{"id":5186,"date":"2012-12-21T11:06:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-21T11:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metrokids.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/21\/rapid-rewards-kids-gain-skills-after-just-1-or-2-weeks-at-camp\/"},"modified":"2023-08-16T20:00:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T20:00:13","slug":"rapid-rewards-kids-gain-skills-after-just-1-or-2-weeks-at-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metrokids.com\/rapid-rewards-kids-gain-skills-after-just-1-or-2-weeks-at-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapid rewards: Kids gain skills after just 1 or 2 weeks at camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\tResponding to families’ tighter budgets and busy schedules in the summer months, day and overnight camps began offering shorter session lengths and more registration options about a dozen years ago.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis increasingly popular trend offers alternatives for families juggling commitments of time and money, but some parents worry that their kids won’t get the full benefit of camp in just a one- or two-week session. Now research by the American Camp Association (ACA) shows that even short summer camp experiences offer positive developmental outcomes.<\/p>\n
\n\tCamp directors and educators have known for decades that the camp experience fosters growth. More recently, the first large-scale national research study of the camp experience found developmental gains in kids ages 8-14 attending even one-week sessions at ACA-accredited overnight camps. They left with greater positive identity, values, environmental awareness and social, physical and thinking skills.<\/p>\n
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t“Even in one short week children can learn the art of compromise, team interaction, conflict resolution and an appreciation of the outdoors,” says Donna Smith, director of volunteerism and programs for the Girl Scouts of Chesapeake Bay (GSCB), which runs Camp Grove Point, a day and resident camp for girls, in Earleville, MD.<\/p>\n \n\tSouth Mountain YMCA Camps operates Camp Conrad Weiser, a coed overnight camp for ages 7-16, and Bynden Wood, a coed day camp for ages 5-14, in Berks County, PA. Their director, Sue Williams, says, “Camp provides a culture where campers can be themselves without the pressures of school and peer groups. Even in one or two weeks, children have the opportunity to grow and learn new skills, establish lasting friendships and discover things about themselves they did not know.”<\/p>\n \n\tMore options<\/h3>\n\n\tSmith says that to accommodate family schedules and tighter budgets, GSCB finds ways to make more options available, such as offering financial aid or mini-sessions during the week of July 4th. Girls at Camp Grove Point often register for two or more one-week sessions. About half of the campers stay for the entire season.<\/p>\n
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