Camp References

Hey y’all!

What are your favorite CIT programs/ideas/memories/whatever!

I have very little experience with the CIT program but I believe I’m supposed to help out with that this summer and as always I like hearing people personal opinions!

~Flame

How to Annotate Literature

Many times language and literature classes require students to annotate the books that are given to them, but in many cases tips and advice on how to do so is lacking. I will be sharing my personal strategy for efficient and successful annotating that will not only help your understanding of the text but also gain the love of your teachers! The tips have been divided into 5 components, each with their own explanation. Sticky Tabs are Your Best Friend

I don’t know how I would manage to annotate without my sticky tabs. They help me organize and navigate the book before the reading, remind me what to look for while i’m going through the text and help me find whatever I may need once I get to further analysis for the class. 

Create a key for your tabs, personally I use five colors each having a few specific purposes based on where I place them in the book. Most stickies are accompanied by a specific note that will remind me of what I wanted to point out, these stick out of the right margin. 

Pink- Anything to do with characters, be it development or certain traits to remember. It can also be used for when you have questions about character related aspects of the text.

Orange- Refers to setting, in plays it is also applicable for stage directions.

Yellow- Is used for literary devices and use of language (tone, diction, patterns) and syntax, if there is a particular word the author used or a structure you want to take note of, this is the color to use. 

Green- Applicable to any important plot events, notable scenes or things that you think will be significant later in the story.

Blue- Themes and context of said ideas, anything to do with time, place and space in which the text takes place. It can also relate to how your context (a student reading a book for a literature course) impacts your perception of the text.

These are the things teachers usually look out for and it is certainly useful in any kind of further task! 

The top and bottom margins can be used to divide the book in to sections, such as chapters or scenes, mark the most important pages and to also highlight text to text connections. These colors you can pick yourself! I do not recommend having more than 5 sticky tabs per page, otherwise it gets too crowded and they lose their purpose! (but you will still need to buy aaa lloootttt)

This is my key for the book I am currently annotating, Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. 

Don’t Overdo it With the Highlighter

Find one color highlighter that you like the most and use it to mark explicit words or phrases that catch your attention, you can also use them in correlation with you sticky tabs!  I prefer to use a yellow highlighter because it seems to bleed the least, and I usually use it in relation to the the yellow and blue tabs because those are the ones that relate to the most detailed and minute parts of the text. Once again you can find your own preference! But don’t overdo it, otherwise, like the tabs, the highlighter will lose its function to highlight important points. 

This is an example of how much highlighting I usually do. For non-fictional texts or parts of a book (like in the introduction you see here) I reserved highlighter for dates and names. 

Have a Conversation With the Author

This is one of the first tips that my high school teacher gave me and it’s really one of the most important ones to remember. And I know, it may sound kinda silly, but I find that it really helps me in developing my ideas and remembering exactly how I felt about a certain aspect of part of the text. 

Whether the text is fiction of non fiction, anything in between, you can always do these few things

Ask questions- As if you were going to get an answer, ask questions, write them down and write down as many as you want. Writing things down helps people remember so then it is more likely that in a class discussion you will be able to recall your queries or wonders. 

If you don’t like something, or you’re surprised by something, write it down! Use exclamation marks, use words that you would use in a regular conversation. I always write ‘WOW!!’ or ‘OMG’ when i’m especially impressed, and having such vocal- well written vocally- emotions will bring you closer to the subject of the text. 

Talk to the characters as well, if you are questioning a character’s actions ask them and provide an explanation as to why you speculate they may have acted a certain way. Not only does that further contribute to your involvement (also making things more entertaining) but it also deepens your thought!

What i’m trying to say is write down anything that comes to mind, your first response is your true response, and it is a valuable addition to your notes! And if you want to write a whole essay in between the lines… Actually, i’ll come back to that later! 

Pens, not Pencils 

I used to make notes completely in pencil but my approach changed when I realized that overtime the pencil would rub off and get illegible. I think it was because I used my book so much, but having switched to pen I realized that it helps me in quite a few other things as well. 

The good thing about pen is that you can’t erase it and let’s say you started writing down a note, scan down the page and realize what you are taking a note of is completely wrong. That’s ok! That’s actually really good! Don’t scribble out what you just wrote down, but instead continue and explain why you may have thought a certain way and what your understanding is now. That relates really closely to the previous note.  Evidently pen also appears darker on the page, then there’s no possibility of it ever disappearing. It also won’t smudge or bleed as long as it’s ballpoint! That’s a good thing when drawing arrows between lines, underlining in addition to your highlights and circling/boxing whatever you deem necessary.

Time, Effort and Commitment

It’s clear that this post took me a while to make, and it took me a while to develop this system with all of the things that I have considered. So it must be self evident that using this type of annotation won’t be quick. It might get tiring at some times, and for me it really does, but at the end I find that it always pays off! You have to stay committed to this technique, you have to put in the same amount of effort for every page, which means you need time. So here are a few final general tips I will leave you with.

Don’t procrastinate! As goes for any task, and this one more than any, don’t waste time getting to it! I advice you check how many pages you have in total and make sure that you do a certain amount per day (usually 5-10 pages a day is good!)

If you go off on massive tangents in the side bars, make sure that you don’t get too distracted by them because they will take up a lot of your time. But one now and then may be good! Be sure to mark it for later reference!

Play mind games with yourself. This one is actually pretty interesting but it personally gets me a long way. If you have 20 pages left, don’t look at it as 20 pages but instead as 4 times 5, then the amount will seem a lot more manageable! It’s a kind of self encouragement!

That can also be said by looking now and then at how far your bookmark has moved through the book and giving yourself a pat on the back for all of you hard work!

That’s all I have for now! If you have any further questions for advice or explanation please message me and I will be more than happy to help! And I hope that this helps some people out too! (I’m counting this as 21/100 days of productivity as all I did today was related to annotating.)

Emotional Labor and Camp

I did a lot of research for this post, mostly because emotional labor is a concept I’ve only heard about in the past 2-3 years, but I’ve heard so many different things. However, a lot of things I’ve heard resonated with my experience working at camp. I also think that it’s a topic we need to talk about.

What is emotional labor?

This needs to be the starting place. Arlie Hochschild originally defined emotional labor in 1983. It has evolved since then in many ways and there are a bazillion tumblr posts and articles on the internet with varying definitions. For this post, we’ll stick to the original definition, which is the additional work required by someone in a paid position that requires regulation of emotions for the benefit of others, both clients and other staff. It is prevalent in “caring” positions and highly applicable in many jobs including waitresses, teachers, retail workers, child care workers, and flight attendants. (Interview with Arlie about evolution of the term here; article with a more thorough/detailed definition here). I will not be arguing about the various definitions of emotional labor.

How does emotional labor apply to camp?

As mentioned, emotional labor is often applied to childcare workers, which would include camp staff. Some examples of emotional labor might include:

Managing emotions in front of kids (being fun/energetic, not getting frustrated or disappointed)

Hiding the emotions involved in whatever is going on in your personal life

Not panicking in front of a child when they tell you something intense (abuse, self-harm, parent’s ugly divorce)

Parents - so many things

Now, these duties come fairly standard with being a camp counselor. And I’m not saying that you should be an upbeat counselor who is kind despite challenges. But what you do need to do is to cope with the stress of that emotional labor.

Consequences and coping

A big consequence of emotional labor is burnout. I previously published this post on burnout a few months ago and it summarizes symptoms/warning signs and some suggested coping skills. Large amounts of emotional labor may exacerbate existing mental health conditions or contribute to their development.

While you might be able to reduce your emotional labor somewhat, there will always be some. There was an interesting sounding article exploring whether emotional labor could be fun but it was behind a paywall because academic publishing is a sham (source: I went to grad school). But what I did find suggested some of the following techniques:

Emphasizing authenticity when possible. Obviously you don’t want to have a complete breakdown in front of kids. But perhaps acknowledging to your unit leader or leadership team that you’re struggling or something is going on for you personally would be good. They can either help themselves or refer you to someone such as an EAP or a hotline.

Engage in long-term coping skills. I separate coping skills into two categories: short and long term, which may broadly overlap. Long term coping skills are similar to lifestyle changes. They’re repeated activities that you use to maintain your health. Some examples from me:

Eating healthy. This looks different from person to person, but essentially enough food of a variety that makes you feel good and fuels your body and mind. Also drinking water.

Exercise and activity routines.

Engaging in hobbies.

Taking steps to manage chronic conditions, mental and physical.

Use your break times for whatever kind of rest and relaxation you need. Maybe you need a nap. Maybe you need to snack on something different than camp food. Maybe you need a hug.

Avoiding negative coping skills. I don’t want to trigger anyone so I won’t list them, but this is activities that are harmful to you or others, either physically or mentally. 

For more coping skills, check the Mental Health Queue and Camp Wellness Queue for a variety of self-care ideas.

Additional note for campers/CITs: I know that some of my followers are youth who attend camp as campers or as CITs. This post is in no way saying that you can’t rely on your counselors or other camp staff for emotional support. They are there to support and care for you, and they should want to. This post is meant to emphasize proper self-care for staff so that they are better able to support and care for their campers. 

Sources: x, x, x, x

Tl;dr: Emotional labor is common in being a camp counselor so watch for signs of burnout (a consequence) and practice good self care.

Ways to teach a skill

Just as there are many ways to learn, there are many ways to teach. Here are some ways to teach skills at camp:

Say it. Tell the kids what the skill is, describe it.

Show it. Show pictures, diagrams, or other visual aids.

Model it. Do the activity yourself, such as tying a knot.

Learn by doing. Have the kids do the skill, alongside you or after you (or both). This is a great way to engage kids on multiple levels, as you often also need to incorporate some of the earlier techniques (say, show, etc) and this engages multiple learning styles.

Learn through play. An example of this is a simulation game, such as that deer game where you simulate resources (called Deer, Deer, Deer in Ultimate Camp Resource). This can be existing games, or one you made up. Another example is that I made up a simulation of holding hands in different formations to explain how colligative properties work in ice cream in a bag.

Engages the senses. This works well in conjunction with other techniques, but basically bringing in as many of the senses as you can, especially touch/kinestetic.

Since kids learn differently, ideally teach with multiple methods. Teaching is a learned skill that you develop as a camp staff, and everyone does it with their own flair. But these are some suggestions to get you started as you develop your own way of teaching.

What to bring to camp:  toiletries/ general cabin items

* These are things that STAY IN THE CABIN. This stuff should only leave the cabin on very rare occasions.

** I keep all this stuff on top of the plastic drawers I mentioned in my last packing list post. If there is anything you think I messed, please let me know!

shampoo/ conditioner

body wash

razor

shaving cream

hair brush

hair ties/ bands (if applicable)

feminine hygiene products (1 month at a time) if applicable

simple makeup (only a little for when parents are there, or on time off)

hand sanitizer bottle (seriously just have it)

lotion

sunscreen

bugspray

after bite

prescription medication (if applicable, if you are not allowed to keep it with you, keep it with the nurse)

charging cable(s)

cleaning wipes

shower caddy (optional but highly recommended)

hair products like creams, gels, etc (optional)

hair detangler (even if you don’t have long hair, it comes in handy if you will have girl campers who do)

markers (optional)

coloring paper (optional)

cabin decorations (optional)

snack food (keep out of sight of campers)

Practice SELF CARE!

Camp Playlist

Every camp staff knows the struggle of finding camp-appropriate music to jam to. So here’s my playlist of camp-appropriate songs (which I play while driving).

“Best Day of My Life” by American Authors

“Pompeii” by Bastille

“All American Girl” by Carrie Underwood

“Bubbly” by Colbie Calliat

“Bright” by Echosmith

“Immortals” by Fall Out Boy

“On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons

“Don’t Stop Believin’“ by Journey

“Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

“Ho Hey” by the Lumineers

“Whole Wide World” by Mindy Gledhill

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

“Home” by Phillip Phillips

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

“Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts

“Brave” by Sara Bareilles

“Geronimo” by Sheppard

“Anthem” by Superchick

“One Girl Revolution” by Superchick

“Shake it off” by Taylor Swift

“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon

“Firework” by Katy Perry

“Story of My Life” by One Direction

“Renegades” by X Ambassadors

(various Disney songs)

Alright camp people of Tumblr, add on your favorite camp-appropriate songs.

New Counselor Packing Tips

Hiring season for summer camp is in full swing, and there are a lot of folks they’ll be counsel just learning they’s be counselors soon! Being a camp counselor is one of the best, most rewarding experiences out there, and that’s super exciting; but it’s hard to know what exactly you should bring and know before diving in. 

Here are some packing tips to get you started.

Clothes

Pack about enough base outfits to last you two-three weeks, depending on how long you’re going to be there. (2-3 months, or a summer season, should only need 2 weeks of base outfits)

Shirts

Bring a few extra

Look for thin material, short sleeve/tank tops over long-sleeves (you can wear a sweater instead of a long-sleeve).

Flannels are never a bad idea!

Pants & Shorts

Whatever you can wear more than once, at least one pair of sturdy jeans.

Look out for big pockets! You can never have too much pocket space.

Undergarments

Bring about a week’s worth of extra underwear and socks

One or two pairs of brand-new, never-worn, super-comfy socks you can bust out near the end of the summer on a particularly exhausting day.

Look for comfortable and sports bras over under-wires and push-ups.

Jackets & Sweaters

Two-three jackets: one for rain, one for warmth, (optional) one for style.

Looks for sweaters you can wear under your jackets for more warmth, and light sweaters good for stuffing in a bag or sleeping in overnight. No more than 4-5 of these.

Pajamas

Two or three comfortable pairs, at least one pair of sweats for sleeping outside

Shoes

Invest in at least one pair of good shoes! You’ll be on your feet a lot.

Chacos, Keens, or Tevas are all good hiking sandals that most camp people swear by. I bought Chacos three years ago, and they’re still in great condition with fantastic fit and support. 

Water-tight shoes are important and will save you from squishy feet if it rains.

Backup sneakers/walking shoes in case your’s get wet.

Flip-flops or shower shoes for showers.

Nice insoles for later in the summer will help you with burnout.

Something you can tie-dye: should be white, simple, and cotton. Polyester and active-wear fabrics won’t hold dye.

A set (or two) of nice/dressy clothes for breaks and staff events.

Swimsuit: modest, and bring one even if you don’t think you’ll use it.

Living Space

Bedding

A sturdy and warm sleeping bag (invest in a good one: my favorite ever is from L.L. Bean and has a flannel lining for maximum comfort).

Comfortable sheets: check with camp on how big the bunks are.

Top sheet can sometimes be sacrificed as a window cover/drapes.

Good pillow

Just bring one, but INVEST

Extra blanket

Something heavy and warm is good, even if it’s hot where you’re going or you run hot. 

Laundry bag (can be used as extra packing space)

Fairy lights, small/portable lamp, and/or multiple night lights

Fairy lights are good for making a space feel more homey, lamps can be taken outside for campouts, and night lights are great for camper cabins and bathrooms. 

Hanging shelves or pop-up bins for storage.

Shower mat (if your cabins have showers- be sure to check).

(Optional) Alarm clock with radio

Books

Something for you to read during breaks/before bed, maybe 1-2 books per month

A book with plenty of short stories to read campers to sleep with

I personally used “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”; just check which stories are camp appropriate before cracking them open.

Air freshener

Extra stuffy for homesick campers

Toiletries:

Small tote & shower caddy- look for fabric and canvas over hard plastic.

Extra toothbrush

Tums/Anti-Diarrheal (camp food is a gamble)

 Bag balm

Tons of extra hair ties

Whatever you use at home (shampoo/conditioner, body wash, wash, etc.)

Towels

One for showering, one for the beach, plus a wash cloth.

If you have glasses, croakies.

Lock box for any valuables you have to bring + personal meds.

Electronics

Extra charger for your phone

Power bank for your phone

Otterbox or Lifeproof phone case

Bluetooth speaker (for breaks, cleanup, and if your camp allows phone music), or radio or CD player with speaker

Headphones + backup headphones

Downloaded music, podcasts, movies, etc. 

Musical instrument if you have them

Something silly! A large flag, costume item, silly hat, etc.

One or two of these is plenty

Backpack & Daily Use

Bring something school backpack-sized, with lots of extra pockets. North Face makes amazing backpacks with hip & chest straps for excellent weight distribution. Also good are fanny packs (trust me), and smaller day packs.

Watch

Look for digital, waterproof watches, with alarms. Bonus if you can light up the face to see it in the dark.

Consider bringing a backup

Clipboard

Either get one that opens & closes (translucent is best), or a plastic sheet/folder to protect papers.

Sunglasses (polarized is good)

Sunscreen (+ backup)

Bug spray

Nalgene, camelback, or other good, high-capacity, sturdy water bottle.

Metal and glass should be avoided. Metal especially gets bent up very quickly.

Travel mug

Duct tape

Start with a big roll, get more later if needed.

Bungee cords (optional)

Pocket knife or multi-tool (check local laws on pocket knives)

Lighter (+ extras)

Flashlights or headlamps: 2-3

Hand sanitizer/baby wipes

Kleenex/napkins

Chapstick galore (bag balm also works for this)

Camera: small, durable, consider disposables.

Depending on climate: fan, minifan, and extra batteries.

Bandanas 

Keeps the sun off you, can be soaked in water & placed on neck to cool down.

Hat (for shade)

Umbrella (for keeping the rain or sun off you & campers)

Writing/drawing supplies

Pens, markers, and sharpies you don’t mind lending out

One or two good mechanical pencils + eraser

Sharpies (lots)

Paper you can give to campers for on-the-spot drawing

Notebook/sketchbook for doodling and taking notes: small and spiral-bound is good.

Envelopes and stamps for sending letters

Tape, scissors, and a glue stick.

Sturdy deck of cards

I like to tape up the edges with duct tape or painter’s tape to prevent wear & tear

Friendship bracelet & lanyard supplies

Hemp, embroidery floss- a big pack off amazon is good- and maybe some plastic beads for decorations

Plastic string for lanyards

If you don’t know how, now’s a good time to teach yourself.

Durable fidget/stim toys

Good for campers with attention, hyperactivity, or sensory regulation

This is my favorite store for these toys!

Tea packets

Caffeinated black tea

Ginger tea for nausea

Hand/toe warmers

First Aid kit:

Aloe vera (for sunburns)

Band-aids (+ extra) (fun designs and characters are the best)

Alcohol swabs, antibiotic ointment

Safety pins, tweezers, and scissors

Gauze (many varieties), Q-tips, and cotton balls

Gloves

Ear plugs

Personal meds (first-aid kit should be locked if you have these)

Incl. ibuprofen or another anti-inflammatory pain med.

Emergency supplies:

A bit of rope

Fire starter (in case your lighter(s) go out)

Mirror (for emergency use)

Extra cash + quarters

Compass, whistle, emergency blanket

If you have room: 

Extra pair of socks, underwear, and a very light, thin, small shirt.

Extra Tips

Overpack on:

Thin t-shirts and tank tops

Socks & underwear

Pads & tampons (If you need them)

Good shoes

Bandaids

Sunscreen

Flashlights

Sharpies

Tape (masking tape, duct tape)

Sunglasses

Chargers

Lighters

Pack less:

Non-essential items like hand/toe warmers, stim toys, writing utensils, and paper.

Art supplies, books, recreational activities that take up lots of space/weight

Purses, scarves, and fashion-only items.

Decorative items

IF YOUR CAMP PROVIDES THEM: first-aid and emergency supplies

When packing:

Choose thin, small, lightweight items over bulky and heavy items. 

Thin fabrics for clothes, towels, and bedding

Look for items that do multiple jobs

Roll clothes instead of folding or stuffing.

Waterproof bags & bags that you can compress to remove excess air

Use these for clothes, bedding, towels, and stuffies.

Bags within bags to keep like objects together

Use bags with a purpose at camp (backpacks, hiking packs) for travel & packing.

Pack things inside other things: nalgene bottles can hold writing utensils, shoes can hold rolled-up socks, etc.

Wear your bulkiest items on the trip there & back (boots, thick jeans, long-sleeve shirt, bulky sweaters, bulky/for-warmth jacket).

Minimize the number of things you’re carrying on the trip there.

Good luck, and please add on if you think of anything else!

I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?

Any tips for taking initiative? I’m always worried that I’ll make a wrong decision, especially because I’m on under-18 staff

Hi friend,

That’s a great question. Taking initiative can be little things that fit easily into your job but put you ahead. Always make sure that you’re doing your job and prioritizing it before your go above and beyond. Some easy ideas for taking initiative:

Be enthusiastic! 

Help tidy the dining hall a little after meals with your kids if you’ve got time. Make it fun by singing songs or playing games.

Talk with the quiet campers.

Walk with the slow campers.

Give campers leadership opportunities.

Offer to lead songs or grace at meals.

Offer to help with campfires or all camp games.

Help unload the vans after a supply run if you’re in the area and have time. The kids can help too.

Help carry heavy things when you see someone struggling.

Make sure your kapers are always done and on time.

Come up with exciting games and activities for your kids beyond the regular camp activities. Play canoe tag or go all out for the color war.

Make sure that you’re always doing your job to your best ability. 

Best of luck and have a great summer!