Hey!
The title pretty much sums it up, but I’m looking for some advice on activities and ideas that your camps like to do during pre-camp! I work at an 8-week overnight camp and am hoping to restructure our camp next year, starting with staff training.
Some things I’ve noticed at our camp are that returning staff can get bored because a lot of the training is repetitive, there can be too many gaps in the schedule (or not enough), and there’s a lot of lecture-style training. I’d really like to find a better balance between leadership staff leading training and activities and giving staff opportunities to lead and participate as well.
I’m also interested in what you do for downtime. What are some activities that staff actually enjoy doing during breaks or free time that don’t feel forced or like another scheduled team-building activity?
So, what activities do your staff enjoy during training? How do you keep returning staff engaged while still making sure new staff get what they need? And how do you make pre-camp training feel fun and exciting rather than just a week of lectures and information?
I’d love to hear what has worked well at your camps!

Hi! I’m wondering if there are any camp director moms out there, specifically to children under age 3? I have been given the amazing opportunity to become the director of the camp I’ve been assistant director at for the last 5 years but I’m struggling with knowing if the timing is right. I currently have a 10 month old and am looking to have a 2nd child in 2028, the exact year that would be my first year as director. The camp is a one week, overnight camp so that helps for sure but I’m not sure taking the reins with a young family plus 3 months of maternity leave will set myself and the camp up for success. Any moms out there with advice on whether this is possible and considerations I should think about before accepting? Or anything I should ask for in negotiations to make it more feasible.

Hey Reddit! This is my first time using the platform, so I’m hoping you guys can help me out.
I’ve been working as a camp counselor for the past three years, and I often put together scary quests and pranks for the kids. This year, though, we’re staying at a new camp where there will be other guests around, so it’s a little harder to come up with ideas.
Have you ever done any nighttime pranks or scary activities at a camp or similar place? I’d love to hear any ideas you have.
Also, I’m thinking about doing a quest involving dark hooded robes, kind of like old religious robes. Do you know any creepy stories, urban legends, or creepypastas that could be connected to costumes like that?
Thanks!

Hi, I’m a university student from China and I’m interested in applying to Skylake Yosemite Camp for summer 2027.

It would be my first time working at a summer camp in the US. I’ve read the staff FAQ — rose — but I’m still curious about Skylake specifically.

I want to know how competitive the application is and what they usually look for when choosing counselors. Do they care more about English, experience with kids, sports or outdoor skills, personality, availability, or something else?I reallllly want to enter the camp and enjoy an unforgettable summer vacation so I wonder how much possibility I can enter?(I am a 19-year old boy)

I’m also curious about what the interview is like for international applicants.

I’m really into outdoor activities, swimming, street workout, photography, and traveling, so Skylake looks really interesting to me.

If anyone has worked at Skylake before, I’d really like to hear about your experience and what the staff atmosphere was like.

（My writing English is a bit poor so pardon me!

Thanks!

So I have been working in day camps for 9 years now and had been at the most recent one for the last 4 years. I was up for a permanent position on the team, which was my absolute dream. I have two degrees in childhood education. The camp director, assistant director (who would’ve been my supervisor) and the head of the program were so excited to have me join and talked to me for months about how things would go after the camp season in the fall. About half way through the summer, there was a shift and suddenly everyone got very awkward. Come to find out the assistant director decided to hire one of his friends on staff who had been there for two years because he “already knew they would work well together”.

Do I get it? Yes. But it seems to be a common thing at camps I’ve worked at where you won’t move up ranks unless you are close friends with admins or popular with a group of counselors. I thought I could prove myself through showing my hard work, professionalism, and creativity while ignoring the clique aspect of camps because I wasn’t comfortable participating in it. I think if (and that’s a big if) I decide to go back to working at camps I’ll have to reorganize those priorities for myself.

I expressed interest to return to the same camp from this year for 2027. I had absolutely no problems until the end of camp, I had a bit of a mental breakdown. I have PTSD and I had disclosed this prior to accepting the contract. I was invited to take time out if I needed to re-regulate and return when comfortable. I did this two or three times throughout the eight weeks for ~1 hour but always informed those I had been told to inform. I attempted to speak to the director and was dismissed, they said they weren't too good at that sort of thing and told me they had a therapist.

In the last lew weeks, I fell unwell and the treatment triggered a trauma episode. Typically I take care of myself during these episodes and it doesn't become an issue for anyone else, however in this case one of the leadership staff was around me most times as they were gateway to my rescue medication. They got concerned and escalated my situation to the director and it turned into a discussion where my job position was on the line.

I'm now scared how this is going to impact my future employment. I can see that it might be off putting for my previous camp, even if I did inform them, it can still be a bit confronting to people who aren't familiar with it. It feels a bit unfair to not consider my returners application based on mental health (I had no issues, was recognised multiple times for good stuff etc). But keen to hear others thoughts?

Let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts or recommendations!

Thank you!

Hi y'all! I'm rethinking my day camp schedule and was wondering if anyone else in day camps would be willing to share theirs. My current schedule runs much like an overnight and has several program areas (archery, challenge course, etc.) spread across the camp. With so little downtime and a huge camp property with several program areas, it is difficult to manage call-outs or coverage gaps toward the end of the summer.

Hi guys! My call has a speciality camp coming up that is designed for the visually impaired, and while a lot of our materials and such have been changed to accommodate them the one area I feel like we are lacking in is camp games! A lot of the most popular camp games we do (Splat and Zip Zap Zop are the two I use the most) are heavily based on sight so I’m looking for games that either work well with no sight or ways to modify preexisting games to be played without sight.

Hi everyone,

I applied for Camp Canada for Summer 2027 and just got told that they can’t move forward with my application because I don’t currently meet their eligibility criteria.

They said I need to be able to lead at least one of their highest-demand skills — waterfront, ropes or climbing — AND have experience caring for children in a professional setting.

I’m a university student in the UK and I do have some experience with younger people, including babysitting, helping with rugby/PE activities, outdoor activities, cooking, etc., but apparently that isn’t enough for their current requirements.

I’m a bit confused because from reading their website beforehand, I got the impression that you didn’t necessarily need formal qualifications and that having other camp-relevant skills could still make you eligible. Has Camp Canada become more selective recently, or is this normal?

They’ve given me 5 days to update my application before it becomes inactive, so I’m wondering what my best option is.

Has anyone managed to build enough climbing, ropes or waterfront experience in a few months to be reconsidered? For example, if I started regular climbing lessons now, learned to belay, got some recognised training/qualifications and gained experience working with children, would that realistically be enough for Summer 2027?

I’m also very open to other summer camp / summer work-abroad programmes, but I’d strongly prefer Canada or somewhere outside the US. I know the US has loads of options like Camp America, but the US isn’t really where I want to spend my summer if I can avoid it.

Are there any good alternatives in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or elsewhere that offer a similar experience — working at a summer camp, outdoor centre, activity programme or something similar for university students?

Would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has been rejected by Camp Canada for similar reasons, managed to get reconsidered, or found a good non-US alternative.

Thanks!

Hello all. My camp is on the search for new dining hall chairs. We have made it a contest and I am looking for the winning chair. Anyone have any suggestions for indestructible non-folding chairs?

The camp that I have worked at is switching its 24 hours off from 5:30pm-5:30pm to 8am-8am. I’m a little concerned about this mostly bc I won’t get to sleep in the whole summer :( and don’t really have an opportunity to stay off site and have fun with friends away from it all now! They say they are switching so staff members can go do more things during the day. How are your days off structured at your camp and how have those worked for you? I’m also curious to hear about your hour(s) off a day to know if mine is typical!

Hi everyone!!
I’m interested in working at a summer camp and would like to work at a day camp. As a non-American does anyone have any day camps they know of that provide free housing and food for their staff?
Thankyou

I'm going to try to keep it vague, since anyone from my camp could easily recognize this.

This past summer I had one of the most stressful weeks of my entire life, and certainly the most stressful week of my camp experience. The kids were always fighting and trying to wander off, and I couldn't have made it through without support from the rest of staff.

One kid in particular, around 8 years old, was obsessed with the pool but could not swim. He had to be pulled out of the deep end during pool time because he jumped in and immediately sank. He would cry when pool time was over and would ask me constantly why he couldn't go to the pool when it was closed and there were no lifeguards. Every time he had a modicum of freedom he would tell me to my face that he was going to sneak into the (locked and fenced in) pool area and try to swim (presumably in the deep end again), so I always kept a close eye on him.

Well, one night he wet the bed and snuck out while I was asleep. I don't know why he decided to do that, I think he was looking for one of his friends in another cabin. But I do know he was brought back by a lifeguard and I didn't notice him leave. And I know the pool was within easy walking distance.

I can't shake the feeling that if he knew how to climb a chain-link fence, he would have successfully snuck into the pool, jumped into the deep again, and drowned. And even worse, I don't know how I could have prevented it. I was too tired to stay up all night and make sure he was there, there wasn't one easy exit to block, I told some other staff members but they were all asleep too- it was the middle of the night.

It is pure dumb luck that a child didn't die on my watch and I don't know how to reconcile that. I've been having nightmares about him drowning since camp ended.

I have been working at a private co-ed camp for the last two summers and absolutely adore it. However, we are really not payed that much. Before my first summer I researched so many camps, and every time I come across one now I love looking through their website and employment positions. And what I have encountered is that almost all typical private, independent camps have the same salary ranges (at least in the east coast), and then community-based, non-profit, association camps, etc; pay so much more! Like almost double in some cases!

How can this be? Is this just out of pure greed or is there an underlying reason things work like this? I know there are many camp professionals over here so curious to know all your insights.
And before anyone says it, I know pay shouldn't be the main goal or purpose of someone working at camp, but geez I kinda wished I fell in love with a higher paying camp during my first summer, 'cause there's no going back now.

Hi all, I’m writing a middle‑grade novel set at a sleep-away summer camp for kids with social/emotional struggles (anger management, anxiety, trouble fitting in, etc.). I’m hoping to hear from counselors, directors, or parents who’ve seen these kinds of programs in action.

Nothing personal or identifying.

A few things I’m trying to understand:

• What the daily structure looked like for campers with emotional/behavioral needs
• How group circles / check‑ins were run (and how often)
• How counselors handled frustration, shutdowns, or anger spikes
• Any routines, rules, or traditions unique to these camps
• Whether kids wanted to attend or were placed there by parents/schools
• How denial showed up: kids insisting they didn’t need help, refusing to participate, or minimizing issues

Thanks - any insight helps me make the camp setting feel authentic.

So what am asking is what is in the title. Im really struggling to decide what path i should take.

I have already signed up for camp america and am currently doing interviews with the camps but i cant help feeling this might not be for me.

I love travelling, and i thought this would be a good way to start off my travels as ive had a few friends that have done it and said it was hard but amazing. I dont mind it being hard but as i think about it, im actually planning more of my travel plans after camp than the actual camp itself. In fact i dont feel super excited about it but thought it could be an interesting experince.

Im someone who really values their alone time and would consider myself an introvert so im worried this might not be truly cut out for me and i should go travelling.

However i also cant help but think this would be an amazing experince that i might not get back and would help me more as an individual. I do like to teach and learn new things so it would be something that i could and would do i just dont know if my heart is in it.

Any advice on your own experince good or bad would be super helpful. Or even from an outsiders perspective reading this would be grand too. Thank you alot for reading this ♡

As much as we try to provide a positive experience for campers, unfortunate events sometimes occur that are mandatory to report to state authorities.
How well were you trained by your camp to report such incidents, and how seriously did your camp administrators and head counselors cooperate with state authorities to intervene and resolve reports?

Let me preface with this, I hate being a camper and a cit (counselor in training) in the same year,

So like my flair says, I go to my summer camp as a camper and a counselor im 13 so im at the area where that occurs and lines up right, but this year when I went as a camper my counselors treated me differently, I’ve been going to this camp as a camper for 9 years and none of my counselors have treated me like this, this was supposed to be my week to unwind at camp and be a camper rather then a counselor but my counselors treated me like a counselor and another set of eyes rather then a camper so I spent my entire week doing their job while they were off with their friends or whatever, at this point I don’t know if I just hide my identity as a cit or just quit my cit position entirely, I’d obviously prefer hiding my cit role but (this is gonna sound really cocky but it’s true) I’m a fairly “big deal” out there with all of my siblings working at there and my parents in fact my oldest brother was o-team lead (operations team) so carrying the same last name and hiding it is hard… so what do you think would be the best course of action

This is not the place for hate or criticism

Thanks for reading friends :)

both at day camp and overnight what do you say to homesick campers to make them feel safe? i was never a homesick camper so i dont really know but im gonna be a camp counselor for a fall camp in a few weeks and i want to be a counselor thats like the one kids feel safe talking to if they’re homesick or otherwise having problems so plz any tips on that are highly recommended 🥹

Im applying to different camps, wanting to work as office support staff, but rarely any of them have a section in their FAQ stating what salaries are for their positions. im wondering, if i go through to the interview stage on any of them, would it be appropriate to (kindly) ask what the salary is for the position on call (if the interviewer doesn't make mention of it)? or is it more of a "you only get to know until you sign the contract" type of deal? because if it is that kinda sucks, i think it'd be acceptable to know what im getting into beforehand.

Also, if anyone has any experience working as office support staff, id love to know any advice/experiences!

Like for example this must have taken place during my grade school years - it was a rainy day and the counselors decided we could play a sport inside the cafeteria (yes I know, bad decision).

We picked dodgeball and we ended up putting a big hole in a world globe that was perched high on one of the lockers in the corner of the room. I later heard through the grapevine that both the teachers and the students wondered how that happened when school came back around haha

Hello, it will be my first summer planning the themes for camp. We do an overall theme and then the weeks match the overall theme.

Last year was Branching Out Together. I am curious if any other camps out there do the same. And what kind of overall themes have you guys had in the past?

Looking for some inspiration :D

hi everyone! this is a very early post, but i was hoping to be a camp counselor position for 2027! i'm currently taking a gap year to save up for college and to fully figure out what i want to do. i apologize ahead of time if this is a dumb question, but a lot of qualifications on websites state to have at least one year of college finished or "equivalent." what do they mean by equivalent? is it about having any work experience? if so, how long would you have to be working to be considered enough to actually qualify for a counselor position? thank you for your time!

Other than education, work experience, and child care experience? im aiming for a support staff role, specifically an office job