There are many reasons why children may choose to attend an overnight camp in Wisconsin with animals. Some of the benefits of an animal summer camp experience include:

1. Personal growth and development: Overnight camps provide children with the opportunity to develop important life skills such as independence, teamwork, and problem-solving. Camps with animals can offer even more opportunities for personal growth, as children learn to care for and interact with animals in a responsible and compassionate way.

2. Outdoor adventure and nature exploration: Camps located in Wisconsin's beautiful natural setting provide children with the opportunity to explore the outdoors and experience all that nature has to offer. Camps with animals offer even more opportunities for children to learn about the natural world and to connect with the environment.

3. Fun and friendship: Overnight camps are a great place for children to make new friends and have fun. Children who attend camps with animals may have even more opportunities for socialization, as they work together to care for and interact with the animals.

4. Personal interests and passions: Some children may be particularly interested in animals, and attending an overnight camp with animals can be a great way for them to pursue their passions and interests. Camps with animals often offer activities and programs focused on animal care and conservation, providing children with the opportunity to learn more about their favorite animals.

Overall, attending an overnight camp in Wisconsin with animals, like Swift Nature Camp can be a rewarding and enriching experience for children. It can help them develop important life skills, connect with nature and the environment, make new friends, and pursue their passions and interests.

Summer camps in Minnesota offer a wide range of activities for children who love animals. These animal summer camps provide an opportunity for kids to get up close and personal with a variety of different animals, while also participating in other fun outdoor summer camp activities.

One popular summer camp in Minnesota for animal lovers is the Swift Nature Camp only 2 hours from Minneapolis. This camp offers children the chance to learn about wildlife ecology and conservation, and to get hands-on experience working with a variety of different critters that live in the camp zoo. Campers can participate in activities such as hiking, fishing, and bird watching, and can even adopt the animals in the nature center while they are at camp. Bubba the pig is always a big hit at this summer camp in MN. 

Another great option for younger animal-loving kids is the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul. This camp offers children the chance to explore the zoo and see a wide range of animals, including lions, tigers, gorillas, and more. Campers can also learn about animal behavior, conservation, and environmental science, and can participate in activities such as crafts, games, and nature hikes.

For a more rustic camping experience, Swift Nature Camp offers  campers the chance to participate in activities such as hiking, canoeing, and campfire building, and can also learn about the importance of preserving natural habitats for wildlife.

Minnesota has so much to offer those children that love animals, so don’t let this summer pass your future camper by. 

Learn more about Swift Nature Camp at www.SNC.Camp

There are many reasons why college students may want to work at an overnight summer camp. Some possible reasons include:

1. To gain valuable work experience and develop new skills: Working at an overnight summer camp can provide college students with a unique and challenging work experience that can help them develop a range of skills, such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. This experience can be beneficial for students who are looking to build their resume and prepare for the workforce after college.
3. To earn extra money: Many college students work part-time or full-time jobs to help cover the costs of their education, and working at an overnight summer camp can be a great way to earn some extra money. Camp counselors typically earn a salary, as well as free room and board during the camp season.
5. To have fun and make new friends: Overnight summer camps can be a lot of fun, and many college students enjoy the opportunity to spend the summer outdoors, participating in activities like hiking, swimming, and campfires. Working at an overnight summer camp can also provide college students with the chance to make new friends and be a part of a tight-knit community.
7. To give back and make a difference: Many college students are interested in giving back to their communities and making a positive impact on others. Working at an overnight summer camp can provide them with the opportunity to do this, by helping to provide a fun and enriching experience for children and teenagers who attend the camp.
   
   If you are looking for a summer camp job in Wisconsin please check out Swift Nature Camp at SNC.Camp

Sending a child to overnight summer camp can be a costly endeavor for many parents. The cost of camp fees, transportation, and other expenses can add up quickly, making it difficult for some families to afford. However, there are several ways that parents can save money on the cost of overnight summer camp, including:

Sending a child to overnight summer camp can be a costly endeavor for many parents. The cost of camp fees, transportation, and other expenses can add up quickly, making it difficult for some families to afford. However, there are several ways that parents can save money on the cost of overnight summer camp, including:

1. Consider choosing a camp that is closer to home. Transportation costs can be a significant expense when sending a child to overnight summer camp. Choosing a camp that is closer to home can help reduce transportation costs, as well as make it easier for parents to visit their child during the camp session.

1. Look for camps that offer additional activities or amenities included in the camp fees. Some camps may offer additional activities or amenities, such as horseback riding or water sports, as part of the camp fees. Choosing a camp that includes these activities can help reduce the need for additional expenses and save money in the long run. Learn more at www.SNC.Camp

1. 
   Consider opting for a shorter camp session. Many camps offer multiple session lengths, ranging from one week to several weeks. Choosing a shorter session can help reduce the overall cost of camp, while still allowing your child to have a fun and rewarding summer camp experience.

1. Ask about group discounts. Some camps may offer group discounts for families or organizations that send multiple children to the same camp. If you know other families who are also interested in sending their children to overnight summer camp, consider asking the camp if they offer group discounts and if you are eligible.

1. Consider crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a popular way to raise money for a variety of causes, including the cost of overnight summer camp. You can set up a crowdfunding campaign on a platform like GoFundMe and ask friends, family, and others to contribute to help cover the cost of camp fees.

In conclusion, there are several ways that parents can save money on the cost of overnight summer camp. By looking for camps that offer discounts or financial assistance, choosing a camp that is closer to home, opting for a shorter camp session, and asking about group discounts, parents can save on the cost of sending their child to camp. Additionally, crowdfunding can be a helpful way to raise money to cover camp fees.

Teen Leadership Camp is a wonderful way for todays 16 & 17 year olds to gain independance, learn leadership and improve social skills all while having a fun time without a screen. Plus, camp often counts as High School Volunter Hours. 
To learn all the details click- Teen Leadership Program to learn more about camp click Swift Nature Camp. Be sure to click the parent button on the top of the page to learn more.

Recently, we came accross the below article in the Washington Post. We found it extremely informative because it highlights the what and the why parents send their children to overnight summer camp. Something we have been wondering for years, because doing so as a parent is counter intuitive. You send your children into the woods to live with a bunch of folks they do not know while your children are directly supervised by college students, it makes no sense. Yet, after one summer parents get it. They see the benefits, children mature and gain independent in ways that can only happen away from home. If you are new to summer camp or a returning parent please read and think how camp this summer, camp will have a positive effect your child.

I send my kids to sleep-away camp to give them a competitive advantage in life

By Laura Clydesdale

May 9, 2016

“Do you even like your children?” the woman I had just met asked me.

The audacity of the question took my breath away. I had been chatting with her, explaining that my kids go to sleep-away camp for two months every year.

I quickly realized two things at once: She was obnoxious, and she actually didn’t care if I missed my kids during the summer. She was talking about something else.

I didn’t have to tell her the reason I “send them away” for most of the summer is because I like them. They adore camp, and it’s actually harder on me than it is on them. I often tell people that the first year they were both gone, it felt like I had lost an arm. I wandered around the house from room to room experiencing phantom limb pain.

Now, instead of being offended, I got excited.

I was going to be able to tell her something that my husband and I rarely get to explain: We do it because we truly think it will help our kids be successful in life. With under-employment and a stagnating labor market looming in their future, an all-around, sleep-away summer camp is one of the best competitive advantages we can give our children.

Huh?

Surely, college admissions officers aren’t going to be impressed with killer friendship bracelets or knowing all the words to the never-ending camp song “Charlie on the M.T.A.” Who cares if they can pitch a tent or build a fire?

Indeed, every summer my kids “miss out” on the specialized, résumé-building summers that their peers have. Their friends go to one-sport summer camps and take summer school to skip ahead in math. Older peers go to SAT/ACT prep classes. One kid worked in his dad’s business as an intern, while another enrolled in a summer program that helped him write all his college essays.

Many (this woman included) would say that I’m doing my children a serious disservice by choosing a quaint and out-of-date ideal instead. There are online “Ivy League Coaches” that might say we are making a terrible mistake.

We don’t think this is a mistake at all. It might not be something to put on the college application (unless my child eventually becomes a counselor), but that isn’t the goal for us.

Our goal is bigger.

We are consciously opting out of the things-to-put-on-the-college-application arms race, and instead betting on three huge benefits of summer camp, which we believe will give them a true competitive advantage — in life:

1. Building creativity.

2. Developing broadly as a human being.

3. Not-living-in-my-basement-as-an-adult independence.

MIT’s Erik Brynjolfsson says, in his book “The Second Machine Age,” that we have reached a pivotal moment where technology is replacing skills and people at an accelerated pace. He argues that creativity and innovation are becoming competitive advantages in the race against artificial intelligence, because creativity is something a machine has a hard time replicating.

The problem is that creativity seems so intangible.

Steve Jobs once said, “Creativity is just connecting things.” He believed that people invent when they connect the dots between the experiences they’ve had. To do this, he argued that we need to have more experiences and spend more time thinking about those experiences.

Indeed. According to Adam Grant’s book “Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World,” researchers at Michigan State University found that to receive the Nobel Prize, you need deep study in your field and those broad experiences Jobs was talking about. They studied the winning scientists from 1901 through 2005 and compared them with typical scientists living at the same time. Grant writes that the Nobel Prize winners were:

* Two times more likely to  play an instrument, compose or conduct.

* Seven times more likely to draw, paint or sculpt.

* Seven-and-a-half times more likely to do woodwork or be a mechanic, electrician or glassblower.

* Twelve times more likely to write poetry, plays, novels or short stories.

* And 22 times more likely to be an amateur actor, dancer or magician.

You read that right. Magician.

It’s not just that this kind of original thinker actively seeks out creative pursuits. These original experiences provide a new way of looking at the world, which helped the prize-winners think differently in their day jobs.

The beauty of summer camp is that not only do kids get to do all sorts of crazy new things, they also get to do it in nature, which lends its own creative boost.

Most importantly, my kids have such intensely packed schedules full of sports, music, art classes, community service and technological stimulation throughout the school year that it makes finding these all-important quiet mental spaces more difficult.

Summers provide a much-needed opportunity for my children to unplug, achieve focus and develop those creative thought processes and connections.

Okay, okay. Creativity might be a compelling tool to beat out that neighbor girl applying to the same college, but what about this “developing broadly as a human being” stuff?

I didn’t come up with that phrase. Harvard did.

William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions at Harvard, Marilyn McGrath, director of admissions at Harvard and Charles Ducey, with Harvard’s graduate school of education, penned a compelling letter to parents. It practically begs and pleads with them to reevaluate the summer extracurriculars race and to “bring summer back,” with an “old-fashioned summer job” perhaps, or simply time to “gather strength for the school year ahead.”

Fitzsimmons writes, “What can be negative is when people lose sight of the fact that it’s important to develop broadly as a human being, as opposed to being an achievement machine. In the end, people will do much better reflecting, perhaps through some down time, in the summer.”

In terms of “developing broadly as a human being,” summer camp can provide an impressive list of life skills.

Studies over the past decade have shown outdoor programs stimulate the development of interpersonal competencies, enhance leadership skills and have positive effects on adolescents’ sense of empowerment, self-control, independence, self-understanding, assertiveness, decision-making skills, self-esteem, leadership, academics, personality and interpersonal relations.

Now for the cherry on top: Independence.

Michael Thompson, the author of “Homesick and Happy,” has written, “… there are things that, as a parent, you cannot do for your children, as much as you might wish to. You cannot make them happy (if you try too hard they become whiners); you cannot give them self-esteem and confidence (those come from their own accomplishments); you cannot pick friends for them and micro-manage their social lives, and finally you cannot give them independence. The only way children can grow into independence is to have their parents open the door and let them walk out. That’s what makes camp such a life-changing experience for children.”

So, yes, Ms. Tiger Mom, I am letting my children walk out the door and make useless lanyards for two months.

They might not have anything “constructive” to place on their college application, but they will reflect, unwind, think and laugh. They will explore, perform skits they wrote themselves and make those endless friendship bracelets to tie onto the wrists of lifelong friends.

The result will be that when they come back through our door, we’re pretty sure that, in addition to having gobs of creativity and independence, they’ll be more comfortable with who they are as people.

And just maybe they’ll even bring back a few magic tricks.

Laura Clydesdale lives in Berkeley, Calif., with her husband and children. She blogs at lauraclydesdale.com. Follow her on Twitter @l_clydesdale.

As summer camp directors we often see the "magic" of camp. Sure we know alot of hard work and dedication goes into each summer to make it a success. But something much more than fun comes out of camp, we see it every summer , Below is an article I recently found in Chicago Parent Magazine written by a Mom that see the benefits

The greatest gift my parents ever gave me was the privilege of summer camp — a tradition we’ve passed on to my children. At camp I learned to water ski, sail, canoe and horseback ride. I can make a killer lanyard key chain or beaded necklace. But these are just the things that you DO at camp. It’s what happens in between all of these activities that make camp so special.

Here are 5 things you learn at camp that stay with you for a lifetime.

Learn more about Summer Camp Jobs at camp by visiting CAMP JOBS