Bullying
A camper is sitting alone in the front field while the rest of their cabin is playing volleyball
BONUS: Name what type of bullying this is
Go to the camper and ask them if there is any activity that they would like to do with you. If it's not your camper, find their counselor and make them aware of the situation
Exclusion
How would you help the campers to stay safe in a heatwave/extremely hot weather
BONUS where should a camper apply their sunscreen and bug spray
make sure they put on sunscreen and have their hats on. Make sure they are drinking plenty of water and if you are running a session outside try to stay in the shade as much as possible
On the porch of their cabin
You are a first year staff member and you have a homesick camper. You have tried everything that you know how to do, but nothing seems to help calm this camper.
BONUS: What should you never do to help a homesick camper
Go to another counselor, could be another first year because maybe they have other ideas , and ask them what they would do. Get them to tell you what works for them and what you should not do.
Call their parents
A camper is more quiet at meals and picking at their food
How could you get them to eat their food
Answer: Could be a sign they are homesick. Ask them questions about themselves and home so they can feel more comfortable and appreciated at camp
Have a contest with the camper and see who can get their plate the cleanest.)
A camper in your cabin wants control and power
What game could you run where this camper could control something
Let them do the scraping/dishes at meals to give them the feeling of accomplishment and control.
Mafia
Meerkat is sitting with her friends in the park when Thistle comes over and starts to say that meerkats shoes look like something a nerd would wear.
BONUS Name what type of bullying this is
First tell thistle that her words are not nice and that you think that meerkat needs an apology. Just because thistle doesn’t like meerkats shoes, doesn't mean that Meerkat doesn’t like her shoes. Also tell meerkat that you like her shoes.
Verbal
You are running a session and a camper falls and barely scrapes their knee.
BONUS where do you think that you can get easy access to band aids
no need to get the medic, you can deal with it on your own. Maybe have them go to the bathroom to clean off dirty and grab a bandaid
In the medics office in the longhouse
You are trying to think of a session to run with a certain age group but all the popular sessions are taken.
BONUS: Name 5 sessions that you could run at camp. You need 1 sport, 1 craft, and 1 circle game
Ask another counselor for good session ideas or what works best for that certain age group. Better yet, try to brainstorm a new session
A camper is talking about home constantly. Always wanting to write letters to their family.
What is an easy game to run with your cabin to keep them busy
Try keeping them busy by running a game with your cabin
Any circle game will work
A group of campers are creating a whirlpool during their swimming session. A campers swim suit comes off and people are laughing at them.
BONUS: How many counselors are on water duty
Answer: Separate the camper and get another counselor to grab a towel to cover them while you try to find their bathing suit.
2
Thistle and her brother both came up to camp the same week and they were not getting along very well. One day while you are swimming, you notice thistles brother, punch thistle.
BONUS: Name what type of bullying this is
Separate the two of them. There are always two counselors swimming so make sure each counselor is with each kid. Try to calm both of the campers down and then ask them what happened. Once you have the story, have them both talk to each other. After the session is over, call their counselors so that they can look out and make sure this situation doesn't happen again.
Physical Bullying
If in the morning you find out a camper peed their bed last night
BONUS: If a camper pees their bed, and the other kids are making fun of them, what type of bullying is it
Don’t tell any other camper. You can get their stuff washed and assure them that it is ok and could distract them with a game if they are upset or embarrassed about it.
Verbal Bullying
You and the other counselors are up in the staff room after your cabins go to bed. One of the staff says something that you are not super comfortable with.
What do you do if the comment is discriminatory
Get up and walk away, say that you are not comfortable talking about that topic, or talk to management later if you don't feel comfortable confronting that counselor individually
Talk to management immediately
A camper is wanting to be alone during group activities
BONUS: What can you tell them to get them excited about their time at camp
Could be a sign of homesickness. Try to get them excited about the activity and you could tell them that after the session during free time they could write about the day so they won’t forget and can tell their family when they are home again
Tell them about all the fun things that are planned for tomorrow. Maybe tell them what sessions that are being run and maybe plan what sessions they want to be in
A cabin group asks you to watch their talent show act and their dance routine is not camp appropriate.
BONUS: Name one camp rule
Tell them that this dance is not camp appropriate. If they want to do something at the talent show, they are going to have to come up with a new dance.
The kids in your cabin are all hanging out. One of your campers is a bit odd and does not quite fit in with the rest of the cabin. They are all joking around and start to call that odd camper names. He thinks they are joking around, but they are making fun of him. You tell them to stop, but the camper says it's fine and that he thinks it's funny.
BONUS what type of bullying is this
Tell your cabin that their words and actions are not camp appropriate. It doesn't matter if he thinks it's funny or not, it's still not ok. If the situation doesn't improve, go to the program coordinator. Also ask other counselors to keep an eye out for this behaviour.
Verbal Bullying
You are running Hike To The Point (can explain the session if they don’t know), one camper trips and badly hurts their leg.
BONUS: Why is it important to separate the kids
Answer: have one of the counselors take the kids away from the hurt camper and distract them with a game. Have the other counselor be with the hurt camper, try to aid them and call for first aid.
So that the other kids don’t get in the way of you trying to help the injured camper, as well as it distracts them if there is blood.
It's week 5 and all the counselors are feeling pretty comfortable around each other. Everyone is joking around but someone makes a comment about you that really hurts your feelings and you are not ok with it.
What would you do if there was a screaming match in the staff room
Talk to the counselor who made that comment and tell them that it made you feel bad and that you didn't appreciate the comment, even if it was a joke.
Get management immediately
A camper would cry during rest time for no obvious reason
What is one other way you could distract a camper from being homesick
bring away from the other campers and try to talk them through the problem. If it is a young kid you could grab a stuffed animal for the medic and tell the kid it was one of yours and you want them to take care of it. To distract them for missing home
Writing letters to home, tell them about your family
Its free time, and the bell starts ringing continuously. what does this mean.
BONUS When are you allowed to leave the cabin when this happens
There is a lockdown. Drop everything and run to the nearest cabin.
When the air horn sounds. Run to the logs and sit quietly until your cabin number is called.