Background: Despite representing half of approximately 1.5 million camp counsellors in the United States, women in outdoor experiential education (OEE) continually face barriers that constrain them to lead according to restrictive gendered expectations. While scholars have studied this issue across a variety of OEE contexts, summer day camps are…

Summer camps are an $18 billion industry while providing over 14,000 individual programs in the United States in 2015. Camp counselors, like other outdoor workers, are at risk of occupational solar exposure. Occupational solar exposure increases an individual's lifetime accumulation of solar radiation, leading to skin damage and higher rates of…

University students who experience real-world service tend to develop a more inclusive world view and enhanced understandings outside of their personal perspectives. This project combined course objectives, community collaboration, and service provision to identify the impact of students' understanding of social justice and disability access…

This study investigated the influence of gender, age, and camp type on outcome achievements for children (aged 6 to 10) at summer camp. The outcome achievements measured were affinity for exploration, affinity for nature, camp connectedness, friendship skills, independence, perceived competence, problem-solving confidence, responsibility, and…

The work from the University of Central Florida's STEM summer camp (sponsored by Workforce Central Florida) is shared. The camps targeted low-SES schools with a high percentage of students on free and reduced lunch as well as high percentages of students with. Students were given preassessments and postassessments to gauge their knowledge of and…

Imagine a magical treehouse hidden in the woods, with secret doors and rope swings--the stuff of one's wildest dreams! Imagine children rolling their wheelchairs all the way around a lake and arriving at this wondrous place. At Camp Twin Lakes (CTL), a not-for-profit organization in Georgia, one doesn't have to imagine--it's the real thing. Each…

Research suggests that family camp experiences can enhance family relationships. Families often participate in family camp experiences for a vacation, as part of a therapeutic and/or intervention strategy, or to gain general enrichment or engagement. To better understand the impacts of family camp experiences on family functioning, a mixed-methods…

Camp research conducted by Extension provides ample empirical evidence that the camp experience contributes to healthy child development. National and state outcomes resources have emerged allowing Extension educators to target youth outcomes at camp. Although the emphasis on outcomes has been important and productive, the time has come to focus…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a peer intervention program designed to increase interactions between children with and without disabilities in an inclusive summer camp. A multiple probe single subject design was used to determine the effects of the STAR intervention on six dyads of campers aged five through ten over two…

Faculty members from a university teacher education department partnered with a local school district to develop a summer camp program for children at-risk. This four week summer camp for elementary students provides reading and math intervention to rising first graders. This article discusses the math aspects of the camp, including camp lessons,…

Summer camps provide opportunities for children to experience play, pleasurable activities, and social interaction with other children of similar ages and interests and are an integral part of the modern-day American cultural landscape. The authors discuss the emergence of summer camps for children with special needs, the types of play activities…

Camps have long addressed multiple components of young people's development, including spiritual development. In particular, transcendental communion with nature and the outdoors may provide one pathway for young people's spiritual development. The physical, mental, social, and spiritual growth of young people has been at the core of camps for…

Franki Lodge and her coworkers help run Toronto's Inner City Outtripping Centre (ICOC), an outdoor education program aimed at innercity youth. Started in 1995 to reduce conflict between rival gangs in Christie Pits Park, the organization has since grown to include the Paddle and Picnic program (day camps where kids, teens and even seniors canoe up…

EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON MENTAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND COORDINATION (BOTH MOTOR AND MUSCULAR), SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT, AND LANGUAGE AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT. SECTIONS ARE DEVOTED TO ORGANIZATION OF A DAY CAMPING PROGRAM, SELECTING THE STAFF AND THE CAMPERS, THE DAY CAMP IN OPERATION, DAY CAMPING AS A TRAINING PERIOD, CAMP RELATIONS WITH THE…

Every summer more than 10 million children attend day or resident (sleep-over) camps sponsored by churches, not-for-profit youth agencies, and independent operators. This study explored the outcomes of a 1-week or longer camp experience from the perspective of parents. A national sample of almost 2,300 parents responded to pre-, post-, and…