Camp Kupugani Blog
Reasons Your Kid is Ready for Camp, Even If You Aren’t
As a camp director, I sometimes encounter parents of younger children who insist their child is “not ready” for sleepaway camp. But after discussing a bit more, it becomes apparent that the child is actually good to go and that it’s really just the parent(s) who is not ready to have their baby leave the nest. Now, it’s definitely our job as parents to seek the best for our children. But, it doesn’t mean that a parent needs to be the sole, direct controller of that growth. Think back to […]
Beware the Pernicious Effects of Advertising on Girls
Especially with the season of consumerism upon us, it’s worth being especially mindful of the pernicious effects of advertising, especially on girls. Sociologist Christine Carter has a good post on the subject, including: the elevation of the status of “slut” the negative impact on self-esteem and body image increased objectification by males of girls (and women) Check out the whole post here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/market_victoria_secret#When:09:00:00Z Keep Up to Date Have access to incredible articles and keep up to date with all Camp Kupugani life here!
Bonding Ideas for Teens
The teenage years are times of transition. The space between childhood and adulthood can often be confusing and distancing from what a teen has previously known. Bonding activities for teens either between one another or family members can help teens keep a sense of stability in life as they grow from child to adult. Bonding with Parents Teens are notorious for needing space and the ability to separate from their parents. At the same time, teens need their parents and can benefit from continued or strengthened connection. Bonding activities between […]
Turning Down a Tween Attitude
The Problem It’s common knowledge that the tween and teenage years can be hard on the parent-child relationship. Experiencing defiance, rejection, and ridicule from one’s child is very upsetting for parents. It’s easy for parents to get very angry and disheartened with their tween’s snarky attitude, disrespect, selfishness, and lack of gratitude, or with their teen’s pushing away from parental hugs and other expressions of affection. This kind of attitude from tweens and teens can feel hurtful, insulting, discounting, and leave parents flabbergasted. Many parents become convinced that their child […]
Gratitude Practices to Change Your Happiness Set Point
“Concentrate on naming, savoring, and feeling gratitude for the blessings you do have — your love for your kid, the pleasures of eating the food you like, the sight of the sky at dusk, the entertaining drama of your unique fate. Don’t ignore the bad stuff, but make a point of celebrating the beautiful stuff with all the exuberant devotion you can muster.” — Rob Brezsny If you feel like your life isn’t as joyful as you’d like, here’s a sure-fire strategy to replenish your joy quotient. Research shows that […]
Camp Does a World of Good in Challenging Times
Smart parents know that summer camp can be a vital part of a child’s growth and development, giving healthy opportunities to discover, explore, grow and have fun; the camp experience helps build character and enhance life-development skills, allowing children to connect with nature, themselves and others. In these difficult times, camp also provides your child with a delightful respite from the inevitable pressures that surround our homes and communities. Especially since children have a limited window of opportunity in their lives to benefit from camp, the decision to begin a new camp experience should not be put off. But we don’t need to tell you how good camp is for kids, or […]
3 Ways to Help Raise a Powerful Daughter
At our summer camp in the Midwest, we appreciate the importance of facilitating the growth of strong, independent girls who will continue to empower women all over the world. Remind yourself what it means to raise a powerful daughter by reading this article. Some tips include: Listen more than you talk Encourage her to be direct when she’s angry Encourage her to take physical risks If you’re looking for more insight on understanding and building a solid relationship with your pre-teen or teenage daughter, be sure to check out Peggy Orenstein’s book, “Cinderella Ate My Daughter.” Keep Up to Date Have […]
10 Things Successful People Do Each Day
At our summer camp outside of Chicago, we try to role model ways to live positive lives. An article from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree (summarizing an book by author Tim Ferriss) offers ten ways we can follow the lead of others to lead happy, successful lives. Summary below, with the whole article at the link at the bottom. Have a mindful morning ritual: Don’t start the day reacting. Get focused. Turn weaknesses into strengths. Don’t ignore the clichés: Many are spoken so often because they […]
4 Ways to Live a Happy Life
At our midwest summer camp, we always try to encourage healthy living. An article from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree offers a few good tips. Summary below, with the whole article at the link at the bottom. Here are the different happy lives: The Pleasant Life: PLEASURE GOOD. PAIN BAD. Schedule more fun. The Good Life: Do what you’re good at and go as far down that rabbit hole of “flow” as you can, Alice. The Meaningful Life: The Good Life + helps others. The Full […]
How Much Freedom Should You Give Middle School Kids?
It’s hard to know how much independence to give middle school kids. Because they don’t mature in a linear way—it often feels like two steps forward, one step back—your tween may be perfectly competent at an independent task one day, and a ball of tears the next. Keep trying. Just because your child wasn’t ready on Monday doesn’t mean he won’t be on Friday. Of course, sometimes your tween is overconfident to a fault. Your daughter promises she won’t lose that phone she’s been begging for, but she can’t even […]
4 Easy Rituals to Relieve Stress
At our summer camp near Chicago, we continually try to improve how we can live healthy lives and treat ourselves well, so as to positively influence our campers and ourselves. An article from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree offers a few good stress-relief tips. Summary below, with the whole article at the link at the bottom. Clench your facial muscles and relax them Take slow, deep breaths Splash your face with cold water Play some music and do a little dance New Neuroscience Reveals 4 Easy Rituals […]
Why Children Make Great Role Models
Check out this article by Denise Fournier Ph.D. on PsychologyToday.com to hear why children make great role models. A role model is someone we admire and wish to emulate; someone after whom we want to model our lives in some way. When we choose our role models, we tend to choose people who are older than us or have more life experience. We look to people like our parents; our bosses; or people deemed successful by society’s standards, like world leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities, or famous athletes. But who says role models have […]