Youth and Recreation Activity Resource Center
Activity and Resource Center
1.
Planning and Conducting a Day Camping Program
Chapter 5
The Sunday School Board has placed a strong emphasis on day camping. The Board has .published three day camp curriculum series: the Indian Series, the Frontier Series, and the Forest Ranger Series. Each series includes a camper's book and a counselor's guide. These materials are available in Baptist Book Stores.
The Focus of Day Camping
Although day camping may be used with a wide span of age groups, it is especially suited for children six through eleven years old (grades one through six). These energetic youngsters are eager and inquisitive, searching for truth and meaningfulness in the world about them. Many of them already are enrolled in Sunday School. Your community is full of other day camp prospects. Home mission fields and resort areas - including camp and assembly grounds - also are ideal places to find children. Of course, you will think of many other places where day camping will extend the ministry of your church.
Most parents are concerned and interested in their children. They will be impressed and grateful that you are interested enough to invest many hours each day for several days to minister to the needs of their children. Generally, day camping will open the door of acceptance to the outreach ministry of your church.
Remember that a child is an individual with needs. This child seeks adventure, recognition as an individual, and the security of belonging to a group. He usually is very active and eager to do things for himself. At times, he seems to shy away from adults, but he needs the reassurance of acceptance from them and his peers. He is alert, and he wants to learn through experiencing new things. But, the attention span of the young day camper is short.
Often, the camper needs leadership other than that provided by his parents. A well-trained day camp staff can provide this leadership to help any child develop spiritually, physically, mentally, and socially.
Sponsor a day camp to reach children and their families for Christ. Provide a day camp to foster the Christian growth of the children in your church and community. Conduct a day camp to show children an exciting, active, and fun way to find God.
Who Can Sponsor a Day Camp?
A Local Church
Any church or group, regardless of its size or the number on its staff, can sponsor a day camp. A church may simply sponsor a day camp for children of its congregation and community. Or, a church may use day camping for specific groups.
Your church may want to include day camping as a part of its summer youth program. If your church enlists a volunteer or paid youth worker for the summer, it likely will ask this person to plan and direct the day camp, using youth as leaders.
Perhaps existing organizations within your church will use the day camping approach to accomplish their purposes. For example, Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors use day camping, especially with their younger members. Girls in Action might have a day camp that (1) reaches new prospects, and (2) provides additional time for members to accomplish their goals. The Royal Ambassadors also seek to give their younger members an opportunity to experience camp and to learn about the out-of-doors.
Prospects are reached and older members are "revived" through day camping experiences. The Brotherhood Commission and the Woman's Missionary Union produce day camping materials specifically designed for the Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action programs. For more information on these materials, write: Brotherhood Commission, 1548 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104, and Woman's Missionary Union, 600 North Twentieth Street, Birmingham, Alabama 35203.
Mission action groups use day camping to minister to persons with special needs, both locally and in communities far away from their churches. A church may know of a group of children suffering from mental retardation. These children may live near the church building, across town, or in another state. After special preparation, the mission action group may have a day camp for these children.
Day camping by special mission groups can also start new work or strengthen existing work in a mission area. If a church wants to start a mission, it must do two things at or near the site of the new work. First, the church must get the attention of the prospects. Second, these prospects must meet together. A day camp will certainly get the attention of the children and parents and get them together. After a few days of day camping, a parents' meeting will insure contact with both child and parent.
Associations
Occasionally two, three, or more churches will want to work together in sponsoring a day camp. They will utilize the best talents of each church to reach and minister to children in their combined geographical areas.
Association-sponsored day camps are held in areas where, for some reason, individual churches or smaller groups of churches cannot sponsor day camps by themselves. The associational missionary or a committee enlists a director and sends publicity to all churches and/or unreached areas to invite campers. The program is planned just like any other program, and the results can be the same - persons reached through day camp. The associational missionary office can provide information about possible day camp sites and a listing of names and addresses of persons who may work in day camp. Some associations also will provide training for day camp directors.
Church, associational, and state camps and assemblies that have family weeks provide day camping for the children of these families. This event also will provide a training opportunity for parents and others who can use their newly-acquired skills in their own church's day camping efforts. These church families might even sponsor a day camp in their own community, using facilities and leadership resources from the neighborhood.
As you read, other day camping ideas, reasons, and places will come to mind. Great! Do them! Remember, flexibility and variety are key words in day camping.
Planning a Day Camp
Selecting Sites and Equipment
Variety also is apparent in relation to facilities. They will vary from the elaborate to the very basic. The basic outdoor necessities include adequate drinking water, rest rooms, and shelter areas to protect the campers from rain.
Put on your "thinking camp," and you will be able to list many possible sites available. The site may be borrowed, rented, or owned by your church. Resident camps; city, state, or national parks; farmlands; or vacant lots - all of these make excellent sites for a day camp.
If fresh drinking water is not available at the site, haul it in. If there are no rest rooms, get permission from the property owner to rent portables. Or, borrow a self-contained travel trailer. If the site has no shelter, explore the possibility of using a tent or several tents.
Sites are usually free; simply find one suitable to your needs and ask the owner's permission to use it. Discover the site's strong points so that they may be included in your camping activities. For example, if the site has a creek, use it for the study of water, water plants, and animals. If the site is heavily wooded, study the forest and its cycles. If the site is dry and rocky, study its soil and rocks.
Vary your site from year to year to take advantage of the strong points of several sites. No site is hopeless; some simply require more creativity on your part.
Before you agree to the site, look at it, walk over all of it, envision campers everywhere. Do its strengths outweigh its weaknesses? Can you adapt your program to the site? Whose insurance covers what? Where is the nearest doctor and hospital? Is there adequate space to park the cars or bus? Is the site available for pre-camp staff training? Can twigs be cut? What does the site furnish, and what must you furnish? If you have any questions about the site or area regulations, whom do you ask? The answers to all of these questions should be in writing. Do not accept a site unseen. Too many good sites are available. Get answers to your questions; and then, if all seems okay, secure the site. And do it early!
Equipment needs will be determined by your goals, site, staff, and planned activities. Do not buy or borrow equipment until you are sure that it can help in reaching your goals and can be used on your site by your staff. Supplies and equipment I lists are in the back of the Indian and Forest Ranger Counselor's Guides. A list may be made from the activities section of the Frontier Counselor's Guide.
The Day Camp Staff
The day camp staff will be determined by your site, the number of campers, ages, special needs and backgrounds of your campers, and the specific goals of the day camp. The basic staff must include a day camp director, unit leaders, and counselors. If the camp is large, the director may need an assistant.
Other program helpers and resource personnel might include a Bible study leader, campcraft leader, cook, and nature study leader. If swimming is available, a qualified and certified lifeguard will be needed.
The program is the major factor in determining the number of staffers. If you plan your day camp for a special g group-such as the mentally retarded-you must conduct additional training and add specially qualified staff members. If only one or two campers have special needs-and these are known in advance-additional training for your regular staff usually is sufficient.
Where can you find a staff? Begin with a survey • of your church membership. Give special attention to your senior high youth (grades ten through twelve). They usually are available in quantity, and they are eager to help. Properly trained and supervised, the youth will do an excellent job with children. College students are eager to gain new experiences, and they find day camping especially rewarding. Put them to work!
You will need adults who enjoy working with children and have (or are willing to acquire) camping skills. And don't forget your senior adults, many of whom have the needed skills.
You also may want to look for help available in your community. Many individuals are qualified and want to serve. Community and governmental agency personnel can assist in training your staff. Or, they can actually serve with you in the day camp. The help of local agencies will be especially necessary if you have a day camp for children with special needs.
The staff should be-selected very carefully. They "live" with the campers. They convey the philosophy and attitude of the camp to the campers. They do most of the work with those you are trying to reach.
Do your best to select staffers three or four months before the day camp begins. The more time for preparation and training, the better. You might be fortunate in finding staffers who have had prior training. These people simply need to retrain and learn your camp's philosophy and goals.
These staffers do not necessarily need out-of-doors skills or experience with children. You will train them. Any experience they bring with them will be on the "plus" side.
The following areas must be considered as you choose your staff. A staffer must:
1. Have high moral standards.
2. Be reliable
3. Be persevering.
4. Be responsible.
5. Have initiative.
6. Have seriousness of purpose.
7. Have a willingness to learn.
8. Have common sense.
9. Have a sense of humor.
10. Be adaptable or flexible.
11. Be emotionally stable.
12. Have a proper attitude.
13. Be willing to work.
14. Enjoy children.
15. Enjoy the out-of-doors.
16.
These traits, even though subjective and relative, must be used as indicators of ability. Experience is helpful, too, but not necessary. Some of the greatest benefits of the day camp will be experienced by your staff. Pray for them.
The Day Camp Director
The day camp director is in charge of the total program. In other words, he is responsible for everything that happens. His major duties include:
1. Determine day camp goals.
2. Plan the program and budget.
3. Select and prepare the site.
4. Enlist and train the staff.
5. Obtain needed materials and equipment.
6. Develop local promotion.
7. Set up procedures for registration, transportation, reporting, and evaluation.
8. Supervise unit leaders and counselors.
9. Coordinate the daily schedule.
10. Set the tone of the day camp by personal attitude and spirit. The assistant director assumes all responsibilities delegated to him by the director.
Unit Leader and Counselors
The unit leader will be necessary for larger day camps with multiple groups. A "unit" includes all the campers of a particular age group. In this book,
· Unit 1 refers to campers in grades 1 through 3
· Unit 2 refers to campers in grades 4 through 6
The unit leader is responsible to the director, supervising and assisting the counselors in his unit (age group).
Each group of ten to twelve campers should have one counselor and one assistant counselor. The counselor is responsible to the director (or unit leader in a larger situation). And, he is responsible for his group. He plans with his assistant all program activities; He "lives" with the campers and is responsible for all program activities not cared for by the program resource personnel. The assistant counselor assists the counselor in the fulfillment of his duties.
Other Program Personnel
Use program resource personnel as appropriate to meet the needs of the day camp. The people usually are needed in larger day camps or where special skills are not in the inventory of the counselor or unit leader. Resource persons are responsible to the day camp director or unit leader.
The cook (responsible to the director) plans, purchases, prepares, and serves lunch and snacks as scheduled. He keeps within the budget and observes local health standards.
The individual charged with first aid duties is responsible to the director. He should be certified and qualified in first aid, and he must be competent to handle all emergencies typical of a day camp operation.
Special program personnel report to the director. They are responsible for doing the work in their areas of specialization. For example, if your camp is for the mentally retarded, your special workers will need training to minister to the unique needs of this type of child.
Remember, all persons who assist with day camp should be dedicated Christians, have a love for children and the out-of-doors, and possess a desire to work in day camp.
Training the Day Camp Staff
The success of your day camp will be in direct proportion to the quality of training you provide for your staff. The director is responsible for this training. To begin with, he will need training himself. The Church Recreation Department of the Sunday School Board provides annual training at Ridgecrest Conference Center and at several national Rec Labs located strategically across the nation. Various state conventions provide additional training events periodically for the day camp director and his staff.
Other local agencies, such as the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, American Camping Association, and Christian Camping International provide training in camping skills. The day camp materials in this book may be the only resource for some directors. Study them carefully! The books listed in the bibliography section of this book will prove to be valuable aids in training.
The director will need to conduct other training sessions for those who will be working with him. You may want to call upon local persons with specific camping skills. Remember, your site will determine to a large extent your nature study activities, and your staff will need training in these activities. If your site is heavily-wooded, ask a forester to train your unit leaders and counselors. If your site has a usable swamp, invite a biologist to assist. Seek to have the best training possible; it's very important! Anticipate every need your staff members will have and prepare them for their assignments.
Call on your pastor and children's workers in your church for guidance in meeting the spiritual needs of the campers. Remember, the primary goals of your day camp are to reach children and their families for Christ and to help them begin to see in nature God's plan for their lives.
Your training schedule should be flexible enough to fit into your staffers' schedules. One
All staffers should attend training which pertains to why, where, and when you have day camp, how each staffer relates as a member of the team, and how to work with and what to expect from the campers. From this point on, your training should be specialized. The unit leaders, counselors, and assistants will be in one training session, while the cooks, first aiders, and other specialists are in another. Be sure everyone understands how to do his job.
Include training both before and during the camp, and an evaluation session (perhaps a hamburger fry) after the camp. The training necessary during the camp is to reinforce prior training, to compensate for something overlooked, or to teach something not learned in pre-camp training. At least one session should take place on a weekday at the day campsite. On this day the staffers are the day campers and experience the joys of being children again!
The training should be enjoyable as well as informative. Your goal is to begin with the staffers as though they have had little or no knowledge of day camping or the outdoors, find their present level of knowledge, and build on it to train them to accomplish the goals of your day camp. The training should allow the staffer to discover his job.
Training should include the following elements:
1. Get to know one another.
2. Discuss and understand the philosophy and goals of your day camp.
3. Discuss how each staffer "fits" into the total picture.
4. Discuss what the director expects from his staff.
5. Discuss what the staff can expect from the director.
6. Explain the policies.
7. Explain the program.
8. Conduct skill training.
9. "Rehearse" emergencies.
10. Learn and practice first aid.
11. Observe children ages six through eleven.
12. Learn to be sensitive to the campers' needs.
13. Know how to deal with problems.
14. Know how to witness about Christ to a camper.
15. Know how to use resource centers.
16. Have a day at day camp.
In your training sessions, don't talk or lecture all the time. Be practical. Let everyone ask questions. Use others to assist in the training. Use buzz groups, role playing, role reversals, and other learning methods. These sessions should be fun. Plan them this way.
The director should plan and conduct parent meetings as necessary. These meetings are to communicate what day camping is, what the child will be doing (or has done), who the leaders are, and other necessary information. Too, the staff is learning who the parents are! Parents' meetings can be held before day camp, while day camp is in • progress, or at the end of camp. Your goals will determine the time and place.
Schedules for Day Camps
The key word in scheduling for day camp is, again, flexibility. Play your schedule after you set goals, know the needs of your campers, and realize the strengths of both your site and staff. The following schedules are samples that can be used or adapted for your camp. Several activities of each type are explained in detail in each of the three day camp counselor's guides mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.
8:00 A.M. - 9:00 A.M. Arrival activities
9:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Nature activities
Rest and refreshments
Bible study
10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Craft activities
Worship activities
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Closing activities
Or
9:00 A.M. - 9:30 A.M. Arrival activities
9:30 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Nature activities
Craft activities
Bible study
Recreation activities
12:00 P.M. 12:30 P.M. Lunch
12:30 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. Rest
1:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. Nature activities
Worship activities
Craft activities
Recreation activities
2:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Closing activities
Or
2:00 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. Arrival activities
2:30 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. Nature activities
Craft activities
Recreation activities
Bible study
5:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M. Supper
5:30 P.M. – 6:00 P.M Rest
6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M Nature activities
Worship activities
Craft activities
Recreation activities
7:30 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. Closing activities
Other variations may be made if your camp continues more than one or two weeks. Basically, these sample schedules can be followed. Be careful not to plan more than the camper can endure. Day camping should be fun for all.
Any camp, long or short, should meet the needs of the campers and have a good blend of learning activities and rest. Be positive as you plan each experience for the campers.
Transportation for Day Camps
The director should coordinate the transportation for day camp. The trip should last no longer than thirty- to forty-five minutes each way.
At least four methods of transportation are available:
1. cars of the day camp staff
2. cars of parents (perhaps car pools)
3. cars of "volunteers for transportation"
4. bus (chartered, borrowed, or owned by the church)
Campers may meet at the church, the campsite, or at designated pickup points. Inform parents and campers in advance about the plans for transportation. If you promise to return the children to the church parking lot at a certain time, be punctual.
Occasionally, you will plan a trip away from the campsite for a special learning experience. Transportation will be needed. It is usually best to use a bus in this instance.
Food for Day Camp
Campers enjoy the out-of-doors. They use more energy than usual. Their "batteries" will need recharging. Schedule a snack time each morning and afternoon. The camper may bring his lunch (with his name on it), and the church may furnish the snacks and drink. The church may charge a fee and provide everything, or the church may make this same provision without charge. Share these plans in your publicity and promotion.
The personnel needed for food preparation will depend upon the method chosen from the previous paragraph. The type lunch to be served will have a bearing on personnel requirements. If you furnish lunch, serve food that is simple, adequate, enjoyable, attractive, wholesome, and within the budget.
The health laws of each state differ concerning good service. Check these requirements early and comply with each one. If the law requires a health certificate for the cook, be sure that he has one. A Christian day camp demands going the "second mile" in handling all such matters. You teach through your actions as well as your words.
Results of Good Planning
Appropriate planning in these areas will contribute to the campers' having a meaningful and great time at camp. When day camp is over the children will say such things as:
· "Day camping is fun."
· "I wish day camping lasted all summer."
· “This sassafras leaf looks like an angel."
· "Even on rainy days it's fun."
· "Thank you, God, for day camp."
· "God loves the birds, and he loves me."
And the parents will be thank