7615 Camp Ernst Rd. Burlington KY 41005 office (859) 586 - 6181 fax (859) 586 - 6214
Submissions for “Brightest Idea” Trophies
Presented by Jon Perry
YMCA CAMPFIRE CONFERENCE 2009
RESIDENT CAMP CO-BRIGHTEST IDEA
Kanata is starting a Sunday tailgate. Parents arrive early to get good spot in line – so now we are being intentional about programming that time. Parents can have fun during the wait as well as meet key camp leadership staff. – Jen Baldenell, Camp Kanata.
RESIDENT CAMP CO-BRIGHTEST IDEA
We started a YouTube Channel! www.youtube.com/campkanata We do silly stuff, interview people, etc. A great way for kids and parents to feel more connected to camp. – Dave Bell, Camp Kanata
HONORABLE MENTION
Each week four counselors are voted as “counselors-of-the-week.” On the following Tuesday (Cookout & Campout night) these “C.O.W.s” are invited to “Celebrity Dinner.” Celebrity dinner is prepared by 2-3 admin staff & serves “non-camp food” in a quiet, secluded location at camp. (Menu items may include ribs, steak fajitas, chicken cordon bleu, etc.) Invite the C.O.W.s to bring a guest, as well as the camp nurses and or admin staff. Celebrity dinner should be stress free for everyone & last no longer than an hour. When the dinner is over, counselors should rejoin their cabin group at their campsites. – Camp Piomingo
OTHER RESIDENT CAMP IDEAS
During the year offer a staff weekend to catch up. During the weekend record a camp song CD and mail it with lyrics to the counselors. The theory is new staff may be less inhibited alone in a car or at home. Return staff can refresh themselves. – Dominic Santomassimo, Camp Winona
As a clinic, offer dance classes (i.e. line dancing) so that your kids all know a dance for the dance night. Helps get all campers involved and excited. – Andie Weston, Camp Winona
In the morning before breakfast broadcast a morning show (news and music i.e. eagle cabin beat bear cabin in dodgeball yesterday) Using speakers throughout the camp. – Andie Weston, Camp Winona
Every camper who registers by April 15 gets their name in a big block on the back of the t-shirt! Then the kids who register late still get a t-shirt but are encouraged to register earlier next year. Plus, it’s cool! – Eli Cochran, Camp Ernst
On the last day of camp, instead of doing clinics have one long free swim. A beach party with music and free blobbing. - Andie Weston, Camp Winona
Halfway through the summer during a siesta, offer half of your staff the chance to do a favorite activity (i.e. blobbing) one day then the other half the next day as a break. – Andie Weston, Camp Winona
Recycling Program: The help LITs/CITs learn how they can impact their communities at home, help them impact their camp community. Stare with plastic and aluminum, you can add on glass, paper and cardboard. – Dominic Santomassimo, Camp Winona
Offer themed dances instead of regular dances. Post themes on the website, brochure and staff recruiting info so that both the campers and the staff can dress up or participate more fully in these events. – Dominic Santomassimo, Camp Winona
DAY CAMP CO-BRIGHTEST IDEA
Incorporate a fixture at your camp like totem pole “power pole.” It can be used as a summer project to allow each group, cabin, huddle to decorate their own section – or for each child to leave their mark (painted handprint). It can also be used for prayer – each child can use something as simple as a penny to stick to the pole as a representation of their prayer. Obviously the possibilities are endless!!! – Kyla Basher
HONORABLE MENTION
Team up with another YMCA camp and match campers. Each week, on Wednesday, after lunch the campers write letters or draw pictures for their pen pal. The camp then mails or delivers the letter to the other camp. At the end of the summer we host a pen pal lunch for the new friends to meet. This is a great way to make new friends and to keep the kids thinking during the summer. – Susan Evans, Statesvill, NC
HONORABLE MENTION
Sometime during you summer have your counselors sign Christmas cards for the campers. You can design them yourself or use purchased ones. Pt the cards up until the first week in December and then mail them. This way ½ way through the school year, they are reminded of camp in a personal way. – Carrie Cullum, Millington Family YMCA
OTHER DAY CAMP IDEAS
Counselor Appreciation Lottery: Whenever a counselor is caught doing something good they get to pick a piece of paper out of a jar with a reward. There are about 40 different rewards like a free lunch, a car wash, VIP parking etc. They can keep winning as many prizes as good deeds are done. Plus they can trade other counselors just like baseball cards. Since creating this, our appreciation for our staff has shot up! – Mike D’Arric, Morrison YMCA
Newsletter Enhancement: In your newsletter create a weekly clue, code or message that points out the location of a treasure at camp. The campers after camp or on the weekends can search for the treasure. This is awesome if your camp is at a public park. Treasures can be a scroll that they sign, pins, stickers, etc. Treat this like “Letter Boxing” www.letterboxing.org If your treasure is a scroll that they sign, you could reward prizes at the end of the summer to individuals or most treasure found. – David Botts, AE Finley YMCA
Go Green, construct and give kids some camp bells to chime whenever they want. Go to a re-use center or scrap exchange and get several old & empty fire extinguishers. Paint them the character trait colors and hang them upside down from a sawhorse or like device…and you have a great set of bells. They make great stuff items/gifts if you get staff or kids to sign them later. – Mike Stockwell, AE Finley YMCA
In order to reward children and staff for random acts of good character, we bough dog tags with the value characteristics. Staff would nominate children, children could nominate staff. At the end of each day we would award the children and staff and read what they did to earn the award. The dog tags were metal imprinted with one of the characteristics and framed with rubber in the color representing the character color. – Debbie Hall, Montgomery YMCA
Cow Appreciation Day: Build up to Cow App Day: Contact companies involved in dairy products (Kraft, I.G., Yoplait etc.) to donate food/activities. There are some great websites that will send you free materials for games/activities. N Friday, all kids dress up as a cow. Give away awards for best udder, most creative spots, loudest moo etc. For the even host a barnyard carnival: Hayrides, petting zoo, Chick-Fil-A Eat More Chicken cow Visit and square dancing. – Amy Dunmire, Sarasota Family YMCA
Beading Awards: In addition to the colored value beads campers can earn during the week, award additional beads for the programs/activities they participate. – Amy Dunmire, Sarasota Family YMCA
To recharge staff later in the camp season set up a point system. When counselors are seen going above and beyond there normal job duties such as teaching a new game, song etc. they then are awarded points for leadership. These points will add up by the end of the season auction at the staff party. Have some local companies, parents or board members donate gifts to auction off to the counselors. – Erik Bullock, Cherokee Outdoor YMCA
One week prior to camp, send out invites to your staff for a Renaissance Festival. They must come dressed in character and ready to work. Your feast can be real food but the bulk of the feast is knowledge and relationship building that takes place. You knight each staff member into your round table of counselors. Then do team building and relationship activities, training staff to work together and build relationships.
Midway through camp host a murder/clue mystery dinner. Send out invites and character cards of who their character is. They come with and alibi. Share alibis at dinner. Towards the end of the meal someone who was previously chosen will scream from another room. You find a body and begin working as a team to solve the murder. Everyone is a suspect, you don’t trust and your irritated with each other (just like mid-summer.) As you work together you have fun and re-build stressful work relationships.
Finally the appreciation dinner. You invite the staff to come formal or whatever your theme is. You present staff awards and gift cards and a scroll (a special hand written thank you letter for all their hard work). The thank you letter is personal and special . – Kelli Riding, Fogelman YMCA
Parents adopt a counselor. Parents are given a list of treats that their counselor really likes. Then, each week the parents brings a treat for their counselor. This helps the families connect with the counselors and helps the camp office cut the cost we spend on treats for the counselors. – Susan Evans, Statesville, NC
On Fridays we hang two parallel lines and place all the lost-n-found items on the lines. Then, each huddle gets to go down the tunnel collecting their items. The twist is we turn up the music and it becomes a dance party. Any items not claimed on Friday then becomes a part of our clothes closet. – Susan Evans, Statesville, NC
We had a campout where the children actually slept in tents and went on a night time treasure hunt. We took a picture of the pool drainage ditch then added a red dragon to the picture and told the children the red dragon had hid treasures all over the YMCA property. Even the counselors had fun searching for the treasures of the red dragon. – Debbie
