Camp Kupugani Blog
4 Ways to Be Free of Stress
When we’re at our summer camp near Chicago. It’s pretty easy to be free of stress while enjoying the beautiful land, playing games, or just hanging out with friends. When we’re not at camp, we might need to be a little more intentional about limiting stress in our lives. Below are some good scientifically-backed research tips on how to stay stress-free. Summary below (from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree), with the whole article available at this link. Clench your facial muscles and relax them Take slow, deep Read more…
Are You Culturally Competent? Find Out Here
Especially in today’s social climate, it is increasingly important to be mindful and respectful of people of a variety of backgrounds. It can be all too easy to demonize and denigrate someone who you classify as “other”. If you think you’ve got what it takes, check out our fun, informative quiz to see if you are culturally competent.
How to Prepare Kids for Overnight Camp and Sleepovers
My daughter recently went on an exchange trip with her teachers and classmates. She was out of the country for 10 days without her dad, her siblings or me. She did great. In fact, she was so excited that her bag was packed a full week before her trip. As she hugged and kissed us goodbye, I took time to reflect on how she arrived in that place of calm confidence. How do parents prepare and “toughen up” their kids for extended time away from them? What steps can you Read more…
Help Your Child Develop Good Judgment
Many adults are crippled with indecision when faced with difficult choices. Others, worse yet, make self-destructive choices and repeatedly demonstrate poor judgment. But no one is born with good judgment and the ability to make wise decisions. Good judgment and decision-making skills develop from experience combined with reflection. As one sage noted, “Judgment develops from experience. Good judgment develops from bad experience.” Your goal is to give your child experience in making decisions, and make sure she has the opportunity to reflect on them and learn. You also want to Read more…
10 Reasons to Send Your Child to Camp
Camps are fun. But why are they important? In a world gone tech crazy, sometimes the great outdoors is just that: great. Here are 10 reasons why every child should go to camp. 1. Exposure to diversity Camp connects kids to those who they may not normally meet. Kids learn the world is a big place with lots of people, who might do things differently than they’re used to. That includes other kids from all over the state and beyond – and the camp’s counselors and leaders, who serve as positive Read more…
Parenting Matters — Ways to Show Your Love
It is easy to know you love your child. It is a bit more difficult to show that on a regular basis but it shouldn’t be. Let’s just take kids. What they need from you on a regular basis is to hear those three words: I love you. That matters to them. Let them know in as many ways as possible. Give them surprise hugs and kisses. Any way you can show affection to your child from your newborn to your daughter who just brought you your new grandchild. Even Read more…
Tips for Staying Active as a Family
Help Your Family Get Active When it comes to heart health, it’s important that we think not only of our own cardiovascular health but also that of future generations. A study last year found that obese children and teens have as much plaque in their arteries as a 45-year-old adult, setting them up for heart disease and other serious health conditions much earlier than their parents, so staying active as a family is extremely important. If you’ve got kids, of course, you want to make sure they grow up fit Read more…
Top 10 Tips for a Happier Family
1. Balancing work and home life It’s not easy balancing your work and home life, but how you manage it can make quite a difference to your relationship with your family. Having a balance between work and home – being able to work in a way which fits around family commitments and isn’t restricted to the 9 to 5 – boosts self-esteem as you’re not always worrying about neglecting your responsibilities in any area, making you feel more in control of your life. Your family will be happier to see Read more…
10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Middle School
Parental support plays an important part in helping preteens and teens succeed in middle school. But as students grow more independent during these years, it can be hard for parents to know which situations call for involvement and which call for a more behind-the-scenes approach. Here are 10 ways to keep your child on track for academic success in middle school. 1. Attend Back-to-School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences Preteens and teens do better in school when parents are involved in their academic lives. Attending back-to-school night at the start of Read more…
Best Free Apps That Take Kids from “Screen” to “Green”
There are many ways parents can use technology and video games to motivate learning and facilitate family time with joint media use through apps. The Pokémon Go craze, which got 21 million active players to get outside and explore in the real world, is the perfect example of another way you can use technology and apps to your benefit: connecting your kids to the outdoors. These apps open a world of possibilities for learning and growing while positively affecting their mood and self-esteem. You can take advantage of this same Read more…
Top 10 Homework Tips
Kids are more successful in school when parents take an active interest in their homework — it shows kids that what they do is important. Of course, helping with homework shouldn’t mean spending hours hunched over a desk. Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to take a break. And who knows? Parents might even learn a thing or two! Here are some tips to guide the way: Know the teachers — and what they’re looking for. Attend school Read more…
Optimism & Motivation: Keys to Your Child’s Success
Have you ever wondered how: An 18-month-old knows if he keeps making noises eventually you will understand what he’s communicating? A 3-year-old knows if she keeps scribbling someday people will recognize what she’ s making? A 4-year-old knows if he keeps looking at the words on the page one day he’ll be able to read? These behaviors can be best explained by the concept of instinctual optimism, one of the two early, critical keys for successful learning. A child doesn’t have to learn by experience alone because natural instinct also Read more…
