Its in the details that we pay it forward.

Driving home the other day, stopped at a red light I noticed a young boy walking on the sidewalk near my passenger side door. He came at me differently, his face was dark from the sun and his walk appeared drained from a long day. He sat down on the bus stop bench nearly melting into it's concrete. For a moment he closed his eyes disappearing from the sun. Something about this boy was endearing, like an old friend missing in my memory. Not a moment later another boy walking by him flung his half full water bottle on the ground near the first boy. Almost without a second thought the boy picked up this litter cracked the bottle open and drank. Realizing this poor boy was so thirsty  he was drinking a stranger's leftover, I pulled over. I tossed a brand new bottle of water I had left from lunch while asking him to toss the water he had been drinking in the grass. He picked up my water smiled with a relaxed "thank you."

In the middle of Los Angeles, California a young boy was thristy enough to drink a stranger's water. This thought bothers me as I think it should for most urban dwellers. Los Angeles a city where resources are typically adequate for the growing amount of inhabitants within it's limits. Did this child not understand how to work his surrounding to help feed his needs? With a Del Taco and gas station not more than a block away to ask for a cup of water, he choose rather to drink a stranger's littered water? This can't be right, there is a piece of information I am obviously missing.I took a moment and stopped at both the gas station and Del Taco eatery to ask about their water policy. Actually I just asked for a cup of water."I'm sorry we only serve water to customers." They only give out water to paying customers!! WHAT? Did I miss the drought? I was blown away by this. I've never heard of Restaurants with such ridiculous policies. I understand the restroom policy but not handing what is basically free water? I proceeded to send an email to both corporate offices.

There wasn’t much more I could do. I acknowledge there are injustices every day, the majority on larger scales. This is a reminder; the smallest of acts can proceed to make the largest contributions to society. The concept of paying it forward and noticing even the slightest detail may mean the world to those one the receiving end. In this world we’ll all one day share the receiving end. I’m glad I caught this boy from the corner of my eye.

-Katherine with Kidscamps.com

Summer Reading; Ten Great Choices for your Kids this Summer!

Over the past 20 years, children have lost 12 hours of free time a week. While the amount of time spent in front of a television has increased dramatically over the same period. During the summer, this number nearly triples as students turn the hours once utilized in class into a waste of time in front of the tube. Can we blame our kids? When shows offer free, suspenseful, effortless entertainment why would you pick up a book and force your eyes to concentrate?

Well, no matter if you're a parent, Camp Director or a young adult looking to challenge the common idea, its time to take control of the situation. Reading offers more than entertainment and although your kids may not realize it now, BOOKS CHANGE LIVES. Here are some summer reading options to suggest to your kids. How you "suggest" reading this summer is up to you, but in my household I've already disconnected the television.

      1.  Alivn Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and other Natural Disasters

                           By Lenore Look; illustrations By Carson Ellis

Grade 2-4 When Alvin's father takes him camping to instill a love of nature, like that of their hometown hero Henry David Thoreau, Alvin makes a new friend and learns he can be brave despite his fear of everything.

     2. Double Identity 

                            By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Grade 5-8 Bethany Becomes Curious about her past when her parents unexpectedly disappear after leaving her with an aunt who she did not know existed. As the story unravels, the conclusion uncovers a shocking secret.

    3. The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold

                            Retold By Cynthia Rylant; Illustrations by Carson Ellis

Grade 4-6  Rylant offers modern retelling of classic myths, such as "Pandora," "Orpheus" and "Psyche." The illustrations invite young readers into each of the stories.

    4. Esperanza Rising

                            By Pan Munoz Ryan

Grade 4-6 Set during the time of American Great depression, it examines the plight of the Mexican farm Workers.

    5.Crossing Stones 

                            By Helen Frost Haddix

Grade 4-7 This historical novel, written in free verse and "cupped-hand" sonnets, is set on the home front of World War I.

   6.The Wish Master;

                           By Betty Ren Wright

 Grade 4-7  An Adventure story with a hint of the supernatural.

   7.The Report Card;

                           By Betty Ren Wright

Grade 3-7-About a child who attempts to prove to adults that some accepted standards should be questioned. (Great read I highly suggest)

   8.How Oliver Olson Changed the World ;

                           By Claudia Mills

A story about how Oliver embarks upon growing up.

   9.Northward to the Moon ;

                           By Polly Horvath

Grade 4-7- Jane and the rest of the family set off on a car trip after her stepfather loses his job, ending up in Nevada after being given a bag full of possibly stolen money.

   10.The Dream Keeper and Other Poems ;

                           By Langston Hughes; illustrations by Brian Pinkney

Grade 1-5 -Langston Hughes selected this collection of poems, first published in 1932, especially for young readers. From "The Dream Keeper" to "The Weary Blues" to "As I Grew Older," these poems reflect Hughes' pride in his race, yet provide universal themes and messages for all young people.


 Keep your kids reading this summer and remember when choosing a book:

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.

- Katherine Zuber | KidsCamps.com

Spykids. Parents Verses Facebook

Facebook. Myspace. Twitter. Oh yes, it's those social networks parents adore so much. What are you left to do? They are growing in popularity while you are growing older. That doesn't mean you have lost what little influence you have left over your kids. Here are some suggestions that may be able to help while prying on your child's digital life.

Steps in destroying your child's digital secrets.

1. Spy on him/her through his/her friends

Although your progeny blocked you on their account, their friends might not. This is a good way to gather as much beneficial intel from wall posts as possible.

     2. Find out what groups they are with

Checking in on group postings may update you on the latest mischief. Just don't add the group! They might figure you are up to something when your profile picture pops up on the left under "people who like this"

     3. I Spy!

Install spy software. These programs combine keystrokes, network traffic and other data occurring on your PC. Then these compiled reports are sent back to you.


Personally, the best bet for the sake of your relationship with your youngster is just ask. Trust them to trust you. This may not come easy but with work anything is possible. The last thing you want to do is violate the trust you already have. Otherwise you may open a can of worms and watch your children get more creative in finding ways to sneak past you.

Good luck!

-Katherine | Kidscamps.com

How Valuable is Camp? Part One

How Valuable is Camp?
A Thought Before You Completely Delete it From Your Budget. Part 1

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind with the economic downturn of 2008, family's budgets noticed the change; cutting out luxuries and focusing on necessities. Nonetheless the American Camp Association (ACA) enrollment trends survey (April 2010) determined that for the average American family, camp is still part of the budget.  When camps were asked in this survey why enrollment was higher or lower from last year, one answer stood out “…not as much panic about the economy.” Then as I continued reading I noticed a growing number of similar remarks “… improvements in economy, better economy, economy is looking up.”  There seems to be a positive tone for the future as there should be during hard times. Yet many families have still kept camp cut from budgets due to financial instability. 

“Our parents are communicating to us that the camp experience is more important than ever to kids today.”- Unknown Camp

Clearly the present is influencing us now, but what is its impression on the future? Google search “How has economy affected our children” and you’ll notice headlines such as Massive Debt threatens to impoverish our children and Labor is stealing from our children’s future. Evidently this question isn’t new and pin-pointing the reason frequently sparks unsolicited arguments. The question here is not what, but how to undo what we may have already done. Sending our kids to camp may make the difference.  In America, camps have been around since 1861 with over 500 million attendees. Each year an additional 10 million children go off to create new memories.

“Camps enhance the lives of children and families. I see it every day after summer camp in my family.”-Alicia H. (parent)

So what makes camps so important to our culture? Research has been conducted around the nation in search of the answer.   Barry A. Garst, Ph.D. of the ACA is one such person to investigate this question. He states that during the summer the average child loses 2.6 months of grade equivalency in math skills.  He goes on to express that camps are playing grounds for summer learning.  He uses one case study to support his statement: Camp Pfeiffer; Little Rock, AR.  Camp Pfeiffer’s director approached local schools about ways the camp might play a larger role in students’ development. Third through fifth grade students took part in this study. They were taken to a 5 week residential camping experience program. The program is established heavily on academic and behavioral activities.  Once the camp ended the students participating in this study achieved one-grade level improvement in math and reading test scores.

“The organized summer camp is the greatest contribution America has made to education.”- Former Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot, 1922

Academic improvement is only one constructive result of camp, there are also findings suggesting nature-based outdoor settings reduce ADHD symptoms in children. Common knowledge is already that nature-based experiences lower stress levels and improve moods. Sending your kids to experience nature while simultaneously stimulating a child’s senses facilitates a better learning environment.  These varieties of camps are also perfect settings to create environmental awareness and develop better general care of the world around them.

“Our 14 year old niece just visited camp (first time) and had the time of her life!”- Nichole D (Parent)

Read part two next week. Check out Kidscamps for camp options.

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future" -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

  Let’s prepare them the best we can. Send them to camp.
 

Why go to summer camp?

Undoubtedly, the first decade or so of a child's life are the most important years. During these years, you'll notice how much play is part of a child's day. Play takes an essence of its own: some in story lines, while others in imaginary friends living divided by reality and fantasy. Through play, children learn about shapes, colors, cause and effect, and more importantly themselves. It's a way of sorting out joy, fear, sorrow, anxiety. Then as children get older, we must find new ways to keep them stimulated and challenged. Camps are a fantastic way to maintain this level of culture and curiosity. If that's not enough, camps have a myriad of other benefits. Here are some you may want to consider if you are debating camp this summer for your child.


At camp we create lifelong memories many develop into lasting lessons. We have many memories resting in the back of our minds; periodically contributing to the present. These memories of long ago have changed us in countless ways. This is reason enough to send the little ones off. Not only are these memories nice to have; many times as we grow, we grow because of them.

Creativity+ Structure= Constructive Ideas. Camps are minefields of creative minds. Suddenly building waterfalls in the sand or playing the part of captain aboard a sinking ship become reality. These ideas are fueling the future. When you were younger how many things did you invent? There was a solution to everything was there not? Impossible didn't exist (as it still should be) and you had the answers for the world. Directing this natural form of creativity and motivation shapes constructive ideas for the future. These skills later help your child shape their thoughts and plans, but most importantly prepares them for the present. 

New people, places, social settings force adaptation. Besides improving a child's social aptitude, new social settings force adapting in new environments. As humans when we are presented to new environments there is a form of stress occurring in the body. While some may experience a less negative form of it, others may find it a very unpleasant and awkward situation. Introducing new settings such as an overnight camp provide a young campers with the skills to challenge any new social situations.

Talk to strangers. This may be the one and only time you may want to suggest this. When we are younger role models influence us greatly. Everyone can name at least one person from their childhood other than a relative that as positivity affected them. They are everywhere and we need them there. Camps that have been accredited by the ACA required extensive staff training. So you can rest assure your kids are in good hands.

"The man who cannot believe in himself cannot believe in anything else."- Research has found that overnight camp experience promotes self esteem. Camp is learning to win and lose. Finding the positive to a negative situation and problem solving. This is a important life lesson and something they may have to deal with in school. As bullying and teasing in schools increases, sticking to your ideas no matter now thick the fog is a trait harder to come by. The success of an adult may rest in just how well one can speak for him or herself. Building self confidence starts with camp.

Specialty camps educate your children in special areas of interest that may motivate a career or begin a lifelong hobby. Specialty camps open the doors to new leisure pursuits which may later turn into lifelong careers. Some of the most successful careers are ones loved by their pursuers and now is the best time to begin discovering them.

Learning responsibilities During overnight camps, typically all campers and counselors live under the same roof. Learning to coexist with others and share the same living space is a very valuable lesson learned at these types of camps. Many over night camps also require their campers to complete daily chores and kids learn about reward systems.

No matter the reason why you send your youngster to camp the benefits are clear and there. Its fun and beneficial, what else can your kids do this summer that offers both?


Look up camps with your kids at www.kidscamps.com or www.mysummercamps.com

About us: Kidscamps.com

Online since 1995, Kidscamps.com is the Internet's most comprehensive summer camp resource guide and online camp directory of summer camps, day camps, overnight camps, special needs camps, sport camps, sailing camps, special interest camps, art camps, music camps, teen tours, adventure camps, holiday camps, religious camps, basketball camps, volleyball camps, football camps, soccer camps, baseball camps, family camps, camps for rent/lease, and more! We believe that every child deserves a summer at camp at least once!

Locate summer camps in all 50 United States, Canada and Mexico, South America, Central America, The Caribbean, Europe, Australia, Oceania, Asia and Africa. Then let Campersmall.com help you outfit your summer camper for camp!

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