Developing Your Child's Artistic Talents at Summer Camp

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Frequent opportunities to engage in artistic activity can help to instill confidence and achievement in children’s endeavors throughout their lives. An overnight summer camp is the perfect way to allow children to develop these artistic talents, as well as to help them build confidence in social activities in a fun environment without the distractions of their everyday life.

Finding Your Inner Artist

Some children take to doing art projects naturally and seem to have a number of ideas on their own. Other children are new to the task of manipulating art materials and may need a little help in the early stages, until they grow accustomed to this new method of self-expression. Camp art counselors can help these children to feel more comfortable with art materials. They offer instruction, encouragement and support throughout the project to help children attain a successful outcome.

What Children Learn From Art Activities at Sleepaway Camp

Child development experts say that art projects help children acquire a number of important skills for life:

• Creativity – The ability to find new ways to use materials helps to increase their creative thinking.
• Focus – Taking a project from beginning to end is a critical skill that children learn when doing art.
• Problem solving – As with any activity, problems may arise during an art project that must be worked out to allow completion. Counselors can children find solutions to problems to complete their tasks.
• Collaboration – Children may work on a project with others and learn the give-and-take that is inherent to group work.
• Perseverance – Taking the project from beginning to a successful end is an important skill for children to learn
• Receiving feedback on work – When doing art projects, children learn to accept the feedback from others, as well as suggestions for improvement. This is a valuable skill for any aspect of life.

Art in the Camp Environment

Skills such as drawing, painting, sculpting and working with a variety of media can help to increase visual acuity, composition, matching skills and color coordination. In addition, working with art materials can translate into a lasting appreciation of the artistic process and the ability to use these skills in their schoolwork for special projects in a variety of subjects. The natural setting can create increased opportunities to think creatively in a number of ways.

Using the Natural Environment For Art Projects

Being at camp offers opportunities for exploration not available in the conventional classrooms. Camp counselors may have children collect materials while on hikes to incorporate into their art projects. These children are encouraged to interact with the natural setting in a way that cannot be achieved in a school setting. As a result, the children are encouraged to think, touch and investigate their art materials in more expressive ways.

Advantages of Sleepaway Camp

When children attend a sleepaway camp, they become more self-sufficient and participate in a number of activities they may not have tried before. This atmosphere of adventure can help to facilitate creative expression in new way. This environment of self-reliance and openness to new experiences can help to increase the ability to express oneself creatively.

If you're considering sending your child to an overnight summer camp, be sure to visit our site to learn about Camp Walt Whitman. Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Camp Walt Whitman offers a safe, nurturing environment in a beautiful mountain setting. Our camp is a coed sleepaway camp, with separate areas for boys and girls. The kids have a blast, and make friendships that can last a lifetime. http://www.campwalt.com.

Theater Arts at Summer Camp

From sing-alongs to skits, sleepaway camp is full of activities that help kids grow creatively. 

In fact, many of today's actors and singers first got bitten by the entertainment bug at overnight summer camp. 

Whether you like to sing, dance, write, create costumes or build scenery, theater arts has a part for you to play.

Traditional sleepaway camps blend theater into the daily routine of camp. 

After all, evenings around the campfire are best when a little entertainment is thrown in, often songs or skits created and performed by campers. If you’re on the shy side, you may prefer to be the writer or director, coming up with funny dialogue or figuring out how your actors can best present a send-up on a facet of camp life, current event or historical figure.

A skit may just be a short scene, but a lot can be involved. Campers may get to design costumes, ferret out props or use construction skills to come up with a set. If dancing is involved, the scene will need some basic chorography. Skits are the perfect venue for letting campers work as a creative unit, with each piece contributing to the whole.

While often comedic, camp productions may also involve learning or may have a moral message. They may deal with issues like homesickness, fear of the water or bullying. Whatever the theme of the production, actors get to experience the joy of entertaining an audience and hearing the happy sound of applause.

Many camps have a special theater arts program as an elective activity. If you’ve ever wondered if you’d be good at acting, singing or even directing, it may be a life-changing experience to take this chance to get involved in an actual production. You’ll learn about how to write, direct and act in a play, and perhaps even a bit about auditions and how to proceed if you decide to try out for parts in local or school theatrical productions after you get home from camp.

Theater arts productions may also be interconnected with other camp programs. Camp music participants may play an instrument or sing in a skit, while kids in the camp workshop may get to help design and build sets. It’s a great way to try out a whole new experience in a place where you’ll have the support of trained counselors and a whole new group of friends.

Putting on a skit or mini-production is a great team builder and kids really get to learn how to work with others, honing cooperative and leadership skills and building self-esteem. 

You’ll get to experience the organization required to pull off a successful performance and learn the importance of all the different facets from memorizing lines to being on-time for rehearsals. 

Kids trying out directing a skit will have the sometimes challenging and always interesting experience of working cooperatively with actors to best present the material.

Being involved in theatrical performances builds confidence, and camp is the perfect place to try out this new endeavor. You may be surprised to find you have a real flair for comedy, can write quick-witted dialogue or know just how to pace a scene to get the most laughs.

If you're considering sending your child to an overnight summer camp, be sure to visit our site to learn about Camp Walt Whitman. Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Camp Walt Whitman offers a safe, nurturing environment in a beautiful mountain setting. Our camp is a coed sleepaway camp, with separate areas for boys and girls. The kids have a blast, and make friendships that can last a lifetime. http://www.campwalt.com.

Crafts Are Geared for Each Age and Skill Level at Sleepaway Summer Camp

Arts and crafts are a big hit at overnight summer camp, where youngsters get creative with everything from pottery wheels to sewing machines and skill saws.

Because of the wide range of ages and skills at most camps, arts and crafts programs are divided up into age groups with younger campers creating colorful collages, hand-sculpted pieces and fun crafts like sand candles, while older kids are often able to use more sophisticated artistic media and woodworking tools.

Whatever the age, arts and crafts activities at overnight sleepaway camp foster a spirit of camaraderie and creativity, with young artists excitedly chatting as they work on visual arts projects.

Crafts
Good old fashioned craft projects are a time-honored summer camp tradition, and many adults wistfully recall sitting around long picnic tables on sultry afternoons surrounded by loads of friends, paper, paint, glue, craft embellishments and laughter.

From friendship bracelets to wind chimes, God's eyes, tie-dye T-shirts and personalized tote bags, camp crafts often become treasured memorabilia of long, lively days on the lake.

Drawing and Painting
Kids of all ages love to create landscapes, portraits, caricatures and abstract works of art. Camp art classes use a variety of mediums including ink, colored pencils, water colors and acrylic paints. While younger kids may just enjoy some free form designs and basic color concepts, older campers may receive more advanced instruction in perspective, color and design.

Ceramics
Ceramics, from free-form clay designs to pottery wheel masterpieces, lends itself to all sorts of cool creations, from bowls to vases, animal sculptures, refrigerator magnets and nature tiles. Younger campers love to hand sculpt and paint everything from flower pots to name tags. Use of a pottery wheel is usually reserved for older campers who can better learn wheel throwing technique and use of glazes and stains, enabling them to design and create a wealth of projects including bowls, plates and mugs.

Jewelry
Not only is creating jewelry fun, but necklaces, bracelets and earrings make great gifts and wearable memorabilia of happy days at camp. Little kids love to string beads, put sparkle on just about everything and weave friendship bracelets, while more advanced skills may involve use of wire wrapping and more intricate aesthetic designs.

Woodworking
Today's tech-savvy kids seem to love the old-fashioned skills of wood working. When starting out, kids can make boats and toys by gluing Popsicle sticks together, then later learn such basic skills as measuring and cutting wood in a straight line or designing a simple project.

As they progress, campers learn how to safely use basic hand tools to design and create personalized projects ranging from chess sets to salad bowls, toys and birdhouses. Senior campers often get the opportunity to use power tools including band saws and drills to build more advanced projects

Art Show
Lots of sleepaway camps wind up a summer of amazing creativity with a camp-wide art show, giving kids the opportunity to show off a season's work to family and friends. You'll be amazed at the wonderful works of art your child has produced and delighted with the joy and excitement he or she has found in the creative process.

If you're considering sending your child to an overnight summer camp, be sure to visit our site to learn about Camp Walt Whitman. Located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Camp Walt Whitman offers a safe, nurturing environment in a beautiful mountain settings. Our camp is a coed sleepaway camp, with separate areas for boys and girls. The kids have a blast, and make friendships that can last a lifetime. http://www.campwalt.com.

Learning Ceramics at Sleepaway Summer Camp

Among the many great things about sleepaway camp are that there is a variety of new activities kids can take part in. This lends itself to the idea that while not all kids are interested in climbing a rock wall or playing sports, they can all have fun.

This is especially true when it comes to learning about new mediums of art, specifically ceramics. Ceramics are not usually an activity the average child can take part in, but at overnight summer camp it is part of the normal activities offered all season long.

Ceramic art is great because it is different, engages creativity in a new way, and will serve as a great memory for when the summer is over and it is time to go home.

Ceramic art Serves as a Bridge Toward the Arts

Many times, children who are not as creatively inclined will lean away from the arts because the concept of creating something from nothing is simply unappealing. With ceramics, the canvas (or model) has already been built; now it is time to add color.

This is great because for those interested in karate, they may find a great sculpture of a martial artist doing a spinning heel kick. A camper who has a parent with a great garden may find something to bring home as a gift.

While those who are naturally artistic will also enjoy ceramics, they will find the added bonus of making friends with "non-art-kids" when they engage in this activity, because they will find some common ground.

Making Friends Through art

Fine art has been a part of the mainstream for as long as anyone can remember, so there is no shortage of people who will meet up because of their love for crafting pictures and sculptures. However, ceramics is different because it brings people together from both sides of the spectrum.

It may happen over a rainy day when the basketball courts are closed, or on a whim. Regardless, many great friendships (and great works of art) have been created at overnight summer camp in this way.

In fact, that's what happened to a former camper named Terry Bollette. Terry was a shy boy who had a lot of trouble adjusting to his first week at sleepaway camp. He was a pleasant boy with a kind demeanor, but he missed home badly.

The camp counselors were about to call it quits and let his parents know that he may need to be picked up (it was an extreme case), but that all changed when he went into the ceramics room and found a sculpture of two men wrestling.

He found himself there all day, and when he was done many of the kids were impressed. And he has been impressing them ever since!

The Legacy of Terry Bollette

Many people know this young boy today as Hulk Hogan. While it's hard to think that he was a troubled camper in his youth since he has dedicated his life to the fearless pursuit of excellence, the truth is that the path to being a champion has many speed bumps.

However, these bumps in the road can be smoothed out by overcoming adversity one season at a time.

Professional Swimming Instruction for Any Skill Level at Camp

Professional swimming instruction is one of the most important components of a good sleepaway camp. And, since overnight summer camps are usually centered around lakes and pools, the sport of swimming takes on a whole new dimension of fun, from swimming the length of the lake to morning polar bear swims and just-for-fun races.

Knowing how to swim is not only a lifelong skill and pleasure, but also keeps your child safe around the water wherever he or she may be, whether boating, at the beach or simply walking down a dock. Everyone should know how to swim, and kids at sleepaway camp have a lot of fun learning in a safe and friendly environment. With plenty of patience, perseverance and of course practice, any youngster can be a good swimmer.

Lakes are an amazing center of fun at camp, offering incredible varieties of water sports, so it's especially important that youngsters are safe around the water. Campers may learn to swim in lake waters, but many camps prefer using heated pools to take the chill off that early morning swim class. Most sleepaway camps use the traditional standards of the American Red Cross to encourage kids to have a good time in the water and learn to swim using proper techniques.

Generally, camp swimming classes are divided into groups based on ability, from beginners to advanced, giving kids the confidence-building opportunity of moving up in the ranks. Small class sizes are a great way for campers to learn more quickly, and earning a spot in the next level is always a thrilling moment. For many kids, the first time they swim the length of the pool without touching the bottom or stopping at the side is a big moment!

All kids, even returning swimmers, are usually tested at the beginning of camp, as swimming skills may have changed during the year. After an assessment, kids are placed in one of the camp's established swim levels and allowed to progress at their own pace. Tell your child not to be upset if he or she is moved "down" a level at the beginning of camp in order to review some skills. The review may be considered necessary in order to help your camper get more confident and better prepared to move to the next level. Often, campers are also tested at camp's start for safety in deep water. Classes not only teach new skills and refine old ones, but they can also help young swimmers eliminate bad habits that slow down progress at later stages.

Most basic skills would include water adjustment and pre-stroke skills for beginners. Kids then progress through basic stroke instruction, stroke development, stroke refinement and skill proficiency. When they reach upper levels, more of an emphasis is placed on technique and competition. Kids can also learn advanced water safety and self-rescue.

Safety is the number one priority of most overnight summer camp swimming programs, and instructors strive to consistently create a safe, confidence-building environment for every skill level of swimmer. Most camp swim instructors are certified lifeguards with CPR training.

When it comes to swimming safety comes first in summer camp. Your kids can enjoy the benefits of sleepaway summer camp at Camp Walt Whitman in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Learn more at http://www.campwalt.com

Learn How to Do Woodworking at Summer Day Camp

It seems today that all you see are kids playing video games and watching TV. It can be discouraging, especially since there is little long-term value in these kinds of activities.

While many parents fret over the idea of their growing children leaving home to go to a sleepaway camp, the truth is that overnight summer camp experiences are not only great for building incredible memories and lasting friendships, but they also encourage kids to develop fundamental skills.

Among these skills is woodworking.

Safety Comes First

The primary concern for counselors is safety.

When woodworking, children learn that there is nothing more important than being safe. This includes eye and ear protection at all times, adult supervision, and always adhering to the safety rules that are in place.

The best part of these activities is that the children learn to work with their hands and their minds, gaining a better understanding of the kind of work that requires one's mind and body, as opposed to just their thumbs.

More Than Just a Digital Creation

In a world full of Warcraft and Minecraft kids are getting very good at building things that are intangible. That's not going to be the case when they go to camp and get into woodworking.

Rather than unlocking a fake world full of things that are not real, they are going to learn to make something that they can actually touch and feel. This can include birdhouses, toy cars, or even a shed.

One summer camp group took part in creating a gazebo that is still in use today and others took part in a project that built sheds donated to families who had suffered from Hurricane Sandy.

The beauty and wonder that comes with working with one's hands can go a long way, and the skills will not only last, but will help them when they graduate into the next phase of their lives.

The Lasting Effects of Woodworking

The truth is that most of the children who attend overnight summer camp will not become life-long laborers. The skills and confidence they develop through their adolescence leads them to be more suited for positions of authority.

However, learning to woodwork assists in this development. Not only does it help with such skills as spacial recognition (understanding the dimensions of objects) and math (measuring in inches and centimeters, and using fractions), but it also encourages them to realize that they can rely on themselves to create things.

It may sound odd, but creating something as simple as a bird feeder. or whittling chess pieces. will give one the confidence he needs to see that he can create complex and simple objects, as well as systems. Lastly, by learning to use tools, kids grow in their basic knowledge, which will help them later on.

While it's true that sleepaway camp is not the only place to learn woodworking, it is nice to know that while your children are away they will be doing constructive work and learning in a fun and useful way. This, combined with incredible memories and lasting friendships, will lead to a better quality of life.          

How to Avoid Homesickness While at Summer Camp

Most kids who go away to summer camp for the first time experience at least a little bit of homesickness.

It’s perfectly natural, and sleepaway camp counselors are well-trained in the fine art of helping kids ease past the initial adjustment and really get into the fantastic swing of summer camp fun.

There are, however, some ways in which you can help your child adjust more quickly to being away from home for the first time.

Being homesick at camp is just a part of growing up, and your child will be emotionally stronger at summer’s end. Very few children, less than one percent, actually end up being taken home from summer camp.

Is Your Child Ready?
Every child is different, but often around eight or nine they’re ready for a week or two of sleepaway camp. When your child is happy to go to sleepovers at a friend’s house or is asking about going away to camp, he or she is probably ready to spend some of the summer away at camp.

Let Your Child Help Pick a Camp
Whether they’ve heard great reviews from a friend, seen exciting camp websites or even read a book where the character is at overnight summer camp, it’s helpful to let your youngster lead the way in picking a camp. Your child will feel empowered by having been a part of the decision. Keep in mind that camps with loads of activities that appeal to your child allow far less time to be homesick. Children who feel forced to attend a camp they fear they won’t like are more likely to be homesick.

When It’s Time to Say Goodbye
Keep drop-off casual and upbeat, and don’t drag out the goodbyes. Going to summer camp is a happy event, and it’s important for parents to stay composed and calm. Most of all, never tell that you’ll come and get them if they’re homesick. It undermines their confidence and implies they aren’t emotionally strong enough to be away from home. Help them unpack a bit, meet their counselor and then go home.

Don’t Call Them
Even if your child’s camp allows calls, it’s best to confine your correspondence to letters. After all, phone calls may let slip that you are actually “home sick” for your child, and the sound of your voice may make your child’s homesickness worse. Letter-writing has become somewhat of a lost art, and a good camp will only encourage letters back and forth to home. Some families pre-address and pre-stamp envelopes to encourage their camper to correspond.

Encourage Your Child to Stay Busy
Encourage your child to get involved in as many camp activities as he or she can squeeze into a day. They busier anyone is, the less time they have to dwell on feelings of homesickness. If these sad feelings seem to be interfering with enjoyment of fun camp activities, your child should talk to his or her camp counselor.

Getting Over Homesickness Boosts Self-Esteem
If your child arrives at camp with some good practice overnights away from home and an understanding that some homesickness is perfectly normal, he or she will know what to think and do if they start to feel a bit homesick, and being able to overcome these feelings will boost their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Learn How to Play a Variety of Sports at Summer Camp

One of the most fun-filled and exciting parts of sleepaway camp is learning all kinds of new sports. Although lots of kids have been involved in athletic programs like T-ball, soccer, recreational basketball and swimming lessons since they were little, summer camp exposes them to a wealth of new sports and also lets them play familiar ones in a more relaxed environment. Summer camp emphasizes fun over winning; so kids can just chill out on the playing fields and have a blast.

Tennis Is Fun With In-Camp Ladder Play and Tournaments

The fun and challenging sport of tennis can be enjoyed for a lifetime, and kids at sleepaway camp get a great head start on the game. Whether your child is already a skilled player or a complete novice, overnight summer camp programs are perfect for learning or perfecting skills in a relaxed atmosphere where the emphasis is on encouragement, enjoyment and good sportsmanship. Let your child perfect backhands, forehands, serves and volleying as part of his or her unforgettable summer at sleepaway camp.

Learning Tennis at Camp

Tennis is a great addition to summer camp sport lineups that include soccer, golf, basketball, swimming, boating and so many more.

For kids who have never played a particular sport, the laid-back atmosphere of summer camp is the perfect place to learn new things and acquire new passions.

Usually coached by highly qualified staff including professional players, tennis programs provide regularly scheduled lessons, drills and matches for every level of player.

A good camp program will have small enough classes that every child will get plenty of chances to hit the ball, with lots of hands-on action and instructional support. Exhilarating in-camp ladder play and tournaments cap off fun-filled programs where kids are given plenty of excellent instruction and positive feedback to enhance skills, enthusiasm and self-confidence.

Many camps offer a more intensive instructional option, with campers opting to take additional private lessons during the week or as an elective activity.

Benefits of Learning Tennis

Tennis is loads of fun and also has the benefit of greatly improving balance, mobility, strength, agility and overall fitness. Summer camp instructors have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to make drills and skills both fun and beneficial. It may make your kids happier too: among athletes in a Southern Connecticut State University study, the tennis players scored higher in areas of vigor, optimism and self-esteem and lower in signs of depression, anxiety and anger.

The game has also been found to stimulate mental, physical and emotional growth and encourage development of positive personality characteristics. Because it is essentially an individual sport, tennis teaches kids to be accountable to themselves, and playing matches encourages development of critical and strategic thinking. Social benefits for kids learning the game are fantastic too; with most lessons held in groups, there’s tons of opportunities to make new friends.

Tennis Fun
Summer camp instructors are experts at using creative games and drills to fine-tune skills while making sure campers have lots of lively fun. Tennis is challenging both physically and mentally, and good instructors will address both these areas, helping develop smart, strong players. Drills using agility ladders and group activities can help kids with skills like court position, footwork, positioning the racket and anticipating where the ball will go.

While your child is honing excellent tennis skills, he or she will also be gaining physical coordination, confidence, self esteem and social skills. Tennis is a very social game, and it’s a great way to learn how to win and lose with grace while achieving personal goals. At summer camp, sometimes tennis is just an amazing way to make memories on a beautiful summer day surrounded by friends.

Outdoor Adventures for Kids at Summer Camp

Outdoor adventures at sleepaway camp offer kids the amazing chance to meet the challenges of the wilderness, from setting up camp to hiking mountainous trails and surging down wild rapids. Not only will they remember these thrilling experiences for a lifetime, but they also learn a lot about themselves, about the natural world and about working as a team with others. And, of course, since it’s overnight summer camp, they’ll have loads of fun.

Wilderness camping excursions can last from two day, one night jaunts to week-long expeditions across lakes and over mountains. All along the way, campers learn the basics of surviving in the wilds, navigating forest trails, setting up camp, watching the sky for indications of weather and so many other outdoor skills. Backpacking trips, sea kayaking expeditions and biking explorations are just a few of the incredible experiences available to summer campers, and many camps also include outdoor rock climbing and canyoneering in their adventure program..

Travelling by water is especially exciting, whether challenging various levels of rapids in white water rafting or canoeing across long, peaceful lakes brimming with intriguing coves and inlets.  From magnificent national parks to rugged seashores and majestic rivers, sleepaway camp offers a vast variety of outdoor explorations by raft, canoe and kayak.

Outdoor adventures kindle a spirit of adventure and camaraderie, enabling kids to develop leadership ability, confidence and the sense that the group functions better as a whole than individually. It’s so much easier to set up camp, cook meals, blaze a trail or portage canoes with a bunch of helpful hands.  Kids grow in so many ways: achieving increased self esteem, learning to function efficiently as a team and accruing a ton of new outdoor skills.

Having to live closely together in campsites teaches kids a lot about the give-and-take of a small community where each person is an integral part of the whole. Everyone needs to contribute efficiently to be sure the group is fed and sheltered, that equipment is in good working order and that everyone is up and ready to roll when it’s time to hit the trail.

Kids gain a deep respect for the wilderness, whether pristine mountains, primeval forests or glittering glacial lakes. The beauty and grandeur of nature is so much more awe-inspiring when experienced  on remote trails, secluded rivers and little-travelled woods, giving today’s kids a taste of what life was like before the dawn of our highly technical civilization.

Not only are these thrilling trips fun, but they are also conducted with safety as a priority. Counselors leading outdoor expeditions are highly qualified and well-trained. You can rest assured that your camper will be in good hands and will come back healthy, happy and brimming with amazing stories and incredible memories that will last a lifetime.

Of course fun is what summer camp is all about, and overnight expeditions are full of awe-inspiring moments. From eating s’mores around the campfire to singing camp songs while hiking up that endless hill and leaping into deep blue lakes at the end of a long day of paddling, summer camp expeditions are full of laughter and the kind of bonding that comes with confronting challenges together.

Get Creative With a Diversity of Crafts This Summer

Sleepaway camp gives kids so many different opportunities to learn new things, explore new interests and find out so much about themselves and the world around them. Though overnight summer camp is loaded with fun-filled outdoor activities, kids also get a chance to tap into their creative side through arts, crafts, music and drama. Boys and girls love to let their imaginations run wild with every art form from tie-die to oil paints, pottery wheels and free-form ceramics.

Clever Crafts

Arts and crafts are a time-honored camp tradition at summer camps across America. After a lively morning of swimming, boating or hiking and a hearty lunch, it’s great to relax with friends and whip up colorful items from sand candles to leaf prints, friendship bracelets, wind chimes, rain sticks and God’s eyes.

Wearable Memories

T-shirt making is always a popular activity at overnight summer camp, allowing campers to let their creative urges roar in wild tie-die designs, super-cool nature prints and humorous endeavors like joke T’s with a question on the front and a punch line on the back. Not only are hand-made T-shirts fun to design and make, but they also become wearable memories, colorful remembrances of fun-filled days at camp.

Wonders of Woodshop

Woodshop is a big favorite with campers and introduces basic carpentry skills that will come in handy for a lifetime. Usually reserved for older campers, woodshop offers an amazing opportunity to learn how to develop and complete a project using tools from standard hammers to power drills, band saws and planes safely and efficiently. Boys and girls can design and anything from a set for the campfire skit to a mini ping pong table or doll house furniture. Wooden bowls, picture frames, birdhouses, CD racks, puzzles or ping pong paddles: the sky’s the limit!

Cool Ceramics

Who hasn’t imagined sitting at a potter’s wheel and peacefully throwing a pot, molding a mound of spinning clay? Learning to use artistic tools like the potter’s wheel, oil paints and paper mache lets kids experiment with different artistic mediums in a relaxed environment, chatting with friends while they whip up unique masterpieces. Bowls, ceramic fish, vases and candle holders are molded, fired, painted and brought home at summer’s end to become treasured gifts to family or cool bedroom accessories.

Skit Shenanigans

Kids can get creative in lots of other ways at camp. Funny skits, musicals and other theatrical productions offer opportunities to tap into talents like writing, acting and directing. Your shy daughter may find out she cranks out the cleverest skit lines in camp, while your seemingly introverted son may have the time of his life playing a major role in a comedy production. Counselors love kids and are attuned to helping each camper find the confidence to achieve dreams and goals, however small. Just getting up the nerve to submit a skit script or volunteer to play a part are big steps in gaining self-confidence that will carry throughout the summer and beyond. 

Making New Friends and Having Fun at Summer Camp?

Make lifelong or just summer-long friends while having a blast outdoors at overnight summer camp. Days are chock-full of amazing activities, from water-front adventures to challenging rope course events and exciting games, while nights offer ghost stories around the campfire, boisterous sing-alongs and hilarious skits.

Having Fun

From learning to swim to catching your first fish, stepping up for some line dancing or perfecting your tennis serve, camp is most of all a place to have fun. Sure, you’ll probably learn a lot about yourself and the natural world, but along the way you’ll be playing games, participating in goofy contests, acting in skits and just hanging with pals in your cabin.

In and on the water are two of the favorite spots to be at sleepaway camp, whether diving for pennies in the pool, exploring hidden coves by canoe or learning the fine art of sailing. Taking risks to achieve personal goals is exciting too, and part of the fun of camp is advancing in swimming levels, acquiring new boating skills and checking out thrilling new sports like water skiing. Trying new sports and activities in the company of friends and favorite counselors means you just might find that you actually are coordinated enough to maneuver on a wind-surfer, artistic enough to create an awesome skit backdrop and strong enough to get to the top of the climbing wall – using the hard route.

Making Friends

A cabin-centered camp structure means campers form a really tight bond, building their own little

community within the larger community of the camp. And don’t worry; you will indeed make friends, whether they last for one summer or your whole life. Even if you’re a little shy or scared of talking to new people, it’s so much easier to get to know other kids when you’re living, eating and playing together all day. And if that’s not enough, camp counselors are experts at easing the way socially for all campers. Just try introducing yourself to people around you; it may be easier and far more fun than you think, and you may find out you’re not as shy as you think. You’ll have a whole new band of friends in your cabin mates, talking, playing, laughing and sharing the super summer camp experience.

All this awesome socializing will also help you forget you’re missing your dog, your mom and dad or your neighborhood friends. It’s hard to stay homesick when you’re engaged in the fun-filled teamwork required for winning that game of Capture-the-Flag, learning a cool dance routine for a campfire skit or completing a challenging goal on the high ropes course.

Another friend you’ll get to know better at camp is yourself. Yes, away from mom and dad, teachers and the school friends, you may just find out a lot about your own character and values. Camp gives you a chance to take some healthy risks that help you learn more about who you are as a person and who you may become. At the end of an awesome summer, you’ll be healthier, fitter, more independent and more resilient, and you’ll carry this new, improved you off to school and then back to camp next summer. You’ll be a better friend to others and to yourself.

Play Your Part in Theater Production with Fellow Campers

Plays and skits are a big, funny part of super summers at overnight summer camp. So whether you prefer to be the star, the director or just an active audience participant, step into the spotlight and enjoy making magical, theatrical memories with your camp pals.

Let your child have the summer camp experience at Camp Walt Whitman, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Learn more at http://www.campwalt.com

Discover Forest Treasures at the Ultimate Kid's Nature Camp

Let your child experience the magic of the woods this summer at sleepaway camp, where new discoveries, new friends and new experiences are the real treasures of the forest. Guided by experienced counselors familiar with forests, fields and lakes, campers play, explore and learn, surrounded by the wonders of nature. From hiking trips in the mountains to canoe excursions into secluded coves, nature-themed overnight summer camp offers kids incredible outdoor adventures. Guided treks through the woods offer up such secrets as how to identify animal tracks, which mushrooms are safe to eat or how to blaze a trail, all the while surrounded by the happy company of fellow campers.

Many kids today may just view nature as another abstraction, something seen on a TV show or a You-Tube video; in fact, studies have shown that kids average over five hours a day glued to some kind of electronic device. Letting kids run free in neighborhood fields, woods and playgrounds is no longer viewed as safe, and parents are more likely to keep kids close to home. All these factors make experiences like sleepaway camp more important than ever, as organized, supervised summer camp gives kids a safe way to experience the joy of connecting with the natural world.

For many children, the woods and lakes surrounding sleepaway camps are like an enchanting foreign land, full of unfamiliar creatures, sounds and smells. Imagine your child catching his first fish, learning how to blaze a trail through the forest or experiencing the daring thrill of holding a (harmless) snake. All these experiences open a whole new world for many youngsters, meanwhile fostering a true appreciation of the natural world.

Not only do youngsters have a blast in nature’s amazing playground, but counselors have a knack for instilling a love and respect for the natural world. The nature lessons learned at camp can last for a lifetime, whether it’s learning how to use a compass in the forest, how to spot an impending storm in cloud formations or how to identify the paw prints of a fox.

Getting out and enjoying the great outdoors is also known to have so many benefits for kids, from reducing stress to promoting a love physical exercise. Energetic activities like hiking, camping, horseback riding are not just healthy, they also promote self-confidence, independence, problem-solving skills, creativity and self-discipline.

When is the last time your child was free to explore the summertime woods, listen to the wind howl through tall stands of trees or lie still at night and watch the billions of stars undimmed by city lights? All these wonders of nature are the gifts of sleep-away camp, and all the more precious for being experienced with amazing new friends.

When the moon shines through the pines and the mysterious nighttime noises of the woods begin to rustle about, kids love to gather around the campfire toasting marshmallows, listening to ghost stories and giggling with friends. Even youngsters who have never been out of the city learn to identify the nighttime residents of the forest, from ghostly owls to swooping bats and cheery peep frogs. Imagine your youngster experiencing the old-time summer magic of catching fireflies, watching the moon floating in the glimmering lake waters or taking that first gooey bite of s’mores.

Your kids can enjoy the benefits of sleepaway summer camp at Camp Walt Whitman in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

Learn more at http://www.campwalt.com

Create Awesome Crafts at Sleepaway Summer Camp

When your child goes to a sleepaway summer camp, it is good to know that one of the activities he or she will enjoy is being able to create awesome crafts. Not only are those crafts excellent mental and physical stimulation, but they result in items that will go home for the use of the campers or their families.

Ceramics

The number of things that can be created in a ceramics studio are endless. Just a sampling could include stoneware plates, bowls and mugs that could be a whole dinner setting for the camper's entire family or an item for a sibling or parent or grandparent who has a coming birthday or as a Christmas gift. These can be uniquely personalized with the name and figures with the appropriate choice of skin tone and hair color of the recipient and will become an appreciated keepsake.

Paper Mache

Children have fun making animals, monsters, a pinata and more from paper mache in the Crafts Studio. They learn how to make the mache itself, special paste by one of several different methods and then how to form the object, cover it with approximately four layers of paper mache, and dry it. A good tip is to perhaps use a two-liter soda bottle as a base to make dolphins, hippos, elephants, parrots and other animals. Other tips are to add a little cinnamon to the paste to take away the smell and to add a little less water if there is a lot of humidity.

Tie-dyed T-shirts

Girls like to make and wear awesome tie-dye shirts since each one is a unique creation in any color combination of fabric dye that you can imagine. Three techniques include Marble Tie With Spray-bottle Dye, Twisted Tie With Dunking Dye, and Knotted Tie With Squirt-bottle Dye. After dyeing the T-shirts according to instructions, they are wrung out, placed in sealable plastic bags overnight, and then completing the process and washing and drying the shirts the next day. Rubber gloves have to be worn to rinse the shirt in warm and then cool water, until the water runs clear. Using this permanent dye, one has to be careful not to get any on clothes. The shirt is hung up to dry or put in the dryer on the cool setting.

Making a Candle

The age-old hobby of creating a handmade candle in the crafts studio is lots of fun and gets the brain working on how to make it unique. Making candles of all shapes and sizes is easier than you may think. You need a heat source, a formal candle wax melting pot or

a "double boiler" set up, appropriate wax, a wick, a container or mold to hold the melted wax, and perhaps a color, fragrance or essential oil.

Wood Shop

Older children can use tools and drills to build major items in the Wood Shop, even such things as a table or a mini ping pong table or a chaise lounge chair.

Because Parents Want a Healthy New England Summer Camp Environment for their Children

If you like satisfying new buddies and participating in new experiences, you must take into consideration investing one element of your summertime at Camp Walt Whitman. Nestled in New Hampshire's White Mountains, this stimulating resort is among the top New England summer season camps and invites both kids and gals. Even teens are invited to attend camp.