My hands are covered in paint and marker, I smell like chlorine and sunscreen, and am exhausted at 7:00 p.m.-- these are all things that any camp counselor would recognize. At the end of my first week of summer camp, I have not only had all of these symptoms but relish in them; they all are positive signs for the summer ahead. I am looking forward to see what the next week holds, but first must take a closer look at my past week. What activities worked well this week?: Luckily, all of the campers this week were very positive and open towards any activity brought forward. One activity they really responded to was a scavenger hunt around the club. We had to take a picture with each item on the list, which they really enjoyed looking at once all teams were finished. My fellow counselors and I decided that we would make the scavenger hunts a weekly activity. Another observation I had was about the crafts. The kids enjoyed crafts each morning, but had more fun when the crafts were more extensive. I made it a point to remember to have well thought out crafts each day of camp. Any room for improvement?: Since it was the first week of camp, I do not yet feel like I have begun to work really well with my other counselors. They are all positive people and hard working, but there is still a small barrier between us. I expect that this will go away with time and as we get more comfortable, but it is my current goal to improve communication and working relationships with my coworkers. What did I do right, in terms of leadership? How can I further develop this?: One thing I did well, in terms of leadership, was delegate specific situations to myself. One example of this was with camp games. I brought in a list of camp games to play throughout our summer, and led a few of them during our first week. I also had to show the new counselors the ropes in some cases, such as were to eat lunch, how much time to give the campers to change, and so on. I want to develop this by taking charge of more situations, but also by observing our lead counselor. She not only runs the kids program at the fitness club, but is also a mother of three. She has several leadership qualities that I can observe and try to emulate in the coming week. Any applications for student teaching?: The first day of summer camp strongly reminds me of the first day of school. First impressions are important, and rules must be set. I believe the way I acted this week can carry over to how I will start my student teaching experience in the fall. Biggest takeaway from the week: You can never be too cautious! Though this may seem like common sense, I was never happier with myself than this week, when I happened to have at least ten Band-aids with me. The amount of random bumps and scrapes the campers had within the first two days of summer camp was astounding. We also had a camper with a severe peanut allergy, so I was pretty anxious about all of the kids washing their hands after eating cookies that may have nuts. I think as someone who works with children in any case, it is important to be cautious and of course, prepared. Pictures: Some of our crafts from this week included (from top to bottom) nature tic-tac-toe, a paper plate bird, and a macaroni necklace. |
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AuthorAn early childhood major blogging about how both her education and leadership skills play out in her role as a summer camp counselor. Archives
August 2015
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