Sunday, April 8, 2012

Reading At Camp


We all know reading is important, so what better way to encourage kids to understand that than to have their greatest role models (you) read stories aloud to them in such a special place (camp). In order to optimize learning and motivation for reading, it is important to practice reading aloud to children.

  • ·   Reading builds listening skills and increases children’s attention span as they learn to concentrate at length to stories.
  • ·   It expands children’s schema for things they know. Reading books opens up a child’s world giving them an opportunity to learn information.
  • ·   Listening to stories has a direct impact on children’s reading and writing success.
  • ·   It provides a model for children and motivates them to become readers and lifelong learners.
  • ·   Reading children’s stories to our campers provides the best opportunities for “teachable moments”

There is so much more info out there about the importance of reading, especially in the summer.

Challenge: Name a favorite children’s book to read to your campers and explain why.

Prize: If TEN people comment on this blog, I will post a video of me reading “Scardy Squirrel”

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Bullying Article

This is an article I found on the ACA website (www.acacamps.org) about bullying. Bullying happens at camp, whether we admit it or not. Every year there are a handful of our campers that do not come back to camp because of bullying.


Challenge: Read the Article (http://www.acacamps.org/bullying/bullying-preventionand answer the following questions. This is a long article, and I understand that a lot of you do have more reading to do than you ever want to for school. But bullying is important. Please read it, or at least skim through it or bookmark it on your computer.

  • What are you personally going to do at camp this summer to help prevent bullying?
  • What are some suggestions you have that we can do as a whole at camp to prevent bullying?

Prize (to everybody that reads & responds) A Handmade Squirrel Friendship Bracelet.