This document provides guidance for junior camp counselors. It discusses what camp is, the needs of youth campers, responsibilities of counselors, and strategies for running successful activities. Specifically, camp is described as a place for hiking, skills like teamwork, and forming friendships. The four needs of youth are belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. Counselors must keep campers safe, involved, provide leadership, and work as a team. Songs are an effective tool to build connection and teach lessons.

1. Welcome Junior Camp Counselors
The Fun Begins today!

2. What is Camp?
• Camp is a Place
– hiking trails, climbing tower, campfire, cabins
• Camp is a Program
– citizenship, appreciating nature, teamwork
• Camp is an Experience
– memories, close living, new skills, friendships
• Camp is You, the Counselor
– your attitude, your leadership, your helping

3. The Four Needs of Youth
•B
•M
•I
•G
Belonging: Feeling a sense of
connection to others
Mastery: Trying and Learning new
things
Independence: Making decisions and a
chance to lead
Generosity: Caring about others and
how I can help

4. Success of a Camping
Experience
• Begins with you as Counselor
– Ideal Camp Counselor Activity
• Draw on newsprint a picture of a Super Successful
Junior Camp Counselor….and what skills they need to
carry around in their backpack of camp skills

5. The 3 Rs of
Camp Counseling
Counselors have the responsibility to help
each camper to gain the most that is possible
from their camping experience….
• Roles of the Camp Counselor
– Leader, Participant, Friend, Analyzer, Cabin
Leader, Activity Helper, Resource Person,
Good Listener, Teacher, Organizer

6. The 3 Rs of
Camp Counseling
• Responsibilities of the Camp Counselor
– Keep Campers Safe, Keep Campers involved,
Provide Leadership, Work as a Team Member
• Relationships of the Camp Counselor
– Develop Good Relationships with Campers,
Other Counselors, Camp Directors, Camp Staff
and with Parents

7. A few Extras….
• Language Issue
– no profanity tolerated by Directors and Staff
– no profanity tolerated by Counselors
– How to Handle?
• You are there for the campers--make good
friends of all in your care
• Act as someone your campers will want to look up
to
• You need to help each other

8. Songs are a great part of the
Camping Experience
• It is more than just a nice touch
• It is a tool that can add incredible power to
your teaching
• It can set moods, energize, relax, focus,
command attention, convey a message,
invoke laughter, build teamwork, and help
remember key information

9. Songs are a great part of the
Camping Experience
• Songs are a tool that can build connection
and identity to your group
• Songs can be used over and over that brings
a connection to a time and a place
• Check out YouTube for great camp songs
and also google “Camp Songs” and you will
find lots of camp songs from camps and
scouts

10. How can you be sussessful in
leading songs
• Be enthusiastic—SELL YOUR SONGS!
• KNOW YOUR SONGS!
• To teach new songs break them down into
sections that are easy to learn
• If actions are involved, teach the actions
first
• Enjoy the fun of singing together

11. Little Green Frog
• Mm ah went the little green frog one day.
Mm ah went the little green frog.
Mm ah went the little green frog one day.
Mm ah Mm ah Mm ah ah ah.
• We all know the frogs go Sha la la la la, Sha la la la la, Sha la la la
la
• We all know the frogs go Sha la la la la, They don’t go Mm Mm
Ah
• Honk honk went the big Mack truck one day,
Splish splat went the little green frog.
Little Frog doesn’t go Mm ah anymore,
cause he got slurped up by a dog. Roof, Roof.

12. Grey Squirrel, Grey Squirrel
• Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel, Shake your bushy tail,
Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel, Shake your bushy tail,
Put a peanut in your hand and shove it up your
nose.
Grey squirrel, Grey squirrel, Shake your bushy tail.
Repeat

13. I’m alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic
• I’m alive(hands on head), awake(hands
on shoulders), alert(hands on knees),
enthusiastic(hands on feet) [clap]
I’m alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic
[clap] (same Actions)
I’m alive, awake, alert, (same to knees)
• I’m alert, awake, alive, (knees to head)
I’m alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic
[clap] (same actions as start)

14. Success of a Camping
Experience
• Continues with understanding your Campers
– Ages & Stages for Junior Campers Activity
• Pair up and on newsprint, draw a Junior Camper and
list things you know about them at this stage in their
life….interests, likes and dislikes, relationships

15. A Junior Camper is...
•
•
•
•
Very active and likes movement
needs opportunities to share their thoughts and reactions
enjoys making and doing things
relates best when they can do or experience with their
senses when learning
• someone who still looks for adult or older teen approval
• often surprised at what they can accomplish
• someone who has very little middle ground in their
attitude… things are fun or boring, right or wrong,
fabulous or disgusting

16. A Junior Camper is...
• Someone who identifies with peers but still looks to adults
for guidance
• someone who likes to be in groups of others that are
similar to them
• someone who prefers sex segregated groups but starts
showing short-duration interest in opposite sex---often a
group of guys showing or goofing off for a couple of cute
girls
• someone whose success or failure is still very self-centered
so comparison to others may not be preferred

17. Special Situations
• Homesickness
– Let the us know right away if you find a
camper that is struggling with this—especially
the first night
– Be careful not to make any promises
– We will try to connect them with someone else
at camp that they know
– Many times they just need some assurances and
reminded that they will be home in a short time

18. Special Situations
• Fighting among cabin mates or in activity
groups
– Again let us know as soon as you find it is a
problem
– We will try to work with individuals first to
resolve issues
– We will mediate between those that are
struggling and at last resort call parents

19. Special Situations
• Bullying
– What is Bullying?
• Bullying may be physical, verbal, emotional
or sexual in nature. For example:
• Physical bullying includes punching,
poking, strangling, hair pulling, beating,
biting and excessive tickling.

20. Bullying
• Emotional bullying includes rejecting,
terrorizing, extorting, defaming,
humiliating, blackmailing,
rating/ranking of personal characteristics
such as race, disability, ethnicity, or
perceived sexual orientation,
manipulating friendships, isolating,
ostracizing and peer pressure.

21. Bullying
• Verbal bullying includes such acts as
hurtful name-calling, teasing and gossip.
• So What Can we Do…..
– Post and make sure you cover clear behavior in
some ground rules on poster board including
rules against bullying.
– With any observation of a youth teasing or
using name calling that does not respect another
youth, do not tolerate it.

22. Bullying
– Remember to be careful that you can get to the
bottom of what is going on between two youth.
– It is best to pull a child aside to stop a behavior
and not to try to draw attention to the child’s
behavior in front of the group.
– It is great to encourage specific good behavior
praising youth for positive actions and catching
kids doing good.

23. Bullying
– One of the best preventions is to have good
supervision for all youth throughout the camp
– You may need to take preventive action if you
notice a child not fitting in right away to help
them make friends and connect to others in the
group as a strong prevention against bullying.
– If a youth is not able to change their bullying
behavior and it becomes a consistent problem,
we may need to share the problem with a
parent.

24. Bullying
– Bullying behavior being tolerated in camp can
have very negative consequences when a parent
approaches you and shares how their youth was
harmed and not inspired by their participation
in your program. We want all youth to feel safe
in our care.

25. Lets Review The Four Needs of Youth
•B
•M
•I
•G
Belonging: Feeling a sense of
connection to others
Mastery: Trying and Learning new
things
Independence: Making decisions and a
chance to lead
Generosity: Caring about others and
how I can help

26. So Now let’s identify BMIG in
the Camp Schedule
• Pull out your Camp Schedule and lets
identify what youth need each of the
scheduled activities and events can meet….

27. So Now let’s identify BMIG in
the Camp Schedule
• When campers first arrive, belonging is key
for the first afternoon and evening
• Camp orientation tours are helping campers
Master the camp starting points for
activities and KP for meals
• Campfire is belonging and mastery as they
learn new songs or connect with old ones

28. So Now let’s identify BMIG in
the Camp Schedule
• Mealtimes can be belonging/mastery and
independence as they make choices around
the table
• Activity times for some will be mastery and
independence if they try something new and
generosity as they help each other out or
take turns

29. So Now let’s identify BMIG in
the Camp Schedule
• Swimming/Archery is a chance for
belonging and an opportunity of mastery
• Tuesday is a day full of Belonging as you
get acquainted in the new groups
• Tuesday is also a day full of independence
as you choose and practice skits and
experience activities
• Tuesday is also a day full of mastery in
identifying important team building skills

30. Any other Special Situations?
• Do you have any other situations that you
think we should discuss?

31. Quick Review
•
•
•
•
•
The Three R’s….
Four things that Camp is….
Three skills of a Great Counselor….
Three traits of a Junior Age Camper….
What is B M I G? ….

32. The Iowa Corn Song
We’re from I-O-Way, I-O-way,
State of all the land,,
Joy on Ev-’ry hand.
We’re from I-O-way, I-O-way.
That’s where the tall corn grows.

33. Iowa State Song
You asked what land I love the best, Iowa, tis Iowa,
The fairest State of all the west, Iowa, O! Iowa,
From yonder Misissippi's stream
To where Missouri's waters gleam
O! fair it is as poet's dream, Iowa, in Iowa.
See yonders fields of tasseled corn, Iowa in Iowa,
Where plenty fills her golden horn, Iowa in Iowa,
See how her wonderous praries shine.
To yonder sunset’s purpling line,
O! happy land, O! land of mine, Iowa, O! Iowa.