), bopping along to Lady Gaga’s latest, updating their Facebook status, researching a school project online and creating a multi-media presentation, or playing games on my iPhone while I desperately try to finish a conversation at the vet’s office.
Some days I can win a battle or two (no texting at dinner!) but the war is ongoing. And honestly, I’m not the best example. That iPhone I mentioned is never far from reach, and right now I’m surfing online, listening to my own brand of pop music, answering text messages as they come in and writing this blog.
Don’t you wish there was a place where we could all live life unplugged? We adults may not be so lucky; but for our kids, that place is summer camp.
Knowing that someone out there is cultivating a culture of back-to-basics, low-tech life is an irresistible draw for me as a parent. My husband and I love the outdoors and frequently take our kids on short camping trips, but these offer only a short break from the world of “screen time”. Monday morning comes and before the sleeping bags air out, we’re all rushing to see what awaits us in our email inboxes.
As a mom, I worry about the long-term effects of all of these tech ways of communicating. I’m not alone. Several studies have suggested that kids who spend too much time plugged in lose some skills for interpersonal interaction. Let’s fight back.
At camp, social interaction is done the old fashioned way – face-to-face. Campers and counselors alike leave their cell phones at home and get back to a simpler life, when there is an art to conversation. If you were a camper, think back to your best memories. All of mine involve revolve around interpersonal interactions you just can’t get through an email: telling stories around a camp fire; sharing hushed secrets late into the night; telling the worst jokes you ever heard; huddling together to decide the best capture-the-flag strategy.
Friendship doesn’t need a high-tech interface. Don’t think your kids will get with the program? Check out this Seventeen article where teen girls share their favorite summer camp memories. Not one involves a cell phone, I promise!
Thanks to Pink_Sherbert_Photography and eron_gpsfs for the photos!
Susan
Is your child ready for summer camp?
Thursday, May 20th, 2010You’ve collected the brochures, visited the web sites, maybe you’ve visited a camp or two. You may have even have marked off a few weeks in July on your calendar. But you did it in pencil, because you just can’t get rid of that nagging question – is my child, my baby (sniff) ready for overnight camp?
There is no magic formula or age for camp, and every child is unique; but there are some tried and true signs of readiness. So before you pack the tennis racquets and the swimsuits, start by answering these five questions:
1. Is your child interested in and asking about camp?
Spring has just sprung – if your child is already asking about going away to camp, take that as a good sign. Children who are self-motivated and interested in attending camp have a greater chance of being successful once they arrive. Point your child to this: It’s My Life, a PBS web site for tweens, which has advice specifically for kids headed to camp. The site even encourages kids to talk to their families first. What mom doesn’t love that tidbit?
2. Can your child manage personal care needs and the tasks of daily living without mom around? On their own?
Overnight camp involves independent living. Does your child get dressed for school without your help? Can he/she fix themselves a snack? Take a shower? Remember to brush their teeth? If they still need help or daily reminders, you don’t have to keep them home (remember, your child will have great camp counselors to care for them), but you may want to encourage more self-reliance, a good quality to have at home, too.
3. How long has your child been away overnight without you? Was it a positive experience?
If your child loves sleepovers and slumber parties (at other people’s houses) transitioning to sleep-away camp may be a breeze. A week at grandma’s isn’t the same as three or four weeks at summer-camp; but if an overnight without you has never worked, do some trial runs before registering your child for camp. My own personal role model, Supernanny, has some great tips for making sleepovers a breeze.
4. Does your child have a healthy respect for adults and listen to instructions?
Life will be much easier for everyone if your child is good at following instructions and is willing to go along with camp rules. Just keep in mind that our kids often reserve their worst behavior for us, their parents, bless them. If your child is well-behaved in school, with coaches and other adults in positions of authority, they should do fine at camp.
5. Is your child willing to try new things?
Life comes at you fast, Ferris Bueller said, and the same is true for summer camp. Each day is filled with new people to meet, new surroundings, and new activities to try. For kids willing to give it a go, there’s no better place to spread their wings than summer camp.
The Bottom Line
No one knows your child like you do – even after you’ve completed all the quizzes and checklists and asked all your friends about their kids’ experiences, the best thing to do is trust your instincts. If you feel it in your gut that your child can handle overnight camp, you’re probably right. Get ready… summer is on its way!
Thanks to stevedepolo and peterblanchard for their pictures!
Susan
