Blog
Every Day We Ask, "What's NEXT?"
Each morning we gather the whole camp in a close circle. This week that number was somewhere near 400 campers and counselors, standing together in the early sun, welcoming the new day with our summer family. I don’t use a bull horn or a megaphone (I think somewhere in the Camp Director job description it says “Must have ability to project surprisingly loud voice”), and I don’t have announcements or handouts. I remind our campers and staff about the Summer Fenn Way, that kindness and positivity are contagious, and that they’re in for a great day. We often sing a silly, fun song.
Then, every single day, I ask campers to “Turn to your counselors and …
"Sing...sing a song" by Maggie Magner
Today in our all-camp morning circle, the campers from our Drama Camp led a rowdy song, calling out each camp group by name, and singing the directions for them to “FREEZE, and boogie on down… FREEZE, and turn yourself around”. Because they were singing to a group, in a group, and sharing the experience with friends, each crew of singers seemed somehow more comfortable, less nervous or self-conscious.
This is the power of song. Singing at camp is a cornerstone of the experience, and this is because of the many ways that song promotes one of summer camp’s most important core values- connection. There’s something magical about being part of a shared voice, being…
Taming the Tough Transitions by Maggie Magner
We all know it- change can be hard.
Transitions at camp come in all sizes, and helping children enjoy a stress-free camp experience means paying attention to transitions in a meaningful way . A camper’s schedule changes a little every day as they visit new activity areas, they have different daily lunch choices, and they have new camper friends in each week’s session. Transitions can also be BIG, like finally being old enough to join Drama, or Ceramics Special Program, or joining Summer Fenn for the first time, or spending your final weeks before “graduating” at age 15. No matter the size, they all need to be honored.
Setting expectations is a huge part of …
5 Steps to Building a Culture of Kindness - The Summer Fenn Way
Day Camp is uniquely positioned to help children develop interpersonal skills- new campers arrive each week, and "veteran" campers have countless opportunities to welcome them into the Summer Fenn Way. Here's how we continue to cultivate kindness among an ever-changing dynamic of camper groups all summer long...
1)Commit. Beginning with the leadership, we choose to prioritize the culture of kindness in a tangible way. We ask ourselves: What does kindness look like in everyday interactions with and between children? What are the barriers to this happening regularly? And how will we know we’re succeeding? We invest significant energies to attract amazing, mature, gifted educators……
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