Kupugani Blog
How We Celebrate and Appreciate Identity at Camp Kupugani
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp not far from Madison, Wisconsin (and also convenient to Chicago, Illinois), we strive to help campers celebrate and appreciate themselves and others in all aspects of identity. We intentionally move beyond “clumping” (hanging out only with those who we perceived to be exactly like us) to interact with a variety of people in our cabins, teams, tables, and camp activities. Research shows that early exposure to people that are different than you helps you to become more understanding/welcoming as an adult. We pride ourselves in drawing a diverse...
More Details3 Ways to Raise a Generous Kid
When children attend Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp 90 minutes south of Madison, we want them to grow at camp and at home, so that they become the best versions of themselves. Please see below for some bullets from a recent Washington Post article on how to raise a generous kid. You can check out the full article here. Model It! Children learn by what they see. Pay for coffee for the person behind you. Be kind to the waitstaff. Say “please” and “thank you.” Be Intentional! Give to charities. Take your child to a food kitchen to help serve ...
More DetailsHow to Prepare Your Child for Overnight Camp
Even though it's winter, it's not too early to start planning for summer. If you're the parent of a prospective first time camper, consider your goals for your child. Summer is a great time for her (or him) to try new things. Whatever new experience you'd love to introduce, be sure that s/he is involved in choosing a program. That way s/he keeps a sense of control, which helps to ward off any transition issues if s/he's going off to a sleepaway camp. As a good parent, you also want to make sure that you push your child a little bit. A huge part of the growth of campers at Camp Ku...
More Details6 Ways to Avoid Punishing Children for Being Human
At Camp Kupugani, our premier Midwest summer camp (near Chicago), we treat our minor campers with the same respect we treat our adult co-workers, friends, or family. A recent article by the folks at Creative Child brought to light that children are sometimes “Punished for Being Human.” As part of intentional empowerment process, we do not solve problems for our campers; we support them to handle situations at their maturity level. A well-intentioned parental mistake is for one to tell a child, “Stop crying, you are fine!” This can apply to a hurt limb or hurt feeling. How we m...
More Details13 Ways to Help Our Children Be More Patient and Less Lonely
At, Camp Kupugani, our multicultural overnight summer camp in the beautiful Midwest (and close to Madison, WI, and Chicago, IL), helping our campers feel connected and cared for are top priorities. We do this by facilitating children’s spending time being electronics-free, connecting with peers from different backgrounds and age groups, and enjoying unstructured time in nature. A recent article from Your Modern Family discusses why our children are less focused and more lonely; bullets below, and the rest of the article here. Let kids be bored! Boredom helps your child ponder creat...
More Details10 Reasons Pre-Teens Need Less Social Media
Here at Camp Kupugani, our multicultural overnight summer camp about two hours west of Chicago (and less than 90 minutes south of Madison, WI), our campers appreciate the importance of tech-free time. They do this while at camp (and hopefully carry the momentum) to apply this when they get home. There was a recent article from TODAY Parenting Team community discussing why middle schoolers don’t need social media. Check below for bullets and see the full article here! Social media was not designed for children. Snapchat, Instagram all were originally designed for adult use. ...
More Details7 Tips to Maximize Your Well-Being
At Camp Kupugani--our multicultural summer camp near Chicago--we’re all about having an awesome life! Each camper and staff member is charged to be their best, striving to live a good life. When coming across this blog post about how to live a long, awesome life, we thought it was cool to summarize and share. Bullets below, with the full article here (from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree). Each one of these 7 steps constitute something that you can start today. Follow that step for two weeks, add on the next, and continue until you are working on all 7 steps! Exerci...
More DetailsTakeaways from Coddling the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
At Camp Kupugani, our overnight Midwest summer camp (located two hours west of Chicago), we empower our campers to be independent both at camp and home. While reading a book called Coddling Of the American Mind, camp director Kevin Gordon came across some interesting excerpts. Read below for some ways we as parents inhibit our children's ability to fend for themselves. Check out the book’s website for more details by clicking here. We should allow our kids to struggle on their own and avoid trying to “fix” or “manage” everything for them. “So many teens have lost the abili...
More Details10 Ways to Ease the Homework Struggle with your Child
At Camp Kupugani, our overnight summer camp in the beautiful Midwest (just two hours northwest of Chicago), we recognize that great campers often make great students, who often become great adults. As child development professionals, we recognize that it’s sometimes a challenge to navigate the craziness of parenting! A recent article from the Washington Post elucidated some of the challenges and proposed ten ways to take the struggle out of homework. Kids procrastinate or shut down because they fail to see the relevance of a task, prefer other distractions, or struggle with co...
More DetailsEmpowering Children to Minimize the Potential of Abuse
Unfortunately, child abuse occurs with unnecessary frequency in the U.S. A video recently aired reporting sexual abuse at American summer camps. We are concerned to hear of child abuse and appreciate courageous children who report abusive treatment. Indeed, as stated in the video, “parents need to do the work, have the conversation with your children, and be aware.” Our number one priority at camp is the safety of each child. Below are just a few ways we protect your children while at camp and some family resources to minimize the potential of abuse. Minimizing the potential of chil...
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Camp Kupugani has been named one of the 50 Most Amazing Summer Camps for Kids.
