Homesick Campers-Ness Lake

Homesickness

Who: Your campers!!
What: Crying occurs, and campers will not want to participate or go to bed
When: Generally begins after chapel or right before bed
Why: Because they are not busy and have time to think about their mommy and daddy

What to do:

1. Remove the camper from the situation immediately! Homesickness is contagious! One leader/ LIT will stay with the other campers.

2. Try to get them talking. Ask then about their family. They need to know that you care about them and their family as well. Ask them many questions, and slowly get away from the family talk, more so to what they do for fun, what they did today. Ask them specifics, when kids are distracted they will often forget about their homesickness.

3. Ask them what they liked about the day, and maybe what they would like to try tomorrow. Remind them that if they go home they will not get the chance.

4. Tell them that if they do go home that you will miss them, and that they will let the other campers down, and we would all be sad if they left.

5. Make them feel special, let them know a secret if they stay… like playing MI tonight, but not to tell the other campers. Also maybe a fun activity for cabin time. Or tell them that you will take them paddle boating tomorrow. You get the idea… they need to feel special and loved.

6. Try Homesickness pills, which are also called skittles. To work the child needs one of every color. And by the time they are done trying to convince you that they are skittle, they may not be as upset.

Do not at anytime tell them that they can call home, or go home for that matter.

7. If nothing is working there should be a camp Grandma around who is good with young kids. Take them down to the basement, sometimes other people are around who can help. You don’t have to do this alone.

8. It is up to the discretion of the head leaders, office lady, of Paul Bailey if they can call home. When you call home YOU CALL! Parents may think that something is really wrong if they hear a sobbing child on the phone. Explain the situation to the parent and then put the child on the phone after. You should also talk to the parent after the child is done and see what they have decided about going home.

9. Let the child know that if they do decide to go home that they are more than welcome to come back and try again the next day. Make them feel loved and wanted, the last thing that you need is for them to say “I’m never coming back here ever again”


Bedtime

This can be the most fun part of the day!

The routine actually starts right before chapel when the kids get mug up. For the younger kids, you may only want to give them a half glass of water.

Cabin Discussion
Try to keep you kids calm for cabin discussion, as bed time is right after this.
Warn them that after cabin discussion that they will be going to bed. Young kids do not work well with surprised

Getting ready for bed
Send all you campers to the bathroom, often the leader/LIT should go with them to make sure there is some kind of order in the bathroom. 88 girls in one bathroom is not always the best thing.

Be sure that all campers use the washroom and brush their teeth.

MAKE BED TIME FUN

• Be sure that lights out will be on time!!
• Say goodnight to everyone, hugs, and tuck them in. (mostly for girl cabins)
• Maybe read a story, after the kids are all in bed.
• Odyssey tapes work, but have to be kept very quiet so the kids have to try to listen.
• Respect the other kids as some may not be able to sleep with the noise.
• Warn them that the lights will be off in 10 min, 5 min, etc.
• Sometimes let them read with a flashlight or whisper quietly for a few minutes. Also warn them when it will be time to be quiet.
• Use rewards opposed to threats.
• Head leaders/Program will come around to do cabin checks and are their to help if any problems arise
• Noisy kids can be removed from the cabin and you should talk to them out on the porch

Always keep one leader/LIT in the cabin at a time
The LIT can get ready for bed with the kids, and the leader can go and get ready when the campers are all in bed.