A Parent's Guide to Choosing a Camp

With so many choices, what should you find out about a summer camp before sending your child? All parents want to choose the best and safest experiences for their child. Take a moment to call the Camp Director personally for a conversation. Here are ten questions that you should ask before enrollment:

1. Is this camp Accredited by the American Camp Association or other nationally recognized accrediting body?
Those with American Camp Association Accreditation have to comply with over 300 safety and youth development standards as assessed by outside reviewers. To find an ACA Accredited camp in the Front Range, visit www.acarockymountain.org or campparents.org.

2. Is this camp Licensed by the State of Colorado Department of Child Services?
Licensing is required for camp programs for with school-aged children by the State of Colorado Department of Human Services. Childcare licensing mandates that camps meet specific health and safety guidelines. If a camp is not licensed by the State of Colorado, ask why not, and if they follow the health and safety guidelines set out by Colorado State.

3. What is the counselor-to-child ratio?
The ratio of staff to campers tells you how much individual attention your child will receive at camp. Ask the director if their ratios include just counseling staff or if they also include support staff that doesn’t work directly with campers. Find out if these ratios are different during more specialized programming, such as aquatic activities and rock climbing.

4. What is the background of counselors and are they background checked?
Are the counselors just there for a summer job, or are they dedicated to the fields of recreation, education or child development? Industry standard for background checks of individuals working with children includes: personal reference checks, fingerprinting and submission for screening through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

5. How are the counselors trained?
Quality camps have at least a 3-5 day training program that invests in staff and gives them tools they need to create a successful experiences. At minimum, staff should be trained in: technical skills for activities, the camp's philosophy, emergency guidelines, age group management and activity modification. Ask the camp director how this is accomplished in staff training.

6. What is the median age of your camp counselors?
Mature counselors make a major difference in camp program quality and the manner in which campers are treated. Younger counselors can be outstanding babysitters in a home situation, but can be more impulsive in their judgment. If counselors are under 18, ask how they are supervised and if they supervise campers alone.

7. Does the camp have a crisis management plan and/or rainy day plan?
Crisis management plans are required at schools and the workplace so they should be in effect at camp too. It also rains during Colorado summers and herding an entire camp indoors without backup activities in place can be challenging.

8. What is the group's practice for nutrition and hydration?
Dehydrated campers are grouchy campers and summers can be hot and dry. What does the program do to keep campers hydrated throughout the day? Additionally, camps should have a morning snack time as well as lunch, and an afternoon snack time if camp goes late. Also ask about hand washing procedures.

9. How does the camp handle special needs?
This is a great question to ask for any camper. Listen for compassionate answers that involve individualized plans for each camper. Every camper has a special need at some time (nutrition, attention, hydration, rest etc.) and an environment where staff are already focused on camper needs will help all campers.

10. How are medications transported, stored and administered?
Legally, a nurse must delegate staff the authority for administering medications. Ask specifically about training, delegation and procedures.

Written by David Secunda, Avid4 Adventure Program Director, david@avid4.com, www.avid4.com

Dressing for Cold Weather Activities

When the temperatures drop and the days grow shorter, it’s a time for many of us to head indoors and enjoy the warm comforts of a cozy home. We accept that our bodies weren’t designed to withstand howling winds and waist deep snow. Yet, those who choose to stay inside during the winter months miss out on their favorite outdoor areas being transformed into playgrounds of a magic white carpet. The summer crowds are often absent and you’re left to explore with only the soft crunch of snow beneath your feet.

However, the one aspect that can make or break an outdoor, winter adventure is how you and your family dress. Without enough or the wrong types of clothing, a simple trip for some crisp winter air can turn disastrous. Or, if you layer on too much clothing, your family might look like poor Ralphie’s little brother in A Christmas Story, so bundled up that he can barely make it out the front door much less enjoy all that a snowy day has to offer.

So here are the basics to dressing properly for activities during cold, snowy weather. The most important concept in dressing for any activity, winter or otherwise, is layering. The outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, is credited as one of the first to push the modern idea of layering. By layering, the amount of warm air that escapes is minimized while giving you the option to take off or add layers as needed. Layering includes three basics parts: the base layer, the insulating layer and the outer layer. In proper combination, these three layers will keep you and your family warm and dry through any activity.

The first part to layering is the base layer. This is the layer that is in contact with your body and includes underwear, shirts and socks. The more aerobic the activity, the more important this base layer becomes. As you exert yourself, your body naturally sweats to cool itself off. The more you sweat, the more you need this base layer to pull that sweat, or “wick” the sweat, away from your body. If this sweat isn’t pulled away from your skin, when you slow down during your activity, your body will become chilled from the moisture and will quickly lose warmth. The best clothing materials to accomplish this “wicking” is a polypropylene material. Polypropylene, or many other synthetic materials, pull the sweat away from your skin and let it evaporate quickly, keeping the material, as well as you, dry and warm. This is especially important for children as they often sporadically alternate between high activity levels and low activity levels. If their base layer is dry, then they will stay warm.

Unfortunately, cotton, the one material most of us have plenty of, can be disastrous as a base layer in cold, outdoor activities. Although cotton “wicks” away sweat, it does not allow that sweat to evaporate quickly, thus keeping cool moisture close to your body. Almost all outdoor retailers sell some variety of synthetic base layers. There are many options out there that consider the activity level and temperature you expect to be wearing the layers in. However, as long as it is made of a material that keeps the sweat away from your body, you’ll be fine. Any lack of warmth in the base layer can be made up for in the next layer, the insulating layer.

The second part to layering is the insulating layer. As the name suggests, this is the layer that is primarily responsible for keeping the warmth your body emits. When looking for a good insulating layer, the more air that the layer traps, the warmer it will be since air is a very good insulator. Materials such as down and fleeces are good insulating layers because they hold a lot of air and transfer heat very slowly. The one thing to keep in mind when picking an insulating layer is the aerobic level of your activity. Since your body produces heat, if you’re engaging in a high level of activity, say snowshoeing, the less the insulating layer needs to be. But, if you’re going to be doing a lot of standing around, your body will produce less heat and will need more of an insulating layer. Finding the right amount of insulating layer for your desired activity will insure that you stay warm without restricting your movement.

The final part to layering is the outer layer. This is the layer that has contact with the elements and should be windproof and most likely waterproof. It is important that the outer layer is windproof because this will stop a cold wind from penetrating your layers and taking all that warm air away that your body has created. Most waterproof clothing today is made out of some variation of GoreTex, which is windproof and breathable. Having a breathable outer layer allows the moisture that is “wicked” from your skin and pulled through the insulating layer to pass through outer layer as well. A good outer layer will keep your insulating layer dry and allow it to do its own job.

These are the basic principals of layering to stay warm during outdoor, winter activities. The amount and combination of the three layers will depend on you and your personal situation. But by following these basic guidelines you’ll be able to enjoy all that the winter season has to offer. Don’t forget to wear a hat!

Note: Patagonia offers a recycling program for old, worn out layers of all types and brands. You can drop off your old layers at any Patagonia store or service center. To learn more visit Patagonia’s website at www.patagonia.com

Written by Kyle Barker
Kyle Barker has been working with Avid4 Adventure since the summer of 2007. He draws upon a lifetime of outdoor experiences for his writing and tries to promote a positive relationship between people and their surrounding environments.