Camp Kupugani Blog
How to Gradually Introduce Kids to the Idea of Forgiveness
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, we try to practice and model conflict resolution skills, including the challenging art of apologizing (and accepting apologies). A recent article from Greater Good Magazine has some good ideas regarding how to teach children forgiveness. Read our thoughts below and check out the full article here. One should help develop forgiveness skills for different ages. For ages 4-5… Introduce the concept of love. Read books that show loving familial connections. For ages 6-7… Children Read more…
Ten Critical (Scientifically-Proven) Things You Can Do To Positively Impact Your Child’s Character
Located not far from Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, Camp Kupugani is our midwest overnight summer camp offering girls-only, boys-only, and blended (intentionally co-ed) two-week sessions. Most mornings, we have engaging team building sessions that, with the rest of the intentional (and fun) camp programming, helps maximize our campers’ characters. A recent article from Money Versed has ten good tips on how to positively impact the character of our kiddos. See below for our summary, with the full article here. Yell Less Flying off the handle every time does not Read more…
6 Ways to Raise a Good Sport
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp (near Madison and Chicago) that offers girls-only, boys-only and blended (intentionally coed) sessions, we don’t have a lot of competitive aspects to camp; when we do, we’re all about promoting good sportsmanship. During our well-loved mid-session staff vs. camper soccer game, the campers appreciate the focus not so much on the score but on the aspects of sportsmanship, respect, effort, and positive attitude. (With camp director Kevin being the dad of a competitive athlete, he also appreciates those aspects in his own Read more…
Six Ways to Help Girls Become Strong Women in a Sexist World
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, 14 years ago, we started with a girls-only session (later growing to include boys-only and blended (intentionally coed) sessions). Our focus was then (and continues to be) to give girls a safe place to be themselves, being mindful of sometimes-limiting societal pressures. We want all of our campers to be proud of who they are as they are (while also striving to improve to be their best selves). Check out this article from Greater Good Magazine about Read more…
Five Ways to Talk with Your Kids So They Feel Loved
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp that offers girls-only, boys-only and blended (intentionally co-ed) 2-week sessions, we want each camper to feel loved and appreciated. We recently found an article from Greater Good Magazine with some good tips on how to talk with your kiddos so that they feel loved. Read our take below and check out the full article here. “You are loved for who you are and who you will become.” Spend dedicated time with your children doing something they choose. No multitasking during this time Read more…
6 Coping Ideas for Introverted Parents Raising Extroverted Children
Camp Kupugani is our Midwest overnight summer camp (near Madison, WI, and Chicago, IL). We aim to give each camper and their families the tools to be successful. A recent article by Thrive Global has some good tips on how introverted parents can support campers/children who are more extroverted. Our summary is below, with the full article here. Schedule Alone Time Every Day Find the time where you can be alone. Do something that makes you happy/feel relaxed. Have a Mandatory Quiet Time Decide a time when everyone (including yourself) Read more…
5 Secrets for Communicating with Your Teenager
Camp Kupugani-our midwest overnight summer camp that offers girls-only, boys-only and blended (intentionally co-ed) programming for children 7-15 years old–empowers our teenage campers to be leaders in our community. We do appreciate that adult-teenager communication can sometimes be challenging, especially for parents of said teens. A recent article from Empowering Parents had some good parent-teenager communication tips. Check out our take below, with the full article here. Start With Understanding, Even When You Don’t Understand Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Don’t use: “I understand, but…” Don’t Get Emotional Or Read more…
12 Ways to Be a Happier, More Effective Parent
At Camp Kupugani, our overnight summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, we want our families to be as happy as they can be. Ever heard the phrase, “A happy mom is a happy house”? This phrase also applies to parents in general; if you’re happy, their happy. We found an article from the Washington Post with some great ideas on how to do exactly that. Read our take on the article in the bullet list below and/or read the full article here. Parent from wisdom, not fear. Replace Read more…
5 Ways to Raise your Children in an Environmental-Friendly Manner
At Camp Kupugani, our overnight summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, we are aware of the need to care for our environment. A recent article from Green Initiatives has some good tips on how to raise your children in an environmentally-friendly way. Read our summary below, with the full article here. Learn while playing. Play games that demonstrate recycling techniques. Participate in activities that are good for the environment. Watch films and share stories. Common Sense Media has great documentaries about our environment. Don’t forget to debrief/ask questions Read more…
7 Ways to Help (You and Your Child) Battle Electronics Addiction
Camp Kupugani is our Midwest overnight summer camp (near Madison, WI, and Chicago, IL) that is technology-free. We help our campers and staff step away from electronics such as their phones and computers (for at least two weeks) while they are at camp. We value the importance of communicating with others in real-time. A recent article by Simply Snapping has some good tips on how we can help each other unplug from your everyday electronics. Our summary is below, with the full article here. Have a family meeting to create Read more…
3 Ways to Help Your Child Be (More) Honest
Does your child struggle with being honest? At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp (near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois), we challenge our campers (and staff) to be honest even when it may be hard. A recent article from Greater Good Magazine gives some useful tips on helping your child become more honest. Read below for our summary of the article and read the entire article here. Praise process, not intelligence. Being smart can be seen as a goal that needs achieving. Not all children are going to get Read more…
To Enhance Your Child’s Chances of Success, Do These 5 Things
Do you want to raise successful kids? At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest overnight summer camp south of Madison, Wisconsin, and west of Chicago, we strive to maximize our campers’ development. A recent article from inc.com discusses how you can help promote healthy habits at home to increase your child’s likelihood of success. Check out our thoughts on the piece below, with the full article here. “There’s no denying that if you coast along and put forth minimal effort in raising your kids, there’s a high likelihood they’ll end up being Read more…
