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Health & Fitness

The Top 10 Best Summer Camp Traditions

With sun-filled, summer days come the age old tradition of summer camp.  Summer camp is a place for children to expand their horizons and enjoy their school recess in a safe, structured environment.  Many summer camps have unique traditions that campers, staff and parents will keep with them for a lifetime. Whether you are a camper looking forward to summer, an alumni looking back at the days of summer freedom or new to the entire camp scene, this top 10 list of the best summer camp traditions will get anyone excited for camp!
#10: The Camp DVD:  While you can’t see your child in action at school, most summer camps will take multiple hours of footage throughout the summer so you can stay connected and see how your children are enjoying their camp experience. Kids can’t wait to get their hands on the annual “Camp DVD” to find themselves on screen and show off their favorite activities to friends and family.
#9: Carnival: From face-painting, to water slides, to “fake marriage booths,” many camps have their own impressive version of a carnival. Almost all camps give out carnival snack favorites like popcorn and cotton candy and award kid-friendly prizes.  There is no greater feeling for a camper to show off their baseball skills and knock their counselor into the shivering dunk tank waters!
#8: Celebrity Visits:
From sports stars to Hollywood A- listers, you can always expect a surprise celebrity visit to be up the sleeve of the camp director. Sleepaway camps often utilize celebrities to break color war, but day camps don’t miss out on the fun either.  Rolling River Day Camp’s Director Rhonda Goodman stated “Last summer, our children enjoyed the music of Disney Channel’s Trevor Jackson and we were lucky to meet Buddy Valastro of the smash hit TV show, Cake Boss, as he presented our camp with a 20 year anniversary cake.  The kids and celebrities had an absolute blast!”
#7: Gaga:
Although this sport is not well known outside of the camp industry, gaga is one of the most popular activities at camp. The rules are similar to dodgeball: children use their hands to push a rubber ball into their opponent’s foot, therefore knocking them out of that round.  Children look forward to camp-wide tournaments and it is an honor to be crowned the “gaga champion” of your group.
#6: Meet your Counselor Day:
  Many camps offer the opportunity to come into camp a few weeks early to meet the counselors and other campers in the group. For the children, it is a great way to meet their group mates and counselors through fun ice breakers and games. While camp does not actually start on this date, this introduction day marks the official start of summer to countless camp families.
#5: Apache Relay: The Apache Relay is a camp-wide relay race where children compete in skills that combine intelligence, agility, strength and teamwork. Such tasks can include creating a camper pyramid, solving a puzzle, potato sack races and more! The end of the apache relay is both a thrilling and gratifying experience itself, as many end with a half court shot, rope burn or some other memorable activity.
 #4: Dirt Cups: Don’t worry parents, there is no actually dirt involved in this popular summer time snack. Dirt cups combine chocolate pudding with crunchy Oreo cookies and gummy worms to refresh campers on those hot summer afternoons. Where else can you eat a cup full of dirt for snack? 
 #3 Bucket Brigade: The object of bucket brigade is simple: line up along the pool or large tub of water and pass buckets from camper to camper into an empty bucket at the end of the line. The first line of campers to fill the empty bucket wins. While hundreds of strategies have been tested, two of the most common words of wisdom in this contest include “slow and steady win the race” and “drop and pass.” Just make sure your buckets don’t have holes in the side!
#2: Flag Raising:
While children say the Pledge of Allegiance during the school year, certain summer camps take this to the next level. Sleepaway camps often play reveille to wake sleepy campers up from their bunks and day camps use this time to come together and get the children excited for the day.
#1 Color War:
Spirit, competition and sportsmanship are all skills developed during this once-a-summer tradition that breaks camp into multiple opposing teams. Throughout this time, campers and staff can be seen singing songs, dressing in team colors, and creating their teams plague or poster. Some of the best memories from color war are the team names and the themes of the year.  Color War is an incredible demonstration of pride and bonds campers for life.


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