A day in the life of a counselor

If you prefer morning showers, your wake-up time should be around 6:30 am. Ideally, the kids should wake up around 7:15 to have enough time to get clean and ready for the day. You won’t be coming back to the cabin until after lunch, so make sure they are ready for all morning activities.
Tip: It will take time for the kids to wake up, so plan accordingly. See how easy it is to wake them up after the first day and adjust as necessary.
Before leaving the cabin, go over a checklist to make sure everybody has all what they need. E.g., water bottles, proper footwear, etc.

You will need to be on the a-field FIVE minutes before meals to start lining up at the dining hall. Make sure everyone is accounted for at every transition.
Counselors sit with their campers during all meals. There may be an overflow table in case there are not enough seats at your table. If you need to send a camper to that table, make sure that camper is not the same all the time.
You all have a long day ahead, make sure you get enough to eat.
Tips: When the meal starts, have a rotation of who can go get food up at the fruit/cereal bar first so it will be easier to eat. When the meal is all done, have everyone help clean up and expect them to do this EVERY meal.

Staff will have the kids line up to see the flag raising. They are expected to be quiet during the ceremony.
Tip: Try not to put friends next to each other when lining up. Flag raising is an important part of the day so make sure they are being respectful, even if that’s not their home country’s flag.

Everybody is expected to clean up! The VC will let you know the rotation on what you are cleaning.  Make sure you are actively supervising and assign roles for the campers if needed. Yes, they will complain and may be annoyed, but the faster you do it… the faster you can get to activities!
Tip: Get excited for the Cleanest Village, if you help them get excited…they will like it and cleaning will be more fun!

Campers will try up to 20 different activities every week, in addition to swimming every day. That is one of the reasons why campers come to camp.
For some activities, you will be the leading instructor. For specialized activities, there will be a certified instructor facilitating. You still support with active supervision.
Tip: Timing depends on your group dynamics. (If your campers walk slowly, or if they need a lot of bathroom breaks) Expect at least five-minute bathroom breaks/ water breaks. And encourage those before every transition.

Depending on the schedule, you may be paired with another cabin to do the same activity together.
Tip: Work together with the other counselors to carry out the activity. It is more fun when everybody is involved.

Same as breakfast, report to the a-field at least Five minutes before your meal to start lining up.
Tip: For lunch, there’s always a soup of the day and the fruit bar becomes the salad bar! Present this as a second option if your campers don’t like the main menu.

During this time, kids will most likely want to play Gaga ball or go to the trading post (the camp store), and they can. However, the decision must be made as a group since there’s only two of you and you are still responsible for their supervision. In other words, you have to be where your campers are.
This is also the time to go back to the cabin and get ready for afternoon activities, including changing into swimming clothes. The next time you’ll be going back to the cabin is until dinner time.
Tip: Bring your campers to the cabin first. As soon as everybody is ready, you can head out to gaga or the trading post. If they don’t make it to the trading post, don’t worry. It also opens in the afternoon.

This activity is the kids’ favorite part of camp! (Most of the time)
As staff, you will be assigned a spotting station around the pool or by the locker rooms. The pool is a high-risk area. This is not the place or time to take naps or play on your phone. Here you assist the lifeguards as a second pair of eyes for supervision.
If you need to step away, let the Pool Director know. When Spotting, interact with the kids! They will catch onto that, and spotting can be fun if you put that energy into it.
Tip: When pool time is up have your campers put things away, change, and make sure they didn’t leave anything behind.

This tends to be the hottest part of the day. So, no matter where you are, take some water breaks and remain yourself and your campers to re-apply sunscreen!
Note: Summer temperatures can reach up to +100 F (+38 C). You and your campers need to stay hydrated. Your water bottle will be one of your best friends.

Keep drinking water and having fun.

Report to the a-field at least Five minutes before your meal to start lining up.
Dinner is when all Day Camp staff report back. All counselors are expected to join their tables during dinner. This is the perfect time to chat with your co’s and campers about how your day went.
There may be a staff table, talk to your co-counselor and come up with a rotation if you need to sit at this table. Remember, you both have been working hard.

This is when the cleanest village and the camper of the day are announced! Each day the cleanest village is selected upon morning inspection. The camper of the day gets selected based on nominations.
If you have a camper that you believe deserves it, nominate them by writing their name down and put it in the box in the watch office. Campers can be nominating for modeling camp’s core values, voices, assisting the counselors, supporting their fellow campers, etc. It’s awesome to see your camper receive the camper of the day nomination.

This cabin time is an opportunity for campers to rest and recuperate energy lost over the day. Campers usually visit the trading post or play other low energy games. Drink water!
Tip: decide what your cabin wants to do ahead of time and remember, be where your kids are.

Evening programs are large scale activities that will involve 1 or more villages. This also includes peak/ sleep out nights as well. Your village coordinator will plan these for you.
The day is not over yet, and these activities involve a lot of movement so make sure to drink water and eat plenty throughout the day.
Tip: Most of the large group games are oriented towards the campers. These games may not be your favorites but try to jump right in with a positive attitude. Campers love seeing their counselor involved, although remember, it’s for the kids.

Ahh yes, the end of the day where things wind down and campers start getting ready for bed. Meds are distributed & Daily Reports are completed at this time. These reports are a way to check in with campers about their day and get to know them better with a question, poll or any other way to engage them (e.g., Rose, thorn & stem for the day; What superpower would you have, what is the ugliest color etc.)

Shower schedules are created by the Village Coordinators with each cabin getting about 15 minutes to bathe, brush teeth and complete any other nightly routines.
Counselors will get their shower time after lights out. During this time, your role is to supervise outside by the shower house.
Tip: REMEMBER to double & triple check campers have all toiletries with them when they arrive and at every shower. If you note that they are missing something, bring it up to your village coordinator. Camp has a bunch that can be given to them.

Cabin lights should be out by this time with campers in bed. Quiet hours should also be observed. Flashlight time (time where the lights are out but campers chat quietly, read, etc.) is up to the discretion of the Cabin Counselor.
Staff may shower during this time. Communicate with your co-counselors to enjoy some break time in Mountain Top Lounge (staff room) and/or do laundry. Get a break but also remember to get enough sleep to be prepared for tomorrow for another great day on the mountain!