Cleaning and tidying the cabin

[laurathistle]

I know most camps have a time after breakfast when the kids participate in some level of keeping their cabin clean and tidy. I believe some rotate the chores with job wheels.

Exactly how much do the kids participate at your camp? Does it depend on their age or is everone the same?

Do they just make their bed or do they do things like sweep and vacum?

What about things like washing the windows?

Who cleans the toilets and showers?


Do you make a game of tidying?

[tigerfan]

All of the kids participate in cleaning the cabin, with the counselors' help. The younger kids get more help than the older ones, especially with the bathroom.

Personally, I expect all my girls to make their beds and put their things away, but I'll definitely help them if they ask!

I like to make a schedule for sweeping, sink, shower, mirror, trash, and "inspector" so that no one gets stuck with a job they don't like.

During our first morning activity period, someone on AD staff goes around and grades each cabin. So, the girls generally are pretty good about cleaning because they want to beat their score for the previous day.

[laurathistle]

Is there a prize or anything for the best cabin/cabin with most points at the end of camp?

[campnerd99]

We don't have bathrooms in our cabins so all that needs to be done for clean-up is make the beds, tidy up thier things & sweep. Most of them do it on their own no problem (it's a contest between cabins so that provided incentive)
Sometimes you have to help the younger ones with beds and stuff but usually they're just as happy to do it themselves becuase they have fun doing it!

[happy_camper]

We do not have a scheduled time each day for cabin clean up. We do, though, require that the girls keep their cabins tidy. If we see that they are nt doing so, during their free time they will be cleaning. We do have Kapers on the last day to super-clean everything for the next group. Each unit is responsible for the following of each cabin in the unit:
-sweeping out the cabin
-removing all trash and belongings
-flipping up the matresses
In addition, the entire unit is responsible for cleaning the porch (sweeping & picking up trash), lodge room (sweeping, trash, maybe mopping), and bathroom (toilets, showers, sweeping, trash, sinks, mirrors) of their unit. It is up to the counselor how to do these all-unit tasks. Last year one of the counselors I was with made it a "mission" she said that aliens (i think) had sent a special message to us with a task. The task was cleaning the bathroom (she worded it all cool though to get the girls excited). In addition to ALL this unit cleaning, each unit is assigned one of the specific areas of camp to clean (dining hall, dining hall bathrooms, infirmary bathrooms, etc.) Throughout the entire week, campers are encouraged to pick up trash throughout camp and keep their cabins clean.

Sorry that got soo long!

:)

[Pooka]

The kapers in the unit go thusly: The campers get split up into groups. One group picks up trash, one cleans out the firepit, one collects wood and re-fills the fire bucket, and one cleans the latrines.

Each unit also gets assigned a job every day according to a chart. The jobs are, I think, cleaning the showers, doing grounds (picking up trash around the lodge and cleaning the lodge latrines), being in charge of flag ceremony, and setting the tables for meals.

All age groups get the same jobs, but we do expect a more thorough job from the older campers.

[tigerfan]

With the older campers, their cabin inspection score factors into their team's score for our all-camp olympics. For sessions with younger campers, there's not a reward or anything. Sometimes, the scores are announced though, and they like the whole camp hearing their score. Also, the younger campers like to try to figure out which member of AD staff is inspecting the cabins, because it is a secret until the end of the session.

Sometimes, we make a game out of picking up trash around camp. Each cabin group is given 15 minutes to pick up whatever trash they find and bring it to the dining hall. The group with the most pieces gets to be first in line for dinner that evening.

[campCardinal]

We have a traveling trophy every day broken down for each age group. For the regular campers they make the beds, sweep, take out the trash, and pick up garbage. Also, each cabin has an area that they are in charge of (fields mostly, just picking up garbage).

For our oldest campers each cabin takes a day in which they clean the bathrooms. For the other units there is a work group of 15 year olds who clean the bathrooms during each meal. With the oldest campers (13 and 14 year olds) we try to transition them into this new task of bathrooms.

[prettysocks]

We have a "Tidy Cabin Flag" that is awarded to a different cabin each day at campfire. The kids are only responsibity is to help the counselors in keeping their bed and bedside neat and tidy. Some kids get really excited about winning the flag, though, and will ask to sweep the cabin, and tidy the books and stuff in the front common room. Since we are a special needs camp, and a sanitary environment is fairly important, there are cleaners that clean the toilets/counters/sinks/mirrors, and mop the floors everyday. Of campers who are unable, counselors are responsible for keeping campers clothing neat in their drawers, and their bed made.

[Life_Saver]

Since we have tents, what we do is a bit different. Our camp has a "Tidy Tent Fairy" that once every week will come around to check to see if everyone's tents are clean. There is an award given to the cleanest tent in every unit. The cleanest staff tent also wins an award. We tell the girls that we never know when the TTF is going to be coming, so we should always be ready. The counselors usually have them clean the unit bathroom a couple of times per week too as well as maintain their unit fire pit and keep the grounds looking nice.

[speedx5xracer]

Exactly how much do the kids participate at your camp? Does it depend on their age or is everyone the same?
the clean up is mainly their job staff takes care of organizing jobs and the more dangerous ones like using cleaning chemicals even for our youngest..

Do they just make their bed or do they do things like sweep and vacuum?
sweep, beds, grounds outside, clotheslines, cubbies, sinks, makes sure the showers and toilet stalls are clean.

What about things like washing the windows?
windows are typically ignored or just dusted...

Who cleans the toilets and showers?
the areas surrounding them is done by kids but the sanitizing of them is done by cleaning staff... these staff clean all the bathrooms in camp (cabins and public) as well as the floors in the infirmary. they to this on a daily basis. there are 6-8 of them for 80+ active bunks and 2 infirmaries


Do you make a game of tidying?
no... in fact cleaning the grounds of camp is some times used as an alternative to other forms of punishment.... Taking care of camp teaches them respect for camp property, visitors to camp, other campers and the environment... its amazing how cleaning up a small section of camp can change a child's out put. Of course the child could go to the director instead and get a lecture but most kids will be willing to stay out doors for 5 minutes of work beautifying camp.

[JJ-14A]

Exactly how much do the kids participate at your camp? Does it depend on their age or is everyone the same?

Kids clean their own mess, staff supervise and helps out.

Do they just make their bed or do they do things like sweep and vacuum?

They all make their own bed before breakfast. After breakfast every kid has a specific job. Jobs changes every couple of days.

What about things like washing the windows?

We don't mess w/the windows. I don't even think anyone cleans the windows. they are never dirty.

Who cleans the toilets and showers?
sanitizing toilets is also done by the cleaning staff. They also clean showers and sink.

Do you make a game of tidying?

No, its something we must do every day. We are constantly looking out for slackers and helping out a lot.

[runrachrunn]

My kids were amazing about cleaning up - it was the staff (who have significantly more stuff than the campers) who had problems with it. Depending on who the AD staff was that was responsible for inspecting, it was either really easy or really hard.

The prize for neatest cabin is a barbeque at the directors cabin (which means a quiet meal)... OUr girls won second prize - a pat on the back.

I guess with 8 year olds it's a lot easier as well because their stuff is so little, and they only bring the bare basics - as opposed to the 13 year olds who bring their whole closet

[CAMPFRIEND]

We have our campers make their beds and clean up their area. They also take turns in the cabin sweeping and the will have to make sure the outside of their cabin is clean as well as a program area in camp. We give an Ice Cream party at the end of the session for the cleanest cabin.

We have a cleaning person who checks the bathrooms and mops if needed.

All our campers aged 5-10 do the same clean-up.

[gabor85_hungary]

We have a system that encourages all the campers to do the daily cleaning:

There is a "muster committee" (consist of some counselors and some campers) that goes every morning and visits all the cabins. They have a survey, they can give maximum 2-2 points for beds, bathroom, floor, terrace, wardrobes, and they can give 2 extra points if the cabin performs an extra roll-call, like telling a poem or sing something or they put fresh flowers on the table. (Last one is the favourite of the poor gardener:D )

So every day they can collect 10+2 points, and in the end of the session all the children of the winner cabin get a present, either a big cake or something else from our sponsors;)

PS: The system works very well by girls, but the boys usually don't really care about the present:D So by them we sometimes invite the camp director to take a look at the cabin, after that they all become very domesticated:p

[CampFreak]

We typically have 6 cabins a week 3 guys and 3 girls for resident (we also have day camp). The resident have a little bit of cleaning. The cabin must be nice, sleeping bags and clothes in order. Then each cabin has a special duty. Every day a cabin cleans the resident bathroom (one guy cab and one girl). Then everyone rotates on sweeping the dining hall after each meal. Thats it for duties pretty much. Oh and a cabin of each sex also cleans up the shower room. Pretty much resident takes care of resident facilities.

[camper]

at my camp we have a job wheel and everyone has a job for the day. we clean up twice a day, after breakfast and before dinner. in the younger bunks, the counselors end up doing most of it and the campers are more like helpers...and in the older bunks it's somewhat of a joint effort. we've learned that it's a lot easier to get the kids to clean up if we start doing it ourselves, so it's been a huge push at my camp to get the counselors to start clean up and get the kids to join in. we also play games...my personal favorite being to put on a song and just say, "ok, by the end of the song the bunk has to be SPOTLESS!" i have played that game with 8 year olds and i've played it with 12 year olds and it worked both times!

[Mouse...]

At my camp the girls are responsible for cleaning their unit (tents, fire cirlcle, latrine, ect.) and we have a schedual for the rest of the main buildings on camp (bathhouse, dining hall, ect.) The girls generally help clean everything as we don't have cleaning staff. Because these girls know that the camp is the girl scout councils camp and that they are the girls scouts, essentially the camp is theirs and they are usually happy.