Tag: American summer camps

What Are the Bunks Like?

February 16th, 2013

What are the living arrangements?

This is one of the most common questions we receive from prospective parents.  Of course, we’ve all seen enough Hollywood interpretations to imagine our children living in everything from tents with cots to luxury facilities complete with common rooms furnished with ping pong tables and fluffy sofas.  The reality at Camp Weequahic is somewhat simple, and  in this blog we’re going to try to answer some of the most common questions that we receive about camp living facilities.

What are the cabins/bunks like?
Most cabins or bunks house 8-12 campers plus a couple of counselors in a single room for sleeping and a separate bathroom and shower area.  Some cabins or bunks may have separate areas with cubbies for storing clothing and personal belongings. The beds may actually be traditional bunk beds (one stacked on top of the other) or they may be single beds lined next to each other and separate by cubby stands.

What’s the difference between a cabin and a bunk?
Essentially, nothing.  It’s simply a matter of each camp’s preference in whether to call its living facilities cabins or bunks.  This may or may not be related to the particular region in which a camp in located.  In some areas “cabin” may be the more common term while in others, camps are more likely to call them “bunks.”

Where do campers put their things?
Whether it’s next to the beds or in a separate area, camp cabins and bunks have cubby areas in which children can place their things.  Although there is ample cubby space for everything on the camp’s packing list, it’s important to keep in mind when packing that there isn’t a lot of extra storage in bunks or cabins.  So it’s a good idea to contact the camp before giving into temptation and tucking a lot of extra items in your camp trunk.

Are the toilet and shower facilities inside the bunk, and what are they like?
Although some summer camps do have community shower houses shared by several bunks, all of America’s Finest Summer Camps feature cabins and bunks with ensuite bathroom facilities inside that are shared only by those living in each individual cabin or bunk. They typically have a few sinks as well as toilet and hot water.

Additionally, many bunks feature porches or sitting areas outside and drying racks for beach towels, since waterfront activities are a prominent part of summer camp.  Those most cabins and bunks do not feature air conditioning, there are plenty of screened windows that allow air to pass through, which works well in mountainous locations where the air tends to be a few degrees cooler anyway.

So there you have it, what a bunk is like at Camp Weequahic.

Profile of a Camp Counselor

January 26th, 2013

So, you want to be a Camp Counselor?

So you are thinking about being a camp counselor for a summer?  Do you want to spend a summer working in a stunning setting in the mountains with fresh air and beautiful weather and travel to new parts of the world?  Are you looking to expand on your experience working with children or coaching?  Do you want the ability to meet people from all over the world and make everlasting friendships?   Do you want to make a difference in someone’s life?

Being a camp counselor is one of the hardest jobs that you will love.  The relationships you create and the impact you make with campers and staff members will give you memories and friends that can last a lifetime.

The job of camp counselor is very challenging and demanding (along with being a lot of fun!)  While working as a camp counselor you are constantly engrossed with the campers’ experience. You rarely get a chance to check facebook, you barely get a chance to check your phone, and you have kids full of energy begging for you to play cards, play games or shoot hoops with them.  On top of that, you live and sleep in the same room as these campers.

But why do it? The reward of being a camp counselor stays with you for the rest of your life.   Helping a camper shoot his or her first bull’s-eye in archery, having a camper conquer his or her fear of heights on the high ropes course, help teach a camper how to start his or her own lanyard knot only to hear they were able to do it on their own.  It is the little things that as young adults and adults we take for granted.  It is the ability to create fun and lasting memories.

To be a successful camp counselor in any camp environment, you have to be a mature goofball. When you come to work at a summer camp, you need to check your ego at the front gate.  You have to be able to laugh at yourself and allow others to laugh with you.  It shows the campers and other staff members that you are here to have fun and nothing is going to stop you, but you are going to do it in a mature and safe manner.  You have to be able to create games on the fly, play these crazy games and enjoy them like it is best game you have ever played. Finally, you have to be able to put the camper first, no matter how quickly they can push your buttons (which may happen.)

One of the best qualities a great counselor has is being able to listen.  Listen to what your camper has to say; whether it is talking about their arts and crafts activity, of their pets from home, or their crazy stories about family vacations.  If you actually listen to the campers, they will learn to respect you as a counselor and a person.

The one quality we always see in the great counselors we have worked with is their ability to put the camper before him or herself; no matter the issue, no matter the time, no matter how tired you might be.  What happens when a camper has a problem? The GOOD counselor makes sure someone is there to resolve the issue and leaves…  The GREAT counselor sits with that camper until he or she is feeling better again, even if that means leaving late on your night off, and checks in with them over the next couple days.

The difference of being a good counselor, to a great counselor, can also have an impact on whether the campers have just a good summer, or the best summer ever.

The best summer ever starts with you.  When a camper goes home for the summer and begins to tell his or her parents about the great summer they had, YOUR NAME will be said within the first ten words in that child’s story of his or her summer.

You have an opportunity as a summer camp counselor to make a difference in child’s life.  Whether it is life skills, social skills, or just having fun, you have the option to create that for the camper.

Think about a time in your life when someone helped you achieve something you are proud of.  You get a chance to be that person.  That is why we are here.  The work is demanding; that is why being a camp counselor is one of the hardest jobs that you will love.  With hard work comes great reward, and there is not better reward than a happy child.  It is an experience you will never forget.

A Former Camper and Counselor on the Value of Camp

January 15th, 2013

I have been a part of the Camp Weequahic family for 13 years, as a camper from 1995 until 2002, and as a counselor from 2003 until 2007.  These were the best summers of my life and I would give anything to simply be a kid and do it all again!

The memories that come back to me every June when I realize a whole new generation of campers get to experience the same things that shaped my life when I was a child and young adult.  These experiences that campers and counselors gain during their summers at Weequahic are priceless; whether it is teaching a camper how to do an activity, learning from counselors and staff that hail from all corners of the world, or just simply having fun with your best friends.

We all looked forward to the traditions that have shaped our summers, including Carnival, MTV Night, Miss Weequahic, Tribal War, Olympics, The Dance, and the hundreds of other activities that all enjoyed.  And the bunk trips were always a favorite, kayaking or canoeing on the Delaware River, camping out in tents and building a fire, going to a baseball game, or riding the coasters at Hershey Park; they all were great memories.

The last days of camp are always the hardest, when we remember all of the fun we had during the past weeks as we watch the candles float out onto Sly Lake or the giant “W” burning on main campus.  As the summer comes to an end, we know it is time to go “home”, but in our minds “home” is the few beautiful acres in Lakewood PA nestled in the Pocono Mountains.  And as the busses leave camp, driving down Woods Road and driving away from the place we call home, we knew it would only be ten short months until we returned.

I urge all Alumni to write in, share photos, and share memories.  It is important that we all give back to the place that has given so much to us all.

-Steve S.