SCamp Life: The Programming Side

If you are a camp that does programming/activities year-round, this episode will be a good help on some retreat ideas for you! The group talks about different events they have done (or seen done at other camps) that have been successful! 

Whoa! What a summer it has been. While camp pros kept hearing things like, "Aren't you happy to be running camp again?", many of us had possibly the worst summer ever, filled with camper behavior issues, parent complaints, low staff numbers, etc. Yet, some camps did just fine. In this episode, the crew talk about their summer experience...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

No the podcast has not changed to a travel show. We are comparing two places as metaphors for summer camps. There is definitely differences in both of these theme parks and we want you to think what kind of “theme park” your camp is! How can your place strive to be better and thought of by others as the Disney World of Camps? Check out this week’s episode to get you thinking about improving your p...

Well since the Trio talked about Camper Recognition in the last episode, they decided they should probably talk about Staff Recognition as well! What are some ways you show appreciation to your camp staff? The Scamp-Life crew have some unique ways they do it at their camps or have seen done at other places. Whether it’s special apparel, or appreciation cards, or Dunkin coffee, you’re sure to find...

From the words of a very wise person, Mr. T: “You better recognize fool!”. And if Mr. T wants us to do it, then we better do it! This week’s episode talks all about Camper Recognition from awards to prizes to buttons to just some nice words. Looking for ways to make your campers feel just a bit more special while at your facility? Give this podcast a listen!

How does your camp celebrate National Sleepy Head Day? Or National Hammock Day? Maybe you celebrate International Ax Throwing Day. No? Well then it’s time to start! Incorporating these odd holidays into your summer can really add some magic to your camp! Check out some ideas the trio have on creating camp programs around odd holidays in this week’s episode!

How do you make your hikes better? Just add a dash of scavenger hunts, 2 teaspoons of outdoor education, 1 liter of story times, and a pinch of games! Looking to spice up hiking time at camp? Check out this week’s episode for some new ideas!

The OGs (Original Goobers) are back by themselves this week discussing a topic they love to talk about, well besides camp! Puzzle Races! Don’t know what puzzle races are? Think fun programming for your clever campers! If you’re looking to be well rounded in your games and activities, be sure to add some of these fun, brainy, activities to your camp!

Happy Birthday to you! We got you a present: an episode dedicated to unique ideas for birthdays, mail calls, and attention getters! Does your camp have any fun traditions for these? Looking to change up what you currently do? Check out this week for something different! Also, there should be a receipt in the bag if you want to return your present!

Curt, Chris and Kelie each share 3 very unique and different ideas that you can add to your summer camp. If you’re looking for something a little bit different that many other camps do not have, check out this episode.

This week’s podcast focuses on customer service! This is such an important topic for camps. Learn some great tips and ideas as well as how you can teach customer service to your camp staff!  “Do what you do so well that they will come back, and tell their friends!” – Walt Disney

The Summer Camp Life Trio are back this week with some interesting thoughts on teaching skills to the campers. What does teaching skills to campers look like? What skills should I teach? Who is teaching? Why is my car on fire? If you’ve ever asked yourself those questions, then check out the podcast this week!

While you may still be on a Counselor Hunt for hiring, these hunts are all about the hide-and-seek game that’s played during the summer with the campers! All three of our hosts definitely have differing ideas of the best way to play this game, so check it out for a variety of ideas on this fun camp pastime!

Chris and Kelie are in the middle of their own staff training at their camps and therefore know how tedious it can be! During this episode, they give some fun and easy-to-add ideas to help make those Training Weeks better. Just some simple things that you can quickly add to your agenda to take Staff Training from blah to yeah!

The Scamp Life Podcasters have a very timely 2-part episode all about Social Distancing Activities. These two episodes are a perfect listen for you program staff and counselors. We recommend sending the link to this episode to those staff members or saving it to listen to during staff training this year!

The trio have a very timely 2-part episode all about Social Distancing Activities. These two episodes are a perfect listen for you program staff and counselors. We recommend sending the link to this episode to those staff members or saving it to listen to during staff training this year!

Does your camp have kiddos who get homesick? Does your camp have parents who have a hard time letting their kids go? Do you work at a camp?!?!? Check in with the Scamp Life Crew this week for some excellent tips on dealing with homesick campers as well as parents who have a bit of a hard time leaving! This week’s episode also makes for great listening to summer staff as they will be dealing with a...

The group talks with Royleane Allen of 413 Strengthgear this week to discuss all things camp store again (but this time from a vendor’s point of view)! Royleane has some great tips and tricks for Camp Store Directors on what they should and should not buy for their store. Check out this episode if you are prepping your store for the summer!

Our podcast trio welcome back Samantha Townsend of Kennolyn Camps this week to discuss changes she will be making to camp this summer. There’s lots of changes and great ideas to help with new COVID restrictions.  If you run an sleep-away camp and plan to open this summer, check out this week’s episode for some things you maybe didn’t think of!

Kellie and Curt interview Shanelle Lambert-Rauh, director of Whippoorwill Farm Day Camp, about the lessons learned from running day camp in 2020 and how those will apply to the 2021 summer season. If you run a day camp and weren't able to offer programs last summer, this is the episode for you. You'll get some great insight on things you may not have thought about.

In this fun episode, the three camp pros discuss all the things staff don't like about camp. From curfews to cell phones to paperwork, they cover pretty much everything. The best part? The Scamp Life Crew give some great suggestions on how to help your staff deal with some of these things they hate! Check out this week as you prep for staff training this summer to nip any problems in the bud!

This is part two of our interview with Jason Brown on how to run and maintain a successful camp store. In this episode, Jason gives his ideas on how to set up a store if you don't have the space, his favorite (and least favorite) camp store items, the craziest item he has seen in a camp store, storage tricks, and he ends it with a final tip. 

In this two-part episode, the SCamp Life crew (now with 3 rockin' co-hosts!) talk with Jason Brown all about how to run and maintain a successful camp store. Jason is a pro at this and built his store from the ground up and has since been asked by ACA to teach classes on it! If this is something you are considering for your camp, be sure to check out this two-part episode. 

Kelly Coulthard co-hosts this episode as the three talk about the anatomy of a great special event.

Shauna Guglielmo joins the guys this week to talk about her Zoo Camp. As the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo Camp, Shauna has a ton of great ideas for implementing animals into your own program, as does Chris. She also has some great insight on doing camps on location at public places. This is definitely one of Chris’ favorite episodes because it’s a lot of discussion about animals! If you enjoy...