Posts Tagged ‘children’
Animals at a Nature Camp
February 3, 2010
Animals at Summer Camp? Say Yes to Letting your kids play with animals this summer as a part of the fun they can have at summer camp. Find a science camp, or a more broadly defined summer camp that includes animals as a part of their program offerings.
For many children making a connection with animals is a great way to reconnect with nature. Campers can find and develop a desire to know more about the nature they find all around them. When they follow that desire, they begin to acquire a deep respect for nature that will serve them all their lives.
At Swift Nature Camp, also known as a Science Camp, there is a unique pond aquarium gives kids a chance to see pond life from a frog’s point of view, while our Nature’s Neighbors live animal collection provides opportunities for up-close study and care of several common Northwoods residents as well as a few exotic immigrants. Campers with their own small animals are encouraged to bring them to camp to share with others. The animals live in the Nature Center, where all campers can enjoy and learn about them.
Children at Swift Nature Camp have the opportunity to understand our environment from hands-on learning experiences. These include field trips to a fish hatchery, to watch goose banding projects and butterfly counts, and even a close encounter with a live wild owl.
Animals are a part of Swift Nature Camps voluntary merit program, in which campers can earn special patches by learning skills in categories such as insects, bird watching, pet care, and horseback riding. Acquiring skills is never separate from the fun and play that is a part of being a camper.
The summer camp you choose should facilitate a blend of play and challenge that is free of the stress of the school environment. The presence of animals in a natural environment can open the door to discovery, adding depth to the fun of going to a traditional summer camp.
Every camper is an individual and benefits from his or her own particular mix of play and skill development. Swift Nature Camp has found a way to accomodate that range with a voluntary merit program that includes experience with animals. A camper’s interaction with animals can be refined into skills involving horseback riding, insects, pet care and bird watching. These opportunities never come at the expense of fun!
The joy of discovering nature is the joy of discovering the world we live in. Living in a natural environment with access to animals is a perfect invitation for expansive play. Camp is a place where children can learn about animals as a participant rather than just receiving information. Camp is more fun and less stressful than school, and the world becomes the classroom.
You can learn more about selecting a wonderful summer camp by visiting Summer Camp Advice Find a Summer Camp
Before you select a a summer camp see how 3 things in picking a camp, and if your are looking for the best camp seeKids Animal Camps
Responsible Children Don’t Just Happen
January 27, 2010
Parents love their kids and want the best for them. Yet, How often do you spend time thinking about how to do this? In the long run our goal is to get move our children from a place of helpless infancy and independent adulthood. Yet, little attention is given to the details of how best to accomplishing this goal.
Built Independence gradually. Skills like making sound decisions, caring for one’s own needs, being responsible for one’s own actions. None of these things will develop magically or over night, we need to guide choices. In order to learn these skills. kids need to practice with parental supervision.
The ability to make wise decisions begins in small ways. We wouldn’t dream letting young adults loose with the car with out some training and instruction. The same is true in decision making, small children need to be allowed to make decisions as soon as they are capable. This can begin in such simple ways as “Do you want play with Legos or Uno?” Or “It’s your turn to Where we go for Dimmer.” Help the child to see the advantages and disadvantages of each choice. Be sure to only offer choices you feel comfortable with or at least are willing to live with. As your child grows, you can allow more and more freedom on increasingly important choices.
Children need practice and experience to make good decisions. After all, humans tend to learn more when things don’t go the way we expected. A common error for parents is not to give children practice in making mistakes. Often because it is quicker or easier. Yet, we need to give our children responsibilities. Spent time to teach your children how to do personal and household tasks. Kids will try very hard to learn these skills. Plus, when the child does finally become proficient, you will have eased your own burden in many ways and they feel satisfied in their accomplishments.
So whats next? Children’s Summer Camp can help you in raising responsible children. Camp challenges your child to become responsible for their stuff and actions. As Directors of Swift Nature Camp,we are often told by parents that the benefit of camp was not all the fun their child had but how mature and self reliant their child has grown to be.
If you are looking at finding aSummer Camp that is intentional in developing your child visit SummerCampAdvice.com
Swift Nature Camp is a Overnight Summer Camp for boys and girls ages 6-15. We blend Traditional camp activities with that of a Animal Summer Camp.
Summer Camp for Teens
January 20, 2010
While choosing the right Teen Summer Camps may be more complicated than selecting a general interest camp for a younger child, the rewards can be even richer. A teenager is in the midst of an incredible growth spurt. There is a literal physical change that you may see when your teen arrives home, but equally important are the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social changes that a challenging summer program can produce in a child in this age group.
Finding that special summer program for a teen requires some of these basics: a safe, secure, and appropriate environment. Teenagers are looking for new challenges and more independence. So yearly reexamine summer programs as your child matures and as interests expand.
Remeber, interests, and abilities of a 13 year-old are quite different from that of a 17 year-old. So, when thinking programs, you should always keep in mind your child’s maturity. Supervision in many of the programs designed for teens is less than for younger children, so be sure to ask. One great resource is Summer Camp Advice, a free website that offers all sorts of information on how to select a summer camp.
As you know a teenager is part kid and part adult. So planning way in advance may be difficult. Yet, good programs may fill-up fast. Early registration will give you the widest range of selection.
The best way to start your search for a summer program is to sit down and talk with your child. Searching for a good summer program is a way to strengthen your relationship with your teen. This is an opportunity to discuss with your child his interests, concerns, and values. You need to talk with your teen about what each of you want the summer to be. But be ready to Listen…even if they “don’t want to do anything.”
Their are many teen programs available and its important to try to find the right one. As a parent do not give up right away. Sometimes you have to really look hard to find the right answer. The internet is a very useful tool for this. But it is helpful to know what kind of program you are thinking of. Is it: serving, traveling or adventure or a little of all. One great resource is Summer Camp Advice, a free website that offers all sorts of information on how to select a summer camp.
Sometimes, the best ways to meet your goals with your child’s is to piece together the summer with activities. This it is more difficult to figure out, your teen will get a broader experience for your extra work.
If you decide that your teen will choose a local program, it is important to establish summer rules, expectation, chores, and schedules. This will be especially important if this will be the first summer in years that your youngster is spending at home.
Swift Nature Camp may be the perfect fit for your teenager. Swift Nature Camp is unique among teen summer camps in that we provide teens a special opportunity to make friends in a relaxed and fun-filled environment, to build self-esteem and independence, and to challenge themselves with new physical and creative activities. We realize teenagers want to do things for themselves and are bored by a “normal” camp. So we provide an Adventure Camp program with loads of opportunities cabins often leave camp and go out into the big open wild and see the Apostle Islands, go to the International Wolf Center or find themselves canoeing down the Mississippi River.
Last and most importantly remember youth is limited and no adult ever looked back and recalls the good old days of just watching TV all summer!
TO learn more how to select an Summer Camp visit Summer Camp Advice. Choose a Camp
Swift Nature Camp, a non-competitive, Coed Summer Camp for teenagers. Campers enjoy Adventure trips along with in camp activities: Scuba, Sailing, Skiing and more. To learn more click Minnesota Summer Camps
The Event Of The Eastern New Year Lanterns Festival
January 17, 2010
Discover the historical origins of the lantern festival that is celebrated during the Chinese New Year.
Yuan Xiao is the Chinese lantern festival that is celebrated during the season of the New Year. Lantern is a significant symbol linked with the Chinese New Year. Yuan word is derived from the year’s first month and word Xiao comes from the word night as related to, by the Chinese people.
The lantern festival is celebrated fifteen days into the New Year on the sighting of the first full moon. The concept is to bring about a joyful atmosphere as the full moon shines bright in the sky and the masses of Chinese people gather at the place of the festival holding up colorful lanterns creating a completely lit up environment.
There are many intricacies associated with Chinese lanterns. These are no ordinary lanterns rather they can be an extremely engaging item once you begin to indulge in the puzzles that are often featured on the lanterns. The eating of glutinous rice balls also goes along with the lantern celebrations which are shared amongst friends and families.
The source of the lantern tradition
As is the case with many other traditional practices of China you will find a number of mythologies concerning the lantern New Year tradition. The most popular legend is associated with the worship of a God known as Taiyi who was supposedly the ruler over the heavens in ancient times.
The fortune of the human race was believed to be under the power of Taiyi, the lord of heaven. He had the power of inflicting natural disasters or medical epidemics to impose any penance on the humans. This tradition was initiated by the emperor Qinshihuang who held this ceremony of the lantern festival to pleasethe lord. This was done solely so that he wouldn’t create any natural calamities.
With time the ceremony gained currency and was highly sponsored during the Han dynasty. In fact it was during the rule of the emperor Wudi that the event became one of the most important ceremonies in China which would go on for the entire night.
There is however different side to the story that claims the tradition actually innovated under the Taoist influence. The Tianguan is a Taoist deity believed to be responsible for fortune and good luck and had a special penchant for Chinese entertainment. So the Chinese people took to the streets performing all sorts of entertainment services to please Tianguan.
There is yet another tell story about the origins of the lantern festival that give the credit of the invention to Emperor Mingdi. Under this story the emperor was influenced by Buddhism and a dream that he had which eventually led him to select the 15th day of the Chinese New Year as a day of lighting lanterns.
The lantern festival is one of the special events held as a part of the Chinese New Year celebrations no matter which part of the legend is genuine. These lanterns are interestingly designed with rare Chinese patterns.
Making Chinese new year lanterns can be a creative means of involving childrenin their heritage. For information about other aspects of the celebrations, including Chinese New Years fireworks, please follow the links.
Ten Questions in Selecting a Wisconsin Summer Camp
January 8, 2010
Sending your child to a Wisconsin Summer Camp is a great idea if you have done your homework. The American Camp Association suggest you try these top questions.
What’s the camp’s philosophy? Is it one you’re comfortable with? Is it a good match for your child? Is competition or cooperation emphasized? If it’s a camp run by a religious organization, what religious observances or practices are part of the program? If you’re looking at a sports camp that touts an affiliation with a celebrity athlete, how much time–if any–will the sports star actually spend there?
How does the camp recruit, screen and train its staff? Do counselors have criminal background checks? First aid training? Drug Testing?
What about Staff and Camper return rates? How many counselors are returning this year 50% is a good numbers. How many campers return? Fifty percent is good, and more is better. Still looking for that perfect camp Check out this wonderful Wisconsin Summer Camp.
What’s the ratio of counselors to campers? ACA guidelines for overnight camps call for a 1:6 ratio for ages 7 and 8, 1:8 for ages 9-14; and 1:10 for ages 15-18. Day camp guidelines call for 1:8 for children ages 6-8; 1:10 for children ages 9-14; and 1:12 for ages 15-18.
What’s the age of Staff ? Eighty percent of the staff be 18 or older and that all staffers be at least 16 and a minimum of two years older than the campers they supervise.
Is a Nurse at hand? The ACA recommends that an sleepaway camps have a physician or nurse on the site daily. If your camper has medications, food allergies or a medical condition, be sure you ask all your questions and are comfortable.
How does the camp Punish campers? Know what your summer camp’s rules and regulations. Be sure they match yur parental thoughts. Know what breaches would send a camper home.
What does a typical daily schedule look like? This will help you decide if your child will be happy with the level of physical activity or the amount of time devoted to arts and crafts. Ask how much freedom a child has to choose activities.
How does the camp provide transportation? How often are the van inspected? Who is driving, what’s the training.
References,References, References Most important, get the names of parents with children the same age who have attended the camp. They will tell you what makes camp so special
Still looking for that perfect camp Check out this Summer Camps
Still looking for a resource to help you sort out all the summer camp confusion? Try Summer Camp
About the authors: Swift Nature Camp, a non-competitive, traditional coed Wisconsin Summer Camp. Boys and Girls Ages 6-15 enjoy nature, animals and science along with traditional camping activities. Swift specializes in programs for the first time camper as well as adventures for teens. Jeff and Lonnie Lorenz have been the owners since 1996. Overnight Summer Camps in Wisconsin
Nature Summer Camps Get Kids Outside
January 2, 2010
Summer Camp is the place for kids and animals to meet, whether the camp includes animals as a part of traditional camp programs or makes a more formal approach as a science camp.
For many children making a connection with animals is a great way to reconnect with nature. Campers can find and develop a desire to know more about the nature they find all around them. When they follow that desire, they begin to acquire a deep respect for nature that will serve them all their lives.
At Swift Nature Camp, also known as a Science Camp, there is a unique pond aquarium gives kids a chance to see pond life from a frog’s point of view, while our Nature’s Neighbors live animal collection provides opportunities for up-close study and care of several common Northwoods residents as well as a few exotic immigrants. Campers with their own small animals are encouraged to bring them to camp to share with others. The animals live in the Nature Center, where all campers can enjoy and learn about them.
Working in conjunction with the Wisconsin DNR and the U.S. Park Service, Swift Nature Camp has also developed a hands-on environmental learning program which includes field trips, such as visits to a fish hatchery and state parks; hands-on field projects, like goose banding and butterfly counts; and exciting camp presentations, including visits with live owls.
Animals are a part of Swift Nature Camps voluntary merit program, in which campers can earn special patches by learning skills in categories such as insects, bird watching, pet care, and horseback riding. Acquiring skills is never separate from the fun and play that is a part of being a camper.
The summer camp you choose should facilitate a blend of play and challenge that is free of the stress of the school environment. The presence of animals in a natural environment can open the door to discovery, adding depth to the fun of going to a traditional summer camp.
Every camper is an individual and benefits from his or her own particular mix of play and skill development. Swift Nature Camp has found a way to accommodate that range with a voluntary merit program that includes experience with animals. A camper’s interaction with animals can be refined into skills involving horseback riding, insects, pet care and bird watching. These opportunities never come at the expense of fun!
Discovering nature and the world we live in. Living in a natural environment Like camp is a perfect way for kids to play and grow. When children play with animals rather than just receiving information, they learn. Camp is more about fun and has far less stressful than school.
Learn more about finding summer camp by visiting Summer Camp Advice How to Select a Summer Camp
About the author: Jeff Lorenz is the owner of Swift Nature Camp. Swift is a , a non-competitive, traditional Overnight Summer Campfor Boys and Girls 6-15 years. At this Science Summer Camps kids enjoy animals and nature as well as traditional camping adventures. Swift specializes in programs for the First Time Camper as well as teen campers.
categories: Summer camp,Environmental camp,science camp,nature camp,animal camp,teens,kids,children,vacation,parenting,recreation
Summer Camps with Animals,
December 15, 2009
Animals at Summer Camp? Say Yes to Letting your kids play with animals this summer as a part of the fun they can have at camp. Find a science camp, or a more broadly defined summer camp that includes animals as a part of their program offerings.
Connecting with animals in a natural setting can put a child at the beginning of a lifelong sense of relationship with nature. A deep respect for nature as an adult often starts with experience as a camper.
Swift Nature Camp, is often seen as a Animal Camp that offers a variety of ways for campers to meet and enjoy daily contact with animals. Natures Neighbors is a live animal collection, campers are encouraged to bring their own small animals to live in the camps Nature Center, and a unique pond aquarium shows life as a frog sees it.
Children at Swift Nature Camp have the opportunity to understand our environment from hands-on learning experiences. These include field trips to a fish hatchery, to watch goose banding projects and butterfly counts, and even a close encounter with a live wild owl.
Swift Nature Camp has a voluntary four-level program that rewards campers with a special patch of merit, and the categories include recognition of special skills with animals in categories like insects, pet care, bird watching, and horseback riding. Campers can choose just the right mix of play and learning to suit individual preference and need.
The summer camp you choose should facilitate a blend of play and challenge that is free of the stress of the school environment. The presence of animals in a natural environment can open the door to discovery, adding depth to the fun of going to a traditional summer camp.
Every camper is an individual and benefits from his or her own particular mix of play and skill development. Swift Nature Camp has found a way to accomodate that range with a voluntary merit program that includes experience with animals. A camper’s interaction with animals can be refined into skills involving horseback riding, insects, pet care and bird watching. These opportunities never come at the expense of fun!
The joy of discovering nature is the joy of discovering the world we live in. Living in a natural environment with access to animals is a perfect invitation for expansive play. Camp is a place where children can learn about animals as a participant rather than just receiving information. Camp is more fun and less stressful than school, and the world becomes the classroom.
You can learn more about selecting a wonderful summer camp by visiting Summer Camp Advice Summer Camp
About the author: Lonnie Lorenz has been the director of Swift Nature Camp since 1996. Swift is a , a non-competitive, traditional Overnight Summer Camp for Boys and Girls (6-15 years. At this Science Summer Camps all enjoy nature, animals along with traditional camping activities.
Remember the Scooter?
December 14, 2009
The Razor A scooter … What does that phrase make you think about? If you have children, I’m certain that you’ve heard of the Razor A scooter series, but they weren’t about when we were children. However, the concept was, even though I forget the brand names from my youth.
I adored my two-wheeled, push-powered scooter when I was a kid. Mum and Dad had their car, my older brothers had their bicycles and I had my scooter. It didn’t go very fast, but then, I didn’t go very far either, but it was a vehicle, of sorts and it gave a feeling of freedom. I had my wheels and I was on the move!
Well, the modern variety of that scooter is the Razor A scooter series. And they really are modern too! They are a far cry from the simple scooters of years ago. The Razor A scooter series was brought out in the year 2000 and is sturdy, strong, collapsible and safe.
The Razor A scooter series comes in several guises to accommodate various age groups, abilities and pockets. For example, the Razor A scooter is meant for children of six years and older, while the Razor A2 scooter, the Razor A3 scooter and the Razor Pro scooter are intended for older, heavier, more demanding and more skilful riders. With prices starting at about $25 none of them is over-priced.
The Razor A scooter series is made from aircraft-quality light aluminium and weighs in at only six pounds. That’s light enough for any young child to be able to carry, if necessary, without risk of injury. It is also collapsible, which means that it is easy to carry under your arm, in the boot of your car or on the bus. Storage is a doddle as well.
The Razor A scooter range is height-adjustable too in that the handlebars can be raised as your child grows up or if an older sibling wants a go. It also has a heavy-duty braking system, which is naturally quite important as these scooters will easily travel at speeds of five or six mph on the flat and much more on a slope. Going down hill, that is.
The Razor A scooter series also has lesser and greater stable companions. The Razor Kiddie Kick is intended for children younger than six and has a third wheel for increased stability, although it is just as strong and durable as the Razor A scooter series. The Razor A scooter series is intended for ‘young-minded’ people from the age of six. I say ‘young-minded’ because it is quite the rage now, to put one in the car and scooter the last mile or two into work or college. That mile or two every day will save you gas and give you extra exercise over a prolonged period of time. After all, it all adds up, doesn’t it?
Furthermore, for those who require a bit more power, there are the Razor E100(S), Razor E200(S) and the Razor E300(S), which are electrically driven scooters. The (S) denotes that they have a seat attached.
So, why not introduce your child to the idea of travel with a Razor A scooter? Give your child the opportunity to look back on his or her younger years in 20-30 years time and remember zooming about at three-five mph on a Razor A scooter.
Do you have great memories of your chilhood scooter? The Razor A scooter is the modern equivilent. Come over to our website at http://razorascooter.com and find out more.