Displaying items by tag: Children's Summer Camp

Over the past few years I have been happy to act as the Vice President of the Midwest Association of Independent Camps (M.A.I.C.).We represent the very best independently owned and operated summer camps in the Midwest. MAIC includes kids' summer camps in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana. Our organization educates and inspires camping professionals to be their very best.
MAIC is a group of camp professionals who are dedicated to promoting high quality standards in organized camping, while offering children and their parents the best possible summer camp experience. Members of MAIC have been meeting together and sharing ideas, methods and practices since 1960.
To parents looking for a top quality resident camp or day camp in the Midwest: we are a great place to start your camp search. CampsRus.com is a camp directory that represents over 45 of the very best summer camps in the midwest.
If you are looking for an amazing summer camp job working with children, be sure to choose an MAIC camp and start your search here! 
Remember MAIC camps are family run camps that are concerned for each child’s safety and emotional development. Above all else M.A.I.C. camps = fun, fun, fun, fun!

you are looking for a children's summer camp!After you have watched all the camp DVDs and read the brochures, you need references! CampRating is an independent website that allows campers and parents alike to post a note about their summer camp experience. I am so pleased to say that Swift Nature Camp is currently rated one of top 25 summer camps in America. Thats pretty special. Here are just a few of the many positive comment folks have offered about Swift. To read more click Best Summer Camp in Wisconsin

Best camp ever!!!!! I wish I stayed for 6 weeks! 

Swift was the BEST camp I have ever attended! the staff was caring, the whole camp was maintained perfectly and every cabin participated in frequent and awesome activities. They pay attention to table manners and make them fun. SNC has changed me as a person inside and out. With a limit of around 2 or 3 candies a week, it was a very healthy 2 weeks. I wait eagerly for the summer so that I can attend once again. -Gaby, A Former Camper. 

You can't get much better than Swift. Swift Nature Camp is like a second family. You always feel welcome and wanted. Jeff and Lonnie have created and maintain a great summer program full of opportunities beyond your imagination. Where else can you go from being a clown, to jumping on a water trampoline, to dinner over a campfire with just you and your cabinmates. If you're looking for a camp where your adventurous side will be tested Swift is also the place, offering different camping and day trips from Kayaking the fish creek estuary into Lake Superior, to volunteering at the Vince Shutte Bear Sanctuary, to paddling to Picnic Island a 1/4 of mile offshore from camp and having your own private oasis. The staff care about you and it's like the theme song to Cheers, "Everybody knows your name". As someone who has moved on from my camping days into my adult years and thinking about starting a family, when my own kids are older I'd send them to Swift in a heartbeat. You'll be glad you went! I am. 

The Russell W. Hogrefe Fresh Start Fund was established by Russell W. Hogrefe during his tenure as Executive Director of the American Camp Association, Illinois Section. He served in that position from 1979 until his retirement in 1996. Russ spent his entire professional career providing children’s summer camp and other services to families with very low income. 
Teachers, social workers, counselors or other professionals refer campers. ACA Illinois Section staff and the person making the referral select an appropriate day or resident camp program. Camps must be accredited by the American Camp Association.The camper's family is encouraged to pay whatever they can afford for the camping experience. The camp provides a partial campership and the Fund pays the balance.
If you would like to donate fund to help an underprivileged child attend summer camp in 2009 please send a check or make an online donation. Summer camp is an experience that enriches lives and all children should have the opportunity to attend kids summer camp. To learn how Swift Nature Camp can help your child attend camp visit our website.

Please make check payable to:ACA Illinois Section, Russell W. Hogrefe Fresh Start Fund 67 E. Madison Street, Suite 1406 Chicago, Illinois 60603

Camp is so different than home because often at school children hangout with kids that are homogeneous. Thats right all the same, same age, same gender, same community and more. Opportunities to make friends are not much more than others in class or down the block. However, at Swift Nature Camp kids get an opportunity to spend time with others, both younger and older and from different parts of the country or world. It is interesting how often the older teens become natural leaders for the younger kids, by “adopting them”.Not only is this true with campers but also for counselors as well. Our staff are generally college aged folks studying to be teachers. They truly look at SNC as a learning opportunity. They are camper centered making them great role models for todays youth. Then consider the SENIOR staff at camp...the oldsters do round out a super community which entices children to make new friends. 

So when you are thinking about camp it is easy to think about all the activities. However, Summer Camp is so much more! Children’s summer camp is more like the real world, the social benefits of this multiage, multicultural experience are significant. Research has shown getting children ready for multiage, multicultural world only helps them be more successful in life. Camp provides less competitiveness making it much easier to make and keep your summer camp friends.

Ask any camper what makes Swift Nature Camp so special and they will tell you it’s “the new camp friends”. But ask them why any? And they will tell you it’s because they accept me for who I am often unlike my friends at home. I can do stuff at camp that I can never tell my friends back home about.

This year we are so excited that our pottery program will get a blast at camp.  Our new Arts & Crafts Director Laura has years of experience in pottery and working with clay. So this year more than ever before we hope to see campers sculpting, and working on the wheel and kiln firing all those projects. All this means that there are going to be wonderful projects coming out of the ARTS & CRAFTS CASTLE this summer. Stuff like sculpted animals, multi-colored tiles, giant coil pots, and delicate wheel-thrown cups and bowls.
Let nature be a part of your clay work by taking a smooth slab of clay and press natural forms into it so that they leave intricate textures. You know, acorns, twigs, leaves, and tree bark, they all leave amazing patterns. then this can be turned in to a vase or some other vessel or just a fired the way it is.
Swift Nature Camp’s summer pottery program is going to be one of our most exciting programs in the summer of 2009.  There’s almost an endless variety of pottery projects to make which you can take back to home your family and friends.

Swift nature Camp is so much more than FUN. Our tree of Values helps campers concentrate on the importance of group living skills. The life skills that are so important to yourself and to others. The tree has 12 branches that include: Responsibility, Persistence, Honesty, Enthusiasm and a host of others. Nation wide there is a program called Character Counts. This is our program and each day we use these values. But it’s when we focus on them and keep them in the forefront of our daily life that it helps us make good choices. Daily we might see these values as you help another camper carry a hiking pack or maybe as you forgive a camper that touched your stuff. Swift Nature Camp, like life has many opportunities to use the SNC tree of values. After all camp is just a little piece of life that you will never forget.

When Swift Campers think of camp they think of playing outdoors in Nature but they automatically think of the animals in our camp zoo and Nature Center. Our campers are crazy for critters and nature and critters. Not only do we have animals at camp we have guest speakers bring in some animals to camp that we all can appreciate. We have lots of animal related activities and offer the opportunity to interact with animals. Plus, you can even bring your own pet from home. How cool is that? An animal camp that lets you bring your own pets!

1. What's the camp's philosophy?

1. What's the camp's philosophy?

2. How does the camp recruit, screen and train its staff?

3. What about return rates?

4. What's the ratio of counselors to campers?

5. How old are the counselors?

6. What medical staff work at the camp and what backup facilities are nearby?

7. How does the camp handle conflicts and Discipline?

8. What does a typical daily schedule look like?

9. Will the camp be transporting the children?

10. Ask for references.

On our recent trip to Swift Nature Camp we had a chance to meet up with Tom Nilcen aka SUPER TOM.
Most of the campers know him as the kind , friendly caretaker at SNC. Yet, Tom is so much more, he is always willing to help. A day never goes by when he doesn’t help someone. But one thing that most do not know is he is a jokester! Thats right he love to play pranks at camp. So if you happen to see something a little out of place and it brings a smile to your face, chances are its Tom. Swift is so fortunate to have a wonderful guy like him at camp. This will be his 9th summer at Swift Nature Camp and next to camp the thing he loves most is being in the Northwoods on his winter sled!

Lake that camp is situated on is known for its good fishing. Just ask a few of the campers that used their skills this summer to get a few of the pike, bass or pan fish in the lake. However, winter is another time to go fishing, for some they say its the best. They build a little house put it on skis and take it out on to the lake. Look closely and you will see a fishing shack pictured out near picnic island.. Then drill a hole in the ice and wait for the fish to come. On the day we were there, fishing was taking place but we saw no whoppers leave this shack...better luck next time!