Morning & Night routines
You wake up your bunk and one of your campers doesn't want to change from their P-Js before going to flag. What do you do?
Nothing! Campers are allowed to show up to flag & breakfast wearing their P-Js, they are only required to change during cabin clean-up before leaving for their electives.
What are 2 things campers must do every day when it comes to hygiene?
Brush their teeth & shower! (going in the lake does NOT count as a shower)
The name tags make it easier for other campers to remember their peer's names and by doing so feel more comfortable quicker and make deeper connections from the get go.
You're in an evening program led by another counselor. The lead counselor asks campers to split into pairs and one of your campers is left by themselves. What do you do?
YOU JOIN YOUR CAMPER! :)
A few days before Color War you asked a member of the committee to be on a team with your friend. Once the teams were announced you discovered that you and your friend were not on the same team. What do you do?
Drop it! As a member of staff your top priority for Color War should be the campers. Counselors are placed on teams based off of which campers they should be supporting during the event.
It is the first night of camp and one of your campers feels homesick and is having trouble falling asleep. How would you handle the situation?
Start by calming them down through deep breathes or a hug. After that you should ask them if they'd like for you to stay with them until they fall asleep, most campers would take you on that offer. Then just sit next to them.
Two of your campers get into a physical fight during rest hour. What do you do?
You follow the next steps:
1. Break the fight
2. Make sure both campers are ok, if not and Health Center is needed take them there.
3. After things cool down, try and understand what happened.
4. Report to your unit head.
You are in charge of returning the supplies!
You must return them to the original pickup location (the programs office, located at the top of the dining hall), and notify the programs team that you've done so!
It is your first year on staff, you are a JC and on your first day off someone suggest you sleep in an Air BnB. Do you go?
Nope! As a JC you must sleep at camp, the good thing is we have staff bunks for days off so you do not need to sleep with your campers!
You notice that your bunk is constantly late for flag because one of your campers takes a few more minutes to get out of bed every morning. What do you do?
You and your cos should start a rotation where each day one of you wakes up a few minutes earlier to wake up that specific camper and help them keep up with the rest of the group.
You have a camper who has a favorite pair of shorts and they choose to wear them every day. You notice that there's bad smell coming from that camper. What do you do?
Say something along the lines of "Hey, I noticed you really like those shorts, I want to make sure you keep them in good condition, can we put them in the laundry so you get them back clean on Saturday?". They'll probably say yes.
You notice one of your campers has a hard time bonding with other campers, how can you help them?
Try and find things in common between the camper that's struggling and the rest of the bunk, then think of ways to get everyone to see what they have in common.
Your best friend from your age group is your co and they are slacking off in the bunk. What do you do?
Have a conversation with them, try and see if there's a reason behind it, maybe you can help! If it becomes a pattern, go to your unit head!
What is the importance of adding a game like "Rose, Bud, Thorn" to your bedtime routine?
Adding a game to your bedtime routine will help with getting campers to understand when they must be in their beds and how long they have before they go to sleep. It would also give them something to look forward to and create and opportunity for them to bond.
Your camper goes to take a shower every day and comes back with wet hair but you're not sure if they're using soap. What do you do?
Ask the camper to show you their soap, if their soap bottle is full that means they have not been using it. Ask them why, and if it's not an issue with that specific soap go back to the showers with them and make sure they shower using soap.
You have a bunk that were all friends last summer and stayed in touch during the year, but they started disliking one person in the group and are being disrespectful towards them. What do you do?
You talk to the campers who are being disrespectful and explain to them that at camp while we do not have to like everyone we must remain friendly and respectful.
It is the first day of color war and you're about to start the first all camp activity when your camper decides they do not want to participate. What do you?
You feel like you're struggling in your unit, you go to your unit head for help once and do not feel like there's been any change. What do you do?
Speak to your unit head again, explain that you tried doing whatever it was that they suggested you do and ask if they can offer any more support. If they're unsure or you think that you still need more guidance speak to Joelle.
You, your cos and your bunk get to breakfast and you notice that one of your campers is missing. You're asking your cos if they know where the camper is but no one seems to know. Who do you notify and what do you do?
You notify your cos that you're gonna go look for them in order to make sure there's coverage over your other campers for the meal, you can then leave to look for them! If you can't find them after 5 minutes notify your unit head, if after a few more minutes you can't find them notify admin.
You have an Olim camper who is not used to showering by themselves and refuses to shower at camp. What do you do to help them?
Notify your unit head & create a plan! Think of how you can slowly help them transition to showering alone, it might be a multistep process.
In 15 seconds, name 3 signs that a camper might be struggling in the bunk.
Some reasons would be:
Refusing to eat, having a hard time to leave the bunk in the morning, lack of motivation to go to electives, sitting on the side during programs, etc...
4 days before the program!
Your only co asks you to cover the bunk while they handle an emergency. At the same time, your unit head asks you to help carry equipment across camp. What should you do?
Explain to your unit head that you're the counselor currently covering the bunk and that you cannot leave, ask if they can use someone else or if you can help them later.