Science Camp

Hosting doesn’t always happen at home. I recently hosted a group of squirrely girls in a cabin for one week. It was one of those experiences where you try to remember what you were thinking when you decided to take part, several times during the actual trip. But then after the trip, you decide it was a good experience. Here’s what I learned.

Kids do best with clear boundaries and expectations.

Announce time blocks to the campers and give time updates.  “In 30 minutes we will go down to dinner. Do you want to finish your project before then?” “We will be leaving in 10 minutes. Go use the bathroom and come put on some cool weather layers.”

Follow-up questions are necessary. Did you put on a sweater? Why not? Are you sure that’s going to work? Sometimes a hard line is necessary. “No, flip-flops are not okay for the night hike.”

Don’t be afraid to be clear and concise. “No more talking. We’re done. Good-night my dears.”

You can say almost anything you need to, if you do it with a smile on your face and sweetness in your voice.

Sending seven 10-year-olds to bed is not easy.

Give yourself a whole hour of dedicated time for the exercise. Expect to remind each child to put on their shoes to go to the bathroom; they’ll also forget their towel. While they’re getting their towel, they will put down their toothbrush and forget where it was. If two people have the same toothbrush, that will cause a cabin wide uproar and analytical conversation about how that possibly could have happened.

Plan to say the words “close the door” after every single individual goes through the space, in either direction.

Practice reflective listening as the kids work through whether they are willing to change in the company of their peers in the warm cabin, or if they prefer the privacy of a cold bathroom stall. Exercise great patience and perseverance. I frequently employed breathing similar to what I use during yoga.

Even 5th graders get homesick.

Ending the day on a positive and peaceful note helps. Questions like “What was the funniest thing you heard today?” “What was your favorite thing to learn about today?” keep the campers mentally in the moment and positive about their experiences.

Even big kids like bedtime stories. It’s fine if you don’t finish the book. Read the first chapter of a new book each night. If your students liked the chapter, they can check out the book when they get home.

Be prepared to kill some time!

In the cabin: Create a cabin name and motto together on the first night. Work on a skit to present to the whole camp. Teach gratitude by having your campers write notes to their camp counselors and kitchen staff.

Have games prepared for your cabin to play when you need to wait together for meal times or hikes to begin.

• Do weird human tricks- show off your amazing abilities to cross your eyes, wiggle your ears, roll your tongue or burp on command, ect.
• Create a human knot- All members of the group bunch together and each person grabs another person’s hand at random. Then slowly start to spread out and see if you can untangle your knot.
• Red Light, Green Light or Simon Says

Choose games that require interaction and help your cabin mates to bond. They’ll enjoy their time together more and go home with sweeter memories.

Layer

No seriously, layer. Who knows, maybe you’re a chaperone in Houston during the month of April. Fine, you don’t layer, just make sure you have a hat and sunscreen. Most anybody else, get ready. Camp is made up of early mornings, after sunset star gazing and hours outside in the woods. Be honest with yourself about what you’ll want if you’re hiking in the rain and then sitting on damp benches the next day. I recommend quick-dry clothing and two pairs of wool socks at a time.

Go host bravely!