The Camp Program Lab

With everything going virtual this year, it was only a matter of time before camping conferences did too. Curt has been doing a virtual conference for a couple of years now and is ahead of the game with ideas for it!  This episode, the guys discuss all the pros and cons of virtual camp conferences as well as talk about a few coming up that you can be involved in!

A serious, but needed topic this week. What if we can’t have Camp next summer? The guys give some great ideas that you and your Camp need to start working on now as a “Plan B”, just in case! With all the camps and directors Chris and Curt have talked to over the last couple of months, they have a slew of great options to stay open in 2021, if we are still quarantined. Check out this week’s episode for some ideas to keep on the back burner!

A Brain Break is a short 2-3 min pause in whatever you are doing to give your brain a break and a chance to reset so it can continue on. In fact, if you are in classes or learning something new, you should take a break every 15 minutes! It actually helps you learn better and retain more. Chris shares some great ideas for Brain Breaks from his book on Patchwork Marketplace: Steal This! Ideas for Time Fillers and Brain Breakiness.

Finally, Curt has agreed to talk about Chris’s favorite thing: Pinterest!!!! The guys share some great finds, and some not-so-great finds. Also, did you know that Summer Camp Programming Podcast has its own Pinterest board? We have links for all of our episodes! 

The guys talk with Matt Henry about the cool things his camp are offering families and groups during these challenging times. The overall program is called Take Two! and it involves mini camp days, pool rental times for family groups, dinner adventures, fresh air hikes and more. These are things most resident camps and some day camps can offer in the fall and even year round.

Curt and Chris (or maybe they should just be called the Virtual Camp Guys at this point) discuss all things online this week. Great ideas of apps, games, sites, etc. that can help with your Virtual Camps (or even your normal camps provided you have a decent internet connection on-site!)

Chris and Curt interview 10 different camp directors on the success of their virtual camps. The interviews are divided into 4 different episodes this week. The guys ask the same questions to each person in a 10 min time limit, so bring your notebook because these great ideas are coming at you at a rapid-fire pace. This episode includes Conor Murray from Camp Rio and Jessica Wexler from Girls Rock Math.

Chris and Curt interview 10 different camp directors on the success of their virtual camps. The interviews are divided into 4 different episodes this week. The guys ask the same questions to each person in a 10 min time limit, so bring your notebook because these great ideas are coming at you at a rapid-fire pace. This episode includes Isaiah Apfel from Between the Pages and Jordon Morris from Camp Indian Creek.

Chris and Curt interview 10 different camp directors on the success of their virtual camps. The interviews are divided into 4 different episodes this week. The guys ask the same questions to each person in a 10 min time limit, so bring your notebook because these great ideas are coming at you at a rapid-fire pace. This episode includes Christina Williams from Science Explorers, Guy and Sheila Siler from Mia Cake House, and Maureen Myrie from The Steam Generation.

Chris and Curt interview 10 different camp directors on the success of their virtual camps. The interviews are divided into 4 different episodes this week. The guys ask the same questions to each person in a 10 min time limit, so bring your notebook because these great ideas are coming at you at a rapid-fire pace. This episode includes Laura Kelly from The Hand Work Studio, Kaley Stephens from WorldSong Missions Adventure Camp, and Kevin Pettigrew from JM Feltner 4H Camp.