Northeast Pennsylvania Family Summer 2010 : Page 12
Continued from page 11 starting camp, “So long as campers are interested in having a new experience and are open to whatever may come.” Camp counselors are trained to handle homesickness, bullying, discipline, and safety. “Parents can help by encouraging independence at home and having times away from their child. Camp counselors will be instructed on how to handle these things and will pass any issues they feel uncomfortable with to a more senior staff member,” Loughney says. an autistic child, who will be coming this year, but only for half days with his father. We do not want to deny the camp experience to anyone. Everything is worth a trial run,” Loughney states. And speaking about the camp experience, Loughney lists the following benefits of going to summer camp: • Meeting new people • Having new experiences • Having fun Veggies harvested by campers at The Lands at Hillside Farms While the camp does not employ a nurse on staff, counselors are trained in CPR and will have a first aid kit present. “Beyond that, we will have emergency contact information on hand and permission to seek greater health care if necessary,” Loughney says. Since this is a day camp, parents are discouraged from calling during the day. And students are prohibited from bringing their IPods, cell phones, and other electronics to camp. “These are distractions from becoming engaged with each other. Parents will be given instructors’ cell phone numbers so that they may contact camp in an emergency,” Loughney says. Campers with special needs – food, behavioral, or developmental – are encouraged to come to the Lands. “Special considerations can be made case-by- case. For example, we have • Exposure to other worlds • Important social development, and • Increasing self-esteem Finally, Loughney advises parents to feel confident that their children will be safe, nurtured, and appreciated at the Lands. He also explains that parents “should look for a camp experience that aligns with their beliefs and values, either through talking to staff, previous attendees, or camp materials that are made available to the public. Parents should discuss camp options with their children. “Parents can prepare their children by making sure camp is something that the children want to do, and by discussing options for what kind of camp their child might want to go to. Beyond that, children should be encouraged to do what they do best: keep an open mind, explore, and become engaged with their new surroundings. They should also know that they can trust staff and feel comfortable discussing any issues that may arise.” Camp Orchard Hill Camp Orchard Hill, camporchardhill. com, in Dallas, is a Christian camp that offers overnight and day camp experiences. Jim Payne, the executive director at COH, doesn’t recommend a set age for sending children to summer camp, but advises parents to base their decision on the individual child. Specifically, “If they have never been away from home, I would not recommend sending them to overnight camp until age ten. We just expanded our day camp age to four, although most campers start at age six.” When it comes to behavioral and interpersonal issues that may arise, Payne says, “Our camp counselors are trained to deal with all of those issues (bullying, discipline, homesickness, etc.) during an intensive 10-day training program prior to the start of camp. We also have a night where we invite parents to sit on a panel and counselors ask questions on how to properly take care of children. We have found this to be highly beneficial as college-age counselors are not parents and do not think like a parent,” Payne further states. Girls just wanna have fun! Cooling off by sliding in a pool on a hot summer day at Camp Orchard Hill 12 Northeast PA Family • Summer 2010
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