You can't always be first

July 31, 2012

You can't always be first

Teaching a child how to be a good loser, and how this unfortunate event (losing) is a part of everyday life, is a really hard task. But, one we set forth to do every day! We intentionally don't put a competitive spin on any of our games or activities, we always encourage a team mentality vs. competition. We do this because competition is something all of our kids struggle with...at school and home and any other groups they are a part of....and the majority of them usually end up on the losing side. They don't understand why they aren't the fastest, or most coordinated, or "best" at something; and when the "best"  is usually the only one who receives the praise, that is hard to accept. They don't understand that they are just as important, even if they don't finish first..so, we focus on teaching them this concept, everyday!! While our games are not competitive, we do set them up so the kids are challenged in many different ways, where different strengths and weaknesses are necessary. This way, we are able to talk to all the kids, many times individually, about how it feels to not be the best, what this means about them and who they are, why this bothers them, what their individual strengths are, etc. No matter what we do, melt downs happen, feelings get hurt, insecurities show up, and we get the opportunity to sit down with the kids and talk to them and help them understand who they are and why THEY ARE IMPORTANT too! 

Medals

July 30, 2012

Medals!!!

A new tradition that we started this year, was to have a medal ceremony at the end of each camp week. It has been incredible to see the way the kids respond to this. Some of them are very shy and uncertain about the attention, some of the kids LOVE the attention, some of them need extra support to walk up and accept their medal, some of them take it off immediately after receiving them because they don't like the feel of the fabric on their necks. But, when their name is called...and all the staff are cheering for them and commenting on what a great job they did at camp, EVERY single camper, gets the biggest smile on their face! We always try to make sure their accolades are individualized and we want them to understand that all their hard work has paid off. 

Do your kids ever talk about the medal ceremony or share how they have felt when they received their medals? 

Working as a team

July 29, 2012

Working as a Team

As you know, one of the major focus' of our camp programs, is the goal of working together as a team. There are so many reasons why. The kids learn they are not the center of the universe, that others have needs too, that sometimes we have to hear others opinions or do things that others want to do, they learn that it is fun to do things with others, and they learn to depend on others besides their family members. The biggest result to teamwork we like to teach our campers, is that there are some things you cannot do by yourself, and it is OK to ask for help, or express the feeling that you might NEED help. This is a hard concept for many of us to learn. Because this is such a central focus, these team building opportunities present themselves, organically, ALL the time. We always try to take note of a good learning opportunity and take the time to let it play out and then talk about what it meant or how it felt. It is never fun to feel like you have to depend on another, especially for many of our campers who are very independent, very intelligent, and very used to being in control; and they like that feeling. Putting them in situations where they might fail, or they might not know what to do, or they might not be able to get to where they need to be, without help, can be incredibly intimidating and frustrating for these guys. But, because it happens so frequently, because they get a tremendous amount of support-in the moment and after-to debrief, because they start to see theirs and others strengths and weaknesses, and they start to see the benefit in a team; our campers slowly let go of their rigidity and their need to always be in control. This is a long process, but it is always rewarded in the end, when campers start living these principles in every aspect of their lives. We are so blessed to see this happening every day.  

Poolside fun

July 28, 2012
Poolside Fun

Swimming is one of the favorite activities for Learning on the Log, campers and counselors. One of the reasons the kids are so engaged, is because of the consistent amount of sensory input their bodies are receiving in the water, which "wakes" them up and it is much easier for them to focus on the other people. Another reason, is that water levels the playing field, in a sense. No kid feels like they are not up to par with their friends, there are no insecurities because they don't have to worry about feeling like they aren't the fastest or most athletic. When they are in the water, despite their swim ability level, they are able to play and take risks and feel free to just enjoy the people around them. For those kids that are not confident swimmers yet or they are shy, we give them a lot of 1:1 attention and support so they feel safe, and then very soon they are requesting a life jacket so they can be free to join the games and go deep in the pool and play play play. The next step is to help them transition to no life jacket and just a noodle to keep them afloat while they play, and eventually they are jumping off the wall and swimming around without even noticing any insecurities. It is incredible to watch. As in any of our programs, we won't send your child home with precise swimming skills or knowledge of different strokes, but they will gain much confidence in the pool so they are able to translate those skills to playing in the pool and taking more risks in other areas of their lives. They will have a blast with their friends and they will love strategizing with others for shooting water guns and they will splash and just enjoy the day. Never a sad face at the pool (except maybe for the 10 minutes of adult swim)!!!

Sensory art

July 27, 2012

Sensory Art

This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming to our team, Samantha Kurgan, as an art teacher. The kids LOVED working with her and really looked forward to what type of project they would get to try each week. What made this art special, and so great for our kids, were all the different types of "mediums" they got to experience. They used paint, with their hands and brushes and other things, they used rice, and sponges, and newspaper, etc. All of which bring a different sensory experience to the table. These different types of textures are hard for many of our kids to handle, and there were definitely melt downs and BIG messes and struggles, but for the most part, the kids were so motivated by Samantha and her captivating projects, that the kids jumped right in and it was a great experience. It was incredible to see some of our kids try brand new things that they normally would shy away from (getting dirty, getting stuff on their hands, touching sticky or slimy things, etc.). They may have tried these things because they saw their friends trying them and overall it looked like fun. But most importantly, they were willing to try it because they have built a trusting relationship with the staff; they knew that what we are asking them to do would not hurt them, it would be fun, and we would be there to support them when things get hard. It is these types of difficult situations--when we see our campers try something they normally would be uncomfortable with, because they know they are in a supportive environment--that helps us see the impact of what the kids are learning. Thanks Samantha, she made the "project" we produced every week into a real piece of art, that parents could take home and enjoy!  

When it rains.....we DANCE

July 26, 2012

When it rains......we DANCE

At Learning on the Log, where the majority of our programs take place outdoors, year round, there are amazingly only a few times where we have to take refuge indoors. But, when we do, the campers have just as much fun. We still do our warm up, our stretches, we play games, we do art, but the most enjoyed indoor activity is to have a DANCE PARTY. These kids, who normally needs lots of structure and direction, who normally don't do well with "free play", who tend to stand to the outside of the crowd when we don't offer direction, come to life when you turn on the music! Their eyes light up, they all come to the center of the room and the middle of the crowd, and they just move, move, move. They want to hold hands with each other, they want to look you in the eye and engage, and they laugh together and with each other. Because of this, we try to incorporate music into our activities as much as possible. We always have music playing in the vans, the kids negotiate to listen to their favorite songs, they try to get others to sing along with them, they feel comforted when they hear familiar songs, they have a reason to engage with the child sitting next to them when they are both singing along, and they get to be loud! We sometimes use musical instruments on the hiking trail and the kids get to experiment using drum sticks on trees or the ground or the bridge and hear the different sounds. Sometimes we play "musical chairs" with mats out on the field. When a camper is having a hard time calming down, we encourage our staff to sing to the campers or talk with them in sing-song cadences, and this almost always helps the camper to soothe themselves and get back to the group. Music is a wonderful medium to connect with our campers, and we are always looking for new and creative ways to use music in our daily activities. 

Customize for personal Success

Customize for personal success

One of the things campers enjoy most about their experiences with our programs, is the chance for each of them to find success, at their own levels. Each camper is unique, no two are alike. So, then why should their success be measured with the same standards? At Learning on the Log, we embrace everyone's differences and help each individual (camper and counselor) to see, and celebrate, their individual strengths and weaknesses. When playing sports or attempting activities that require strength, agility, endurance, athleticism, speed, intelligence, etc. we adapt each activity to fit each camper, on an individual level. This way, each camper feels as if they are successful and their confidence in themselves begins to grow and grow. Pretty soon, they are taking more and more risks and they are feeling good about what they can do. They start comparing themselves to others less, and start seeing themselves as individuals more. They start to recognize there are things they can do better than others, but there are also things others can do better than them, and that is OK. This is an incredibly important social skill to learn as a child, to help them grow up to be confident and independent teens and adults.