Q: What lessons will my child learn at camp?
Every camp, whether Zoom or in-person, uses the Athena’s Path ™ or Hero’s Pursuit curriculum as its baseline. Each day, no matter which camp you choose, your child will learn two important leadership skills. These are some of the lessons taught:
- Redefining Leadership
- Responding to Criticism
- Receiving Compliments
- Solving Problems Creatively
- Exiting Toxic Friendships
- Handling Emotional Flare-Ups
- Communicating Positively
- Stepping Out of Drama
- Managing Group Dynamics
- Breaking Down the Social Pyramid
Q: What is the ratio of games to lessons?
Each lesson might take 40-75 minutes and there are two per day, so a total of 10 during the week. Time varies depending on how talkative the group is and how long they take to do the activities woven into the lessons. Part of the 40-75 minutes is the teacher explaining new concepts, but the lessons aren’t lectures. The teacher and interns will introduce the lesson, define and explain it briefly, and then the campers do activities that bring the content to life. They may do a scavenger hunt, build a structure, play a guessing game, or act out skits as part of a lesson. There is a lot of brainstorming and interactivity instead of straight listening. Each lesson concludes with campers and staff discussing their experiences with the topic.
Q: What happens during the rest of camp when kids aren’t doing lessons?
We have signature camp games that encourage kids to get to know each other and bond. We play these games every day. One is a more active game that involves movement, and one is deductive. There are daily sharing challenges where kids bring in items in response to prompts. We also have special guests who come to camp to teach skills we think benefit every middle schooler such as meditation and yoga. Finally, our teachers and interns are really good at reading the room so if the group shows interest in a certain game, topic or hobby that comes up during the day, they have time to explore that together.
Q: If my child does a Zoom camp, will they be sitting in front of their computer for hours without moving?
We try for the same ratio of lessons to games, activities and discussions over Zoom that we have in our in-person camps. Yes, your child will participate in front of a screen but no, they won’t just sit there. There are scavenger hunts, skits, movement breaks, yoga and meditation. The games we play are modified for the online platform so they will be standing, sitting, retrieving items, getting breaks, and having lots of good discussions. Zoom camps aren’t for everyone but they hit home for the majority of our campers.
Here is some of the feedback we received on our Zoom camps last summer:
“If you’re on the fence, my son just finished it and gave it a 10/10. He’s not a kid who is good at sitting and listening but he remained engaged the whole time!”
“My daughter enjoyed everything about camp. I especially saw her shine with the positive affirmations and reminders of how awesome she is!”
“He comes out of his room and is laughing and smiling and happy!”
“My son completed camp last week. At the end of Day 2 he came downstairs and told me, “ok mom, you were right—this is pretty good!” He earned the “Mr. Adaptability” leadership award at the end of camp, which he’s super proud of (as are we).”
“My daughter was eager to sign on each day, was fully engaged, learned so much, has incorporated mindfulness into her daily routine and built such strong bonds with the other girls from around the country that they have a scheduled online chat today even though the camp is over.”
“It was AMAZING! It was also shocking when she got her room ready for camp each day. She never does that for anything!”
“Best virtual camp ever! Thank you so much for offering it and the girls are still talking on text this week!”