Just finished reading this awesome article on the ACA website entitled: 10 Reasons Why Businesses Should Hire Former Camp Counselors. This could just as easily have been titled “Why Being A Camp Counselor Is Awesome For Your Resume” or even “How To Know You Are Cut Out To Be A Counselor”. An excellent description of what a camp counselor should be!

We are super excited about the new major selections we have added to our Heartwood program for Summer 2014. We are also very encouraged by the positive feedback we have received, but also understand that sometimes changes can be hard to wrap our heads around! Here are some frequently asked questions (and answers!) about the changes we’ve made to our Heartwood program this year.

Q: What happened to the old “Sports” and “Arts” model?

A: Our campers, staff, and experienced parents know that while the sports and arts distinctions may have been the same for the whole summer, our actual programming from week to week was NOT. We had lots of different things going on each session – however, this may not have been obvious to others who are new to MKDC.

We wanted to make sure that it was clear to prospective campers and parents that they could sign up for the whole summer and be confident in knowing that there would be something new for them to experience each week.

We also wanted to offer more variety in our programming for older campers (not everyone fits into the “sports” or “arts” groupings) so now there’s something available for those kids who are really interested in technology and culinary arts, as well as the “traditional” options.

Q: If my son/daughter wants to participate in sports (or arts), can he/she still do that?

If you take a look at our Majors list you will see that many of our majors are still very much sports or arts based, it’s just that they are now put in a more specific format. If you are looking for recommendations about which week(s) might be the best for your son/daughter to attend based on their interests, please email or call us and we’ll be happy to help.

Q: Can we enroll in a major only in the weeks it is listed?

A: Yes. We are only offering two different majors per week so that our staff and resources can be used most effectively to keep the quality of our programming at its highest. We have done our very best to make sure that the two options available each week will appeal to a range of interests.

Q: How will this effect camper groupings?

It is extremely important to us that our campers feel both comfortable with their peer group, but also free to pursue their own interests. Under our “old” system, we sometimes worried that campers were choosing their major based on their peer group rather than their favorite activities. With our new format for majors, Heartwood campers will be grouped with their peers during all standard camp activities, and split according to their majors ONLY for that portion of the schedule.

Q: Can we register for the same major in more than one week, if it is offered in multiple weeks?

A: YES! A major that occurs more than once will have different programming, so you can do the same major multiple times and still experience something new.

Did I miss your question? E-mail us or comment below!

Friday, March 7 – Duct Tape Mania

Have you seen all the fancy duct tapes you can buy? Now you’ll know what to do with it! Learn to make flowers, bags, wallets, & more! PA Day registration fee: $45 includes theme activities, a pizza lunch, & snacks. Hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

March 10 – 14 – “Holiday Cruise” March Break Camp

Join us on a special vacation cruise! We’ll say “bon voyage” with a toast as we celebrate the start of our trip. Each day you’ll visit a different exotic port with lots of surprises in store. March Break registration fee: $160 for the week. Optional lunch program and daily rates available. Hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with free extended care (7:30 am – 5:30 pm) available upon request.

Register now for these awesome events!

Leather has played an important role in the development of civilisation. In recorded history, pieces of leather dating as far back as 1300 B.C. have been found in Egypt.

Now Maple Key is bringing back this traditional but often forgotten art form! Campers will learn techniques such as dyeing, tooling, molding, sewing/lacing, and leather stamping to create a variety of projects such as bookmarks, key fobs, coasters, and wristbands.

The Leatherwork Arts Major will be offered Week 6 only (Aug 5 – 8). Register Now to save your spot.

In 2012 we started a new tradition for our staff… the Camp Secret Friend program. During staff training all of our staff are assigned a secret friend anonymously (I get my wonderful hubby to set it up for us so even I don’t know who has who!). Over the course of the summer the staff make sure that their secret friend receives little treats and pick-me-ups every so often in their mailbox (it also helps to make sure that staff check their messages!) It can be anything from a funny note or a baggie of gummies, to a scavenger hunt to the freezer to find a little tub of Ben & Jerry’s, but it’s amazing how those treats can give you new energy on a hard day.

The real fun comes at the end of the summer, though. At our special staff banquet, the secret friends are revealed with a special homemade gift. Many of our staff work on their gifts for weeks beforehand, and it’s always exciting and emotional to see those final products (many of which become lasting momentos) and finally know who’s been your little guardian angel over the course of the summer. CSF is just one of those little things we do to make things special for the staff. We’re here for the campers… but it’s our camp too!

Pop Quiz Time!

How many times has a camper gotten a sunburn at Maple Key Day Camp?
0

Yup, that’s right. Not one single time. In five summers of operation, we have never had a sunburn. This is no accident! We joke all the time that MKDC should really own stock in a sunblock company, because we use so much of it – after all, we reapply three times a day! And if you ask a staff member what the most memorable camp smell is… I can guarantee that “the smell of sunscreen” will be repeated many times.

Since we are such pros at the sunscreen thing, here are some tips about sunblock from your friendly MKDC staff…

1. Never let a Sprout camper put their own sunscreen on their face. (They will miss spots. AND get it in their eye. AND cry… These are things we avoid.)
2. The spray can sunscreen (aerosol or otherwise) is actually more difficult to apply. We have to spray it on our hands before we can put it on campers’ little faces, and some of it can get on the floor. Then the floor gets slippery, so we have to wash the floor.
3. Not all sunscreen is equal! Look for one that offers both UVA & UVB protection.
4. Please send an extra bottle of sunscreen so we can put your child’s name on it and keep it at camp. We trust your judgement about what sunscreen you would like your child to wear… but if they don’t have any, we will put some of our spare stuff on them before we let them go out unprotected.
5. Be a good role model for sun safety! Our staff “walk the talk” and put sunscreen on alongside the campers.

Click to view our Winter 2014 newsletter:

True pride only comes from accomplishing something that was difficult.

Grit has become the new buzzword in education and parenting thanks to Paul Tough’s best-selling book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.

But what is it?

Grit is perserverance and resiliancy. It’s the ability to persist even when you do not initially succeed. It’s a “growth mindset”: understanding that sometimes things will get harder before they get easier, and that’s ok.

There has been a lot of writings recently on how the current generation of kids have become accustomed to instant gratification. They are used to getting what they want, when they want it. The problem is… The rest of their lives won’t work that way, and it can cause a host of problems later on in life including impatience, a habit of quitting, and even depression.

So, how do we help kids learn a growth mindset? They need to learn to delay gratification.

An episode on Modern Family last season featured the dilemma of Haley not having any hardship to write about on her college application.   Her mom created one by dropping her off miles from home and making her walk home.   It was a humorous example of a real problem — Colleges want to see that our kids have some “grit,” because they will need it to complete college.  But for many kids, their lives have not been conducive to developing that particular trait.  Life is often too easy for kids on the higher end of the socioeconomic spectrum.
– Sunshine Parenting

It’s important for children to experience “hardship” in small, healthy doses. Presenting safe, yet challenging situations where a child learns that their OWN actions will determine their own success or failure is what will give them the strength to tackle more difficult situations later on in life. It’s key for them to recognize that failure only STAYS a failure if you give up.

We promote “true grit” at camp every time we introduce a camper to a new activity. They might not make a basket their first try, but they might on the fifth. The magic trick might not work the first time, but with practice, it will. You might have to do several drafts of a drawing before you get it right. Getting kids past that first hurdle so that they have the strength to “do better next time” is what it’s all about.

Every year, we find new ways of adding to our mission of being the “village” that helps raise our campers. Our most exciting addition of 2013 was the creation of our camp necklaces.

The idea behind our necklaces is simple – every staff member and camper receives their own handmade necklace their first week of camp. At the end of each camp session (week) each counselor team awards beads to each camper. The colours and shapes of the beads vary based on their meaning. Every camper receives a bead for each week they attend as well as each camper group they belong to, but there are also rarer beads that may sometimes be awarded, such as beads for exhibiting our core values. Over the course of a camper’s time at camp they can get quite a collection! These beads are an excellent reminder of the memories that a camper creates while at camp, and also recognize the character traits and behaviors that we value most highly.

Beads are awarded during a special “campfire” ceremony that also includes singing and the opportunity to say goodbye to campers who are finishing their session. This ceremony adds closure to a child’s camp experience and is another way that we create a feeling of community at MKDC. It is our hope that campers and staff will return to camp each year with their necklaces, creating a treasured keepsake of their summers with us.