ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Skoshi,

We used a Girl Scout campground in Western NY for Camp Inquiry this past
summer. I recommend taking a look at the way the Girl Scouts cover set-up
and all sorts of other considerations. My research concluded that they have
the best knowledge about everything that's involved in planning a camp. One
site I mined for gems, is:

http://www.girlguides.ca/default.asp?id=143#camping

(the Canadian version of Girl Scouts)

The Safe Guide is especially useful.

NY is also well known for having strict regulations. The Health Department
provided a large booklet of all considerations and we were required to
complete a 45-page document outlining all aspects of our camp according to
the template in the booklet. It was a bit like a thesis!

It would probably be worth checking out what Spring Break events the girl /
boy scouts offer. I expect their experience and research resulted in
choosing the best dates for programs.

We have been considering a family cruise but are deciding between the Easter
weekend and the US Thanksgiving weekend instead of Spring Break. Our main
reason in choosing dates is based on when we think the most people will be
able / want to participate. Our members filled out a feedback form re: dates
and only 37% chose Spring Break as the most effective. Our choices were
Spring Break, Winter Break, Thanksgiving, and Easter. We did a separate one
for the summer time.

We charged $500 for a week-long camp. Because our members are spread across
the continent, most would end up paying close to $1000 when you take travel
into consideration. This influenced our numbers considerably and so we plan
to offer two more camps, one in FL and one in Southern CA. The $500 fee,
however, seemed very reasonable - other camps were charging a lot more, it
seemed and we received good feedback from the parents about camp costs. The
$500 was all-inclusive.

We only used staff members who had experience working with children and were
generally enthused about the program. We've learned the hard way that just
picking staff who have the time for a particular program will seriously
influence the quality. We then hired a few outside people to work as
counselors - all with experience in teaching and two with experience in
safety/health issues. We offered a salary of $400 to those who required
payment. We covered any travel expenses. We also allowed staff to bring
along their children at no cost but this would mean they wouldn't receive a
salary. A few people we used were volunteers, two were University students,
two were parents of campers. We also had several guests visit for ~ half a
day for specific activities. Most of them we didn't pay but we either
covered their gas or provided transportation. We noticed that offering a
field trip and swimming greatly increased our numbers.. horseback riding and
other activities that aren't directly connected with our focus on
inquiry-based science and skepticism were other content the kids and parents
seemed interested in. If our program was a 4-day event or less, however, are
program would largely be filled with activities directly related to our
focus. The campers also seemed to want a fair amount of free time to play
games or just sit around and talk. The outdoor activities were far more
popular than indoor activities.

I realize our programs don't have as much in common with those offered by
science centers and museums but I have found this community very
resourceful. Hopefully there is some info above that you'll find useful in
developing your camp program.

Amanda


***

Amanda Chesworth
Educational Director, CSICOP
http://www.csicop.org
Inquiring Minds Program
http://www.inquiringminds.org



----- Original Message -----
From: "Beryl Rosenthal" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: Spring Break Camps


> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
>
****************************************************************************
*
>
> Camp can be an interesting experience.  Your state will no doubt
> define whether you need some sort of "licensing" and what the local
> regs are.  Some states mandate a limited number of hours, etc. (it
> can parallel the daycare laws!!!)
> Beryl
> On Dec 5, 2006, at 6:13 PM, skoshi wise wrote:
>
> > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> > Centers
> > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> > institutions.
> > **********************************************************************
> > *******
> >
> > Hello Ed and Program Folks,
> >
> >
> >
> > We are considering having a spring break science camp this year.  I am
> > interested in hearing about other people's experiences:  hours of
> > camp,
> > schedule and structure of the day, how much was charged for the
> > camp, did
> > you have an option to sign up by the day vs. the whole week, in-house
> > educators or hired out, collaborations, how well attended and how well
> > received, etc.  Any advice, suggestions or feedback would be greatly
> > appreciated.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> >
> >
> > Skoshi Wise
> >
> > Director of Education
> >
> > ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum
> >
> > 541.482.6767 ext. 26
> >
> >
> >
> > Be Curious!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > **********************************************************************
> > *
> > More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> > Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://
> > www.astc.org.
> > To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> > message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> > [log in to unmask]
>
> Beryl Rosenthal
> [log in to unmask]
> Dir. of Exhibition & Public Programs
> MIT Museum
> 265 Massachusetts Ave.
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> (617)452-2111 (t)
> (617)253-8994 (f)
>
>
>
> ***********************************************************************
> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at
http://www.astc.org.
> To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
> message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
> [log in to unmask]
>

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