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Today’s Friendship Skill: Introduce Yourself!

Today’s Friendship Skill: Introduce Yourself!

Monday evening at Camper Orientation, we reviewed the important friendship skill (especially when you're at a new place!) of introducing yourself to others. Campers practiced introducing themselves to a camper in another cabin group (since they already met everyone in their own cabin group yesterday). We're already making friends here at GAC!

Resources/Related

7 Simple Steps to Teach Kids to Introduce Themselves

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How to Respond to a Homesick Letter from Your Camper

How to Respond to a Homesick Letter from Your Camper

The Sad Letter

You're anticipating with much excitement your camper's first letter from camp. It finally arrives, and this is what it says... “I want to come home!" "It's awful here." "I hate everything." "This is worse than prison." [caption id="attachment_6038" align="aligncenter" width="1166"] From: https://thoughtcatalog.com/melanie-berliet/2013/08/10-desperate-letters-i-wrote-from-sleepaway-camp-and-the-separation-anxiety-i-still-cant-shake/[/caption]

Your Options

Option #1:  Hop in your car and drive to rescue your child immediately. Option #2:  Take a deep breath and think about possible next steps.  As a veteran camp director with a lot of experience helping campers (and parents) work through the difficult transition that often accompanies being away from home, especially the first time, I would highly recommend you choose option 2. It will be better for both you and your child. Getting a sad letter from your child is difficult, but, as experienced camp parents will tell you, you should expect to receive at least one sad letter during your camper’s time at camp. Letters are usually written during quiet times when campers are feeling more reflective. Often, even when they've written a super sad letter, the camper is actually adjusting well to camp and is letting you know the emotions they felt during a particularly down time (like rest hour or bedtime).

Next Steps

If you feel uneasy after hearing from your camper, here are a few steps you can take (after your deep breaths, of course):
June Parent Coffee

June Parent Coffee

"Unplug to Connect"

Most of us feel like we and our kids are spending too much time on our screens, but what can we realistically do to change? Are you interested in changing your family's relationships to screens? Because we are a completely unplugged camp (staff, too!), one of the best things that happens at GAC is the tech detox. Join us for a discussion about using your child's time at camp this summer as a catalyst for family-wide improvements in your relationships with screens and with each other!

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90th Year Reunion This Summer!

90th Year Reunion This Summer!

Gold Arrow Camp is celebrating 90 years! If you are a former GAC camper or staff member, please help us celebrate this incredible milestone on August 19, 2023. If you're not sure that we have your current contact information, please join our searchable Alumni Guestbook. Gold Arrow Camp has a long, rich history and we would like to continue to update our alumni database to share upcoming reunion events and news. Check out more details and a link to register for the 90th Year Reunion Dinner. We hope you'll join us on August 19 to reminisce about your days (and years) spent at good 'ol G-A-C.

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