Camp Fire

Camp Fire

How to Choose a Summer Camp

Choosing the right summer camp for your child can be a challenging and sometimes overwhelming task. Since there's a seemingly endless variety of choices to consider, matching the ideal camp to your child's interests, personality, and busy schedule can be daunting. Furthermore, as a parent, you have the responsiblity of ensuring the camp you choose for your child is operated in a safe and appropriate manner for your child's age and skill levels.

The following is a camp selection checklist for parents to consider when considering summer camp opportunities for their kids:

1. Identify the camp's program emphasis.

Every camp has a different philosophy and program emphasis. Some camps promote structured group activities, while others give campers more individualized freedom to pick and choose the individual activities that appeal to them. Some camps offer strictly traditional activities, while others may focus exclusively on sports, drama, or surfing. Or, maybe your child would flourish in a competitive camp environment whereas another child would be better off participating in non-competitive camp activities. By knowing your child's personality, interests, personality traits, and learning style, you can better identify the right camp for you.

2. Confirm that the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association.

In order to earn accreditation by the American Camp Association (ACA), camps must comply with up to 300 best-practice industry standards relating to camper health, safety, supervision and activity planning and execution which are crucial to a camp's operation.

3. Ask about the camp director's background.

To ensure that the camp director is qualified, make sure he or she meets the minimum standards set forth by the ACA. Such standards recommend that camp director holds a bachelor's degree, has in-depth experience in camp administration, performed in-service training during the last three years, and is at least 25 years old.

4. Camper-to-counselor ratios. To make sure your child is getting the individual attention and supervision he or she needs for his or her age, compare the camp's counselor-to-camper ratio to ACA standards. For day camps, the general ratios range from 8:1 for 6, 7 and 8 year olds, to 10:1 for 9 to 14 year olds, and 12:1 for campers ages 15 to 17. For sleepaway camps, the general recommended ratio is 6:1 for 7 and 8 year olds, 8:1 for 9 to 14 year olds and 10:1 for campers ages 15 to 17.

(Please note, the above-cited child-to-counselor ratio standards are only ACA's general, MINIMUM recommendations and may vary depending on various situations and/or conditions. Moreover, there could be additional standards relating to specific programs and/or activities where more supervision may be prudent, if not required. Accordingly, you should use your own judgement and conduct your own research to decide what is appropriate for you and your child.)

5. Inquire about camp staff: Your child's counselors can make or break a child's camp experience.

In addition to facilitating camp activities, counselors serve as role models and should be dependable, trustworthy, and show enthusiasm for their job. For safety reasons, counselors should also be CPR and First Aid-Certified and have undergone criminal background checks prior to employment by the camp.

6. Accommodation of special needs.

If your child has special needs due to an allergy or other medical condition, be sure to ask if the camp is equipped to handle these requirements.

7. Find out about how the camp handles discipline.

As in any organization, rules need to be followed and the camp's disciplinary approach should be fair, reasonable and openly communicated. Positive reinforcement, a sense of fair play and assertive role-modeling are important things to look for. If penalties apply to certain violations, camp staff should apply them fairly, calmly and without unnecessary criticism.

8. Check the camp's references.

References can provide you with a glimpse of the experiences others have had at a camp, and they are an important way of checking out a camp's track record and reputation. Before you choose a camp, the camp director should be willing to provide references upon request.

Good luck choosing a camp and have a great summer!

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Eric D. Naftulin is the owner/operator of Aloha Beach Camp, an aquatic sports summer day camp for kids and teens ages 4 to 15 in Los Angeles, California. Try Aloha Beach Camp and learn to surf, boogie board, wakeboard, jet ski and more.

how to smoke a deer over a camp fire?

if I smoke a deer over a camp fire, would it be better to do it in the open, or cover it with coniferous trees in a tipi type of shape?

You cant use many types of wood or plants some will ruin the meat others are toxic. You want hickory, alder, cotton wood, apple wood or mesquite for the smoke and if you use alder remove the bark for a better flavor. You need two fires one is just hot coals the other is to make the coals. Do not use Pine, spruce, fir, hemlock, cypress, cedar, larch or any pines, conifers or evergreens for any part of this!

Build a rack out of green wood that’s far enough away from the coals as not to burn. Strip the bark off some slender straight branches to support the strips of meat. You cant smoke a whole deer in such a primitive outdoor set up as the meat will go bad in thick areas like the hams and joints of bones. You would have to have a smoker with absolute control of temperature and inject a brine solution into the hams and joints and this requires skill. So stick to strips of meat. Mix ¼ cup of season salt, ¼ cup of brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of pepper to each gallon of water, soak the meat strips cut not thicker than ½ in the mix (mix well) and let soak over night. Then hang them on the rack. Make a teepee frame around the rack with plenty of room and an opening to replace coals and green hickory wood chips or any of the wood I listed for smoking. {do not let the meat touch eachother} Cover teepee with branches then a old cotton bed sheet, canvas, animal hide or woven cattail leaves. Do not use evergreen.
You want smoke not heat so dont get the coal bed too hot. Keep adding green wood and coals to keep a heavy smoke coming out of the top and cover the opening to the coals with something to reduce air flow. After smoking for 24 to 36 hours you should have some very tasty smoked meat.
As long as there is smoke you wont have flies or insects but if you let it go out you could ruin the whole batch. If it goes out on a cool night that’s ok jut not when the flies are out. Once you get it down you won’t have to add coals or green wood that often; maybe every 4 hours.

In time you will learn how to control the smoking process and then can smoke larger pieces of meat, fish and birds.
If you only have dry wood to smoke with, get it real wet in water before placing on the coals for more smoke. Remember you want smoke not flames.

Yep I smoke lots of critters.

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Buffalo Tools Folding Camp Grill $23.59 Commence cooking with the perfect portable grillMakes any outdoor campfire a great cooking areaHandy size is a ideal addition to your camping cookware

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