Camp Kupugani Blog
The Art of Teaching Your Kids to Negotiate
You say, “It’s time for bed.” “It’s time to go.” “It’s time for homework.” “It’s dinnertime!” But your child says, “Five more minutes.” You are tired of saying “No” and tired of fighting. So, what do you do? Give in? Blow up? Or — negotiate? Life with kids often involves negotiation, whether we like it or not. According to Scott Brown, author of How to Negotiate With Kids Even When You Think You Shouldn’t, “The negotiation between parents and kids can actually be a great learning experience for your kids. […]
Act of Kindness: Healing is Possible
An act of kindness… An open letter to the white lady at Subway… You don’t know how you made me smile. When I went to check out and pay for my sandwich, the cashier informed me that it had been taken care of by the lady who had just left the store. Involved in my order, I didn’t really take note of you, beyond seeing that you were maybe 60-ish year’s old and had smile lines on your face. When the cashier told me my sandwich was free, and why—I […]
We’re in this Together
If you’re reading this, you’re likely disappointed that events of recent months have revealed apparently deep societal fissures. If you’re reading this, you’re likely feeling uncertainty and fear about this country’s future. Even as the holiday season approaches, you may be wondering what new bad tidings the new year may bring. If you’re reading this, you might be asking yourself, “How can I make my part of the world a better place? How can I address looming challenges that seem much larger than they did only a few months ago […]
13 Fun New Year’s Eve Activities for Kids & Adults
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to play some fun games together. Here are 13 fun ideas of New Year’s Eve activities to play with your friends and family! Enjoy! 1. Guessing the resolutions Make everyone write down their resolutions, each on its own slip of paper. Pull one slip of paper out of a basket at a time and read it out loud. Everyone has to write down who they think made each resolution. At the end of the readings, the person who guessed the most correctly wins […]
DIY Holiday Gift Kids Can Make
There’s no better gift from a kid than a homemade one. Here are some super-easy, crafty gift ideas that are perfect for teachers, family, and friends! 1. Lunch Bag Scrap Book Store holiday cards and photos in the pockets of a book crafted from folded brown paper bags. What you’ll need: Three brown lunch bags, scissors, hole punch, pencil, thin ribbon, glue, assorted embellishments (we used patterned papers, gift wrap scraps, buttons, stickers, rickrack, and photos) Make it: Cut off the bottom of the lunch bags, stack them, and fold […]
10 Tips for Parenting Your Pre-Teen
It’s typically between the ages of nine and twelve that our cute, cuddly little children, once so willing to climb into our laps and share their secrets, suddenly want little or nothing to do with us. Your pre-adolescent is not the same person he was just a year or two ago. He has changed—physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. He’s developing new independence and may even want to see how far he can push limits set by parents. What he may not know is that he needs you as much as […]
Break Activities for Families
For most families, winter break brings with it celebrations, decorations, a ton of food, and a whole lot of holiday fun. But what happens once the gifts are open, the New Year rings in, and there are still days left before the break’s over? Christmas has come and gone and New Year’s is only hours away, but most families still have a while before their kids make the trek back to school. With nothing but time, cabin fever can set in quick, making the start of school look like a […]
How to Live the Good Life Even When not at Camp
At our summer camp near Chicago, living the good life is pretty easy. Sun, fun, and connecting with friends on the daily–who can beat that? In the cloudier non-summer months, with less sunlight and shorter days, it’s important to focus on strategies that can help us continue to live the good life. Here are some good tips from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree. Summary below, with the full article available at this link. Smile: Flex that happiness muscle. Laugh: How many things prevent divorce and can help you deal […]
We Need to Know This
We Need to Know This (by Tirien Angela Steinbach, exec. director of the East Bay Community Law Center, Berkeley, CA) We got here because of fear and hate and anger – powerful motivators. They drive our economy, our media, our consumption culture, and our laws. We need to know this. We got here because of the continued legacy of bigotry motivated by power – real and imagined, held and craved. When people have privilege – even a thin thread of it – equity feels like oppression, and people will clutch […]
7 Active Listening Tips to Get People to Like You
During the summer at our Midwest summer camp, it’s relatively easy to connect with new and old friends–mostly by just being yourself, but sometimes by being intentional about using good socializing techniques, like the good, active listening techniques below. Here are some good tips from a former FBI agent about how you can get people to like you by active listening. The summary below (from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree), with the full article available at this link. Active Listening The single most important thing is non-judgmental validation. […]
Some Rituals to Help Make You Happy
Here are some good tips on rituals you can incorporate to facilitate being happy. Summary below (from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree), with two relevant articles available at this link and this link. Here’s what brain research says will make you happy: Ask “What am I grateful for?” No answers? Doesn’t matter. Just searching helps. Label those negative emotions. Give it a name and your brain isn’t so bothered by it. Decide. Go for “good enough” instead of “best decision ever made on Earth.” Hugs, hugs, hugs. Don’t text — touch. Here’s […]
6 Ways to Keep Your Family Happy
During beautiful summer days at camp, within our Midwest summer camp community, the challenge of keeping our camp family happy is not overwhelming. Hanging out in nature, playing with friends, and enjoying the beautiful weather are almost guaranteed to keep one happy. When not at camp, it might take a little more intentionality to maintain family harmony. Below are some good scientifically-backed research tips on ways to keep your family happy longterm. The summary below (from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree), with the whole article available […]