Ceremonies & Rewards

[YUrocks!]

Hi folks!

I am working on creating more ceremony and a greater sense of culture and community among our day campers.

I am thinking of using beads - kids earn beads for different things such as for each week they attend and then for character building type things like helping someone else, taking a risk, etc. Different colours would represent different things.

Anyone have any other ideas?

[Campgirlboo]

That's a great idea in theory, but just a heads up.....you can/might get overwhelmed under a mountian of pony beads (assuming that's the size you'd use)...

Before the current director and I (her ACD) got to the camp we're at, that's what they did and people complained to us about how bad it was and we inherited (and donated to a&c) the box full of loose beads

[campCardinal]

We do a beads program at my camp. It's a bit unorganized and a little overwhelming for counselors. It just ends up being one more thing for the cabin counselor to keep track of. We've tried making the kids keep track of their beads too, but then it still comes down to the counselor getting the beads for the campers. Also, we've used activity counselors to be in charge of the beads for their area, but still... the counselors in the cabins ended up getting the beads.

We had our beads correspond to different activities... and you had to complete a certain number of tasks to get the bead. Each child had a necklace that held all the beads.

I'm sure there is a way to make this program successful, it's still very new at our camp and we're still trying to get everyone on board.

[Melk]

we do a bead ceremony at the end of every session, each bead you get has a meaning and represents how many years you have been at camp and you get them in necklace form.

[lifer]

A few years ago our day campers were given beads as rewards for exemplifying the 4 core values of the YMCA- Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. Each week would focus on a different value, and at the end of each day, the counselor would choose one child from his/her who demonstrated the value in a great way. Kids tied the beads onto hemp and used them as key chains on their backpacks. The idea was to reward the kids and point out the good things they did and, hopefully, by the end of the summer, every kid would have every color.

[Y Day Camp]

We have used the bead idea in the past, but it was scratched because of its ineffectiveness. What about having posters that campers could sign. Then year after year campers would be able to see their names as they come back.

If you were use the beads idea, closely look at what they will be hung on or held together with and how each of the colors will be broken up.

[CampCherith]

We have posters at our camp. Every summer the campers and staff sign it and then we frame it and post it on the walls of the dining hall. It's a great idea and kids always look at it when they come back.

[annknee]

We have beads at camp and it works ok - the only hassle is when you get people who have left there previous years necklace at home, so this year i beleive we are introducing a special "I remembered my necklace" bead! We get beads for how many years youve been at camp and certain special activities.

We also have something similar to the posters where girls who have done certain programs make something to hang on the wall in the ladge - so we have paddles with names on them, slices of tree, various things like that that each group have decided as a group to make.

[Cocoa]

we made camp flags - paint on fabric - handprints & names, or sometimes we used a paddle or a broken rudder or centerboard the years that i was working at a waterfront location

[love2hike]

Where I work each camper has a name badge and counselors draw pictures/symbols on the badges to signify accomplishments. Any number of things are tracked - number of fish caught, winning a soccer game or the science fair, etc. These are added to throughout the camp season so our "lifers" usually have some pretty impressive name tags by the end of the summer. They seem to take great pride in explaining to new campers what all the pictures mean.

[Smudge]

At my current camp the campers get a "break out bead" at the end of the session for doing some new during the session.

At my previous camp we had a bead program for camp skills - there was a participation bead and then there were beads for: one match fire, knot tying, compass skills, primative campomg (camping without a tent), tool craft, and something else that I cant remember. Both the campers and the staff could earn these beads.

We could also earn button for taking part in polar bear and road runner every morning for a whole session, and then on the night owl session they could earn a firefly button by taking part in the firefly run!

[laurathistle]

Oh my goodness! I just read Smudge's post and can't believe that I had FORGOTEN that we do polar bearing at my camp!

[laurathistle]

Oh, and we have three levels of Polar bear awards: Super, Super Mega and Super Mega Ultra for 10, 20 and evrey day of the session. We also give out igloo awards to cabins who have every member go polar bearing at one.

[Smudge]

We do a staff swim every monring - I really wish that we had a badge or award for doing that! Cos it is - a half mile - swimming out from the swim area to a rock in the middle of the lake and back!