Kevin Gordon

At Camp Kupugani, our overnight summer camp in beautiful small town Illinois (near Chicago and Madison), we’ve had to evolve how we engage our campers over the years. From its beginnings twelve summers ago, for sure in the last several years, we have comparatively spent more time on facilitating and developing social skills, and making kids comfortable with having to be “busy” all the time.  A recent article by Deep Roots at Home speaks to this observation; check out the full article here. Read the Summary Below: Kids get everything […]

4 Reasons We Should Be Weary of this Stereotype At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp near Chicago and Madison, we empower each child to feel welcome and to live their best life. We do not subscribe to the “Boys will be boys” mentality. A recent article from Psychology Today elucidates why that mantra is non-positive; see below for bullets, with the full article here. It prompts children to construct gender stereotypes (read our FAQ about blended camp to see how we feel about gender stereotypes). Children should be seen […]

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp near both Chicago and Madison, we’re all about partnering with parents to give resources to help raise amazing world changers. Check out this article by Penny Pinchin’ Mom and our bulleted take on how to raise non-materialistic children.  10 Great Tips Spend time with your kids Gifts can never replace your attention Don’t go overboard with presents at celebrations Make celebrations more about the memories Do breakfast in bed Dessert for breakfast Fill their room with balloons Lead by example Children learn by […]

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp near Chicago and Madison, we help kids become the best version of themselves through empowerment and play-based education. Away from camp, middle school can be a struggle for even the best-prepared child (and family).  We came across an article recently with some helpful tips on how to navigate those challenging middle school years. Bullets below, with the full article from Kari Kampakis here. Here’s How to Navigate Those Challenges: Today’s most awkward moments will be tomorrow’s funniest memories. Keep a sense of […]

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp near Chicago and Madison, we strive to empower our campers by having them get reliable life information from good sources.  As a recent Washington Post article (at this link) posited: “In a culture where abstinence-only programs have taken the place of real sex education, and where many teens lack the resources to prevent pregnancies or STIs, let alone the ability to deal with these situations if they occur, it is common for teens to feel shame, fear and anxiety about sexuality. And […]

Camp Director Kevin Gordon recently read Chessy Prout’s I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope, documenting her title story.  It raised for Kevin the issue of the importance of people of ages learning about and respecting the issue of consent. Indeed, at Camp Kupugani, our overnight summer camp about two hours west of Chicago and 90 minutes south of Madison, a top priority is the safety of our campers.  Safety relates to physical and emotional safety, and the autonomy and respect […]

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp nestled in the woods about two hours west of Chicago and ninety minutes south of Madison, we appreciate the parents who value our camp experience enough to send their child to camp summer after summer!  Given that our camp parents are already AMAZING and FANTASTIC, we culled some articles for a few ways that we can step up our parental game to become even more amazing and/or fantastic! Bullets below, with the full articles from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree […]