It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! The time when Summer Camp Conference, better known as SCampCon, comes around! Never heard of it before? It’s only the greatest (online) camping conference ever!!! Hear how SCampCon got started and what it’s all about on today’s episode.
Maybe you have a CIT or LIT program or Jr Counselors or whatever you call it at camp, but it is essentially a teen leadership program. It seems that each camp does it differently, and Curt and Chris have definitely seen and run them very differently. Listen to the episode if you want some ideas on how they run them as well as great ideas to make your Teen Leadership Program even better.
If you’ve ever considered doing a podcast for your campers this episode has lots of tips that need to be considered before starting that fun idea! From mics to tech tips to show format ideas, Curt and Chris go through it all.
On this episode, the guys discuss something that probably has affected most camps this year: Revenue! Chris and Curt have a ton of great ideas, some that worked and some that didn’t work for them but may work for you! During a pandemic season, these are some great ideas to try, but even after we’re back to normal, this is a great episode for some extra revenue at your camp!
Keeping with the theme of 2020, Virtual, the guys discuss the where, how and what of Virtual Escape Rooms! There’s lots out there and lots of different varieties of rooms available and the guys talk all the good and bad of them. Even more exciting is Curt and Chris are building their own Virtual Rom that you can check out as part of the ACA Southeastern Conference!
Not sure where to find the best resources for your camp? Tired of searching endlessly on Google for something good? Well, Curt and Chris have the answer for you: This Episode! They talk about all the resources that they use (not just a Google search)! Check out this week for tried and true stuff that actually works! Got great resources yourself? Share them with us so we can share them with others!
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.
Curt talks about his virtual Harry Potter camp. He speaks about what went well and the changes he made along the way. Listen in to get some ideas as well as lessons learned from an already completed virtual camp.
Curt and Chris talk with the creators of Happy Camper Live, Allison Miller (Founder/CEO) and Steve Slavkin (Executive Producer). Happy Camper Live is the OG of virtual camp. They have been working on this amazing website for over 2 years!!! There are TONS of videos and shows and activities and more! If your camp is looking for a way to connect virtually and with an incredibly professional, already made site, give this episode a listen!
This week, Curt and Chris talk about how to look at programming through the lenses of each type of person at your Camp: First Time Camper, Returning Camper, Parent, Staff, Board Member, Marketing, etc. Thinking through each of your new programming (or even current programming) this way will help you determine how beneficial this activity actually is for your camp.
B4….B4…..BINGO! This week the guys take a cool old-school program of Bingo and spice it up! Hear some great ideas on how to do Bingo at your camp. With both virtual and in-person suggestions, you’re sure to hear something that would be perfect for you!
The guys discuss their thoughts and experience with the racial inequality of summer camp. They don't have the answers to tackle such a huge issue, but they understand that discussions are the first step and they hope that most summer camps take action to intentionally welcome kids of all races to their programs. Chris shares a very cool idea that he implements at his camp.
Another episode to help you out with your virtual camps. We talk about some great ideas that you can use to teach campers virtually how to make their own snacks at home! As well, the guys added a Pinterest board to link to all the cool stuff they talk about during the podcast! Caution: Do NOT listen to this episode on an empty stomach!
Curt and Chris have some VERY SPECIAL guest stars on today to be interviewed; themselves!!! The guys ask each other all the questions you’ve surely wanted to know! From personal lives to future dreams, this episode will tell you everything you’ve wanted (or likely really didn’t want to know) about the World’s Okayest Podcasting Duo!
Is your camp considering doing Kits or Boxes this summer? Chris and Curt discuss some great ideas for them and how to make them awesome! If this is something you are considering “instead of Camp” or even if you are considering in “addition to Camp”, this is a really unique opportunity!
The guys talk with Matt Ralph about his awesome site summercampculture.com! This is the site that has literally everything in pop culture that talks about camp. Literally everything! If you want to see how much Camp infiltrates the world, this is the place to go! Check out this episode to learn a bit about Matt and why he chose to create this super cool site!
This is part two of two. If you haven't listened to episode 62, you should start with that one. Curt and Chris continue to give great ideas you can use for your virtual programs this summer.
Check out all the new stuff that Curt and Chris have picked up from others and learned from their time doing Virtual Camp. This is part one of two. In these two episodes, you’ll be getting a ton more great ideas to implement into Online Camp this summer. We all know that this isn’t the same as normal camp, but the guys give some excellent ideas to help make Virtual Camp pretty close to the epicness of normal camp. This is a great episode to get info as you begin to plan your very odd summer this...
Curt and Chris have a very awesome and timely conversation with Meghan from Guard Up. She runs an incredibly amazing camp on a normal year, but this year, she has created the coolest Virtual Camp ever!!! From Zombies, to Knights, to Wizards, she and her team have put together some seriously cool stuff! Best of all, you can buy and use her already created programs for your camp!!!
The guys talk about some great ideas for a cooking program at camp. From Fruit Kabobs to Pudgy Pies, your tastebuds will be watering this week. So fire up the grill and put a fork in whatever else you’re doing so you can listen to this episode
Curt and Chris interview Paul Gowder about Native American culture at camp this week. This is a great eye-opening episode to learn from Paul about the proper way to include Native American culture into camp. The guys ask lots of great questions that you probably have! Check out this week to make sure you and your camp are doing it right!
