Summer Camp Research Articles

Diabetes Care at Summer Camps.

Attending summer camp can be a rewarding experience for children with type 1 diabetes and an opportunity for them to build their confidence and diabetes self-management skills. Diabetes camps are built to cater to the medical needs of children with diabetes. With proper communication, education, and resources, traditional summer camps can provide the same benefits.

Summer camp meetings on tourism as an effective means of national patriotic education and training of future teachers of physical culture to professional activity

Summer camp meetings on tourism as an effective means of national patriotic education and training of future teachers of physical culture to professional activity

TOZ Summer Camps: Modern Welfare for Weak and Exhausted Jewish Children in Poland, 1924–1939

TOZ Summer Camps: Modern Welfare for Weak and Exhausted Jewish Children in Poland, 1924–1939

Моделирование ценности ландшафтов Полярного Урала для летних стоянок оленеводов

Introduction. The purpose of the study was to assess the capacity of the Polar Urals eastern macroslope geosystems (the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug) to be used as summer camps for reindeer herders. To do that, a set of tools for geoprocessing of spatial data, including remote sensing data were employed. Materials and methods. The algorithm for modeling the site suitability for reindeer herder camps consisted of several stages: formulation of criteria significant for the camp placement; the transformation (formalization) of each criterion values to the unified scale of suitability; the comparison of criteria and their combining to built a suitability map; the preparation of a digital elevation model (DEM); the preparation of a land cover map based on remote sensing data and field descriptions; the construction of partial (factorial) maps of suitability for reindeer herder camps locations; the construction of a resulting map of suitability for reindeer herder camps location based on a combination of private (factor) maps; the model reliability verification through the comparison of simulation results with actual data on the camps location. In the developed model, we accepted three significant criteria identified from the interviewing of reindeer herders during field studies: a surface slope, a distance to watercourses, and a proximity to forest areas. For the first two criteria, a binary assessment-based scale with two possible options (“suitable” and “unsuitable”) was used. For the third criterion (forest proximity), we applied the fuzzy set function MSSmall. In this case, the related transformation resizes the input data by means of the mean and standard deviation where smaller values in the input raster have a higher preference. Results. In the Polar Urals, the optimal conditions for reindeer herder camps are formed in wide glacial valleys and due to a combination of favorable relief conditions with the presence of numerous water bodies, spread of larch small woods and alder forests. The simulation results are well-supported by the actual data. Suggestions for practical application and direction of future research. The logical structure of the developed model may serve as a basis for repeated step-by-step analysis via original variables replacement. This could be an expansion/replacement of the study area, a time interval extension, an introduction of a number of clarifying criteria, an empirical selection of limiting parameters, the criteria used based on a more in-depth sociological and geographical analysis.

Interpersonal Mechanisms Between Child Maltreatment Timing and Young Adult Internalizing and Externalizing Symptomatology

Children who experience maltreatment are prone to exhibit interpersonal deficits and lack secure attachment, which can lead to internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. This study investigated timing and chronicity of maltreatment and its impacts on psychopathology outcomes in young adulthood. Two interpersonal mediators were examined: problems with peers and childhood attachment security. Children with and without maltreatment exposure were recruited to take part in a 1-week research summer camp (N= 697; mean [SD] age= 11.29 [0.97] years; 71.3% Black or African American; 50.5% male). Participants were recontacted in young adulthood to complete a second wave of assessments (n= 427; mean [SD] age= 19.67 [1.16] years; 78.0% Black or African American; 48.9% male). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate indirect effects from child maltreatment timing to young adult internalizing and externalizing symptomatology via childhood attachment security and peer problems. Findings highlighted the detrimental impact of chronic maltreatment, which was associated with higher levels of peer problems (β= .24, p<.001) and less secure attachment (β=-.13, p< .01) in childhood. Also, lower attachment quality in childhood mediated the association between chronic maltreatment and self-reported internalizing (a× b= 0.02, p< .05) and externalizing symptomatology (a× b= 0.02, p< .05). Additionally, childhood peer problems mediated the association between chronic maltreatment and caregiver-reported internalizing problems (a× b= 0.04, p< .05). Chronic maltreatment is particularly harmful for interpersonal outcomes of children. Mediation findings differed by who reported on psychopathology, showing the importance of considering multireporter measures of psychopathology. Child maltreatment is an interpersonal stressor that may impact developmental outcomes throughout a youth's life. In this study of 697 children who participated in a 1-week research summer camp and were contacted in young adulthood, the authors found that chronic maltreatment significantly increased the risk of difficulties in forming secure attachments as well as having problems with peers during childhood. In turn, these challenges were linked to emotional and behavioral symptomology in young adulthood. These findings emphasize the need to support children facing chronic maltreatment to improve their long-term mental health.

Sustainable development at school: teaching the «5R» principle (on the example of the Zero Waste Kharkiv summer camp for children from the IDPS)

Today's Ukraine is facing unprecedented environmental pollution caused by a full-scale invasion and military aggression. In addition to systematic work to reduce the impact of military operations on the environment, the issue of developing environmental awareness and adherence to environmental behavior to prevent or at least reduce environmental pollution is becoming even more urgent. Teaching environmental behavior to school-age children is particularly important and promising in this context. The article is devoted to the study of the practice of teaching the «5R» principle to children through interactive games, informal lectures and discussions. The «5R» principle is a comprehensive approach that aims to achieve environmental safety for modern society and future generations, that is why it must be learned in childhood. The principle itself is an element of the «zero waste» lifestyle, which was launched by a French eco-activist in the 2000s. The article examines the essence and components of the «5R» principle (refuse, reduse, reuse, recycle, rot), how this principle will contribute to sustainable development, and how this principle can be implemented in education. An example of the implementation of the 5R principle in education is the Kharkiv Zero Waste summer camp, which was organized for children from IDP families (from the de-occupied areas of Kharkiv region). The project was implemented by the Center for Civic and Media Initiatives (Zero Waste Kharkiv) with the support of Calidris and information support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. Out of the total number of 64 applications submitted, 13 participants were selected to participate in the project, including the Kharkiv team of the FUSILLI project. The article highlights successful camp practices, peculiarities of working with the target audience (in particular, the need to take into account the previous experience of children) and prospects for implementing the 5R principle not only during local events (such as camps), but also implementing the principle as a cross-cutting practice in the educational process.

The Impact of an Undergraduate Led Mathematics Summer Camp on High School Students’ Interest in Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

ABSTRACT Considering the prevalence of mathematics teacher shortages in the United States, together with declining enrollments in teacher preparation programs, it is crucial for districts and teacher preparation programs alike to investigate new recruitment initiatives. In this pilot study, a university aimed to increase high school students’ interest in mathematics and mathematics teaching through a 1-week summer mathematics camp led by university undergraduates who were participating in an experiential learning program in mathematics teaching. The undergraduates engaged the high school students in activities chosen to allow exploration and discovery related tp advanced mathematics topics. High school students expressed highly positive perceptions of the mathematics camp outcomes. Furthermore, participants experienced increased interest in mathematics at the end of the week and approximately one-third of participants attributed the camp to improving their likelihood of entering a teacher preparation program. Participants highlighted the positive classroom environment and focus on social emotional learning as strong contributors to the success of the camp. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Sandra Fox: The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America

Sandra Fox: The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America

Jewish summer camp theatre and Sondheim, the Talmudic scholar

This article explores how Jewish American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, in his musical theatre works, engaged in a distinctly Jewish lyrical style that resembles a Talmudic dialectic. The author argues that Sondheim’s argumentative, self-referential, quick-moving, pitter-patter lyrics and music, a writing style that values the performance of ambivalence and repeated questioning, resembles contemporary Jewish discourse as influenced by Talmudic dialogue. The author explores Sondheim’s work through a reflection of his experience piloting a new two-week musical theatre specialty programme at Ramah Darom, a Jewish summer camp in Clayton, Georgia, in July 2023. The programme, called Ramah Bamah (bamah is a Hebrew word that translates in this context to ‘stage’), aimed to teach campers valuable performance skills from professional theatre-makers, while simultaneously encouraging campers to explore their identities as Jewish artists. Ramah Bamah presented Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods JR. as its premiere production, as programme leaders used Jewish texts, thought and values to help campers connect emotionally and thematically to Sondheim’s play-text. This article considers the relationship between Jewish text study, Jewish education, storytelling, youth/amateur theatre-making and Stephen Sondheim.

Evaluation of an infection control protocol to limit COVID-19 at residential summer camps in 2021.

To assess the effectiveness of an infection control protocol developed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at two multi-week residential summer camps in 2021. Data were collected from 595 camp attendees and staff members at two wilderness camps in Northern Minnesota. Testing was undertaken in all unvaccinated campers before arrival at camp, on day 4 of camp, and in the event of respiratory symptoms. Campers were limited to cohorts during the first 4 days of camp and wore masks indoors. The number of positive COVID-19 cases measured the efficacy of the protocol. The testing and cohorting protocol successfully prevented the spread of COVID-19 among campers and staff. During the first summer session, there were zero positive cases of COVID-19 among 257 campers and 127 staff. During the second summer session, compliance with the protocol limited the spread of COVID-19 to just three individuals of 266 campers and 129 staff. Maintaining cohorts at arrival limited spread from a single positive case to only two tent companions. The testing and cohorting protocol limited the spread of COVID-19 among residential summer wilderness campers and staff. Post-arrival testing ensured newly acquired virus was limited in spread before COVID-19 precautions were relaxed on camp day 5. A strict evidence-based cohorting protocol limited in-camp spread and allowed for a successful summer camp season. The usefulness of this protocol with an evolving pandemic, increasing vaccination rates, and virus variants could have implications for future practice.

Understanding Racially Minoritized Girls’ Perceptions of Their STEM Identities, Abilities, and Sense of Belonging in a Summer Camp

Informal science education researchers have become increasingly interested in how out-of-school spaces that offer STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs inform learners’ STEM achievement, interests, and affective outcomes. Studies have found that these spaces can offer critical learning and developmental opportunities for underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students (Black, Latinx, low socioeconomic status) in STEM subjects. Shifting away from the leaky STEM pipeline analogy, researchers have posited contemporary understandings to explain why the minoritization of URM girls persists. Informal learning environments such as STEM summer camps are being studied to assess how URM girls experience and interact with STEM in novel ways. These environments can inform the research field about how URM girls’ perceptions of their STEM identities, abilities, efficacy, and belonging in STEM develop as they engage in those spaces. This mixed-method study used a multiple-case-study approach to examine how aspects of URM middle school girls’ STEM identities positively changed after participating in a one-week, sleep-away, single-gender STEM summer camp held at a university in the Southwestern U.S. Drawing on intersectionality and STEM identity, we used ecological systems theory to design our research study, examining how URM middle school girls narrate their STEM identities in this informal learning environment. Using quantitative analyses and deductive coding methods, we explored how elements of girls’ STEM identities were shaped during and after their participation in the STEM summer camp. Findings from our study highlight (1) quantitative changes in girl participants’ STEM identities, sense of belonging in STEM, and perceived STEM ability belief, (2) qualitative results supporting our quantitative findings, and (3) how the intersectionality of participants’ race and gender played a role in their STEM identities. This study points to the potential of STEM informal learning camps as a way of developing and fostering URM girls’ STEM identities.

“We’re stronger as a family”: Family experiences and relationships in an adapted physical activity camp

Adapted recreation programs involving the entire family may offer ways to enhance relationships in families with a child living with a disability because they enable participating together in new and potentially empowering experiences. This study examined family members’ perspectives on their lived experiences with their relationships within their family and how they perceived they were affected by their participation in an adapted summer camp for families with a child living with a disability. We conducted a collective case study with five families who participated in a week-long camp. A focus group was conducted with each family and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participation in the camp impacted family relationships by reducing isolation for mothers; alleviating stress and anxiety which helped families bond; providing shared experience which led to mutual understanding, communication, and support; improving independence and confidence of the child living with a disability; facilitating sibling bonding and parent comfort with giving siblings more responsibility; and enhancing families’ confidence to participate in family activities beyond the camp. These findings elucidate how participation in this type of program can impact relationships in families that include a child living with a disability and inform future program design.

The Effects of Engineering Summer Camps on Middle and High School Students’ Engineering Interest and Identity Formation: A Multi-methods Study

The Effects of Engineering Summer Camps on Middle and High School Students’ Engineering Interest and Identity Formation: A Multi-methods Study

Toward a justice‐centered ambitious teaching framework: Shaping ambitious science teaching to be culturally sustaining and productive in a rural context

AbstractWe find ourselves at a time when the need for transformation in science education is aligning with opportunity. Significant science education resources, namely the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Ambitious Science Teaching (AST) framework, need an intentional aim of centering social justice for minoritized communities and youth as well as practices to enact it. While NGSS and AST provide concrete guidelines to support deep learning, revisions are needed to explicitly promote social justice. In this study, we sought to understand how a commitment to social justice, operationalized through culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, Culturally sustaining pedagogies and our futures. The Educational Forum, 2021; 85, pp. 364–376), might shape the AST framework to promote more critical versions of teaching science for equity. Through a qualitative multi‐case study, we observed three preservice teacher teams engaged in planning, teaching, and debriefing a 6‐day summer camp in a rural community. Findings showed that teachers shaped the AST sets of practices in ways that sustained local culture and addressed equity aims: anchoring scientific study in phenomena important to community stakeholders; using legitimizing students' stories by both using them to plan the following lessons and as data for scientific argumentation; introducing local community members as scientific experts, ultimately supporting a new sense of pride and advocacy for their community; and supporting students in publicly communicating their developing scientific expertise to community stakeholders. In shaping the AST framework through culturally sustaining pedagogy, teachers made notable investments: developing local networks; learning about local geography, history, and culture; building relationships with students; adapting lessons to incorporate students' ideas; connecting with community stakeholders to build scientific collaborations; and preparing to share their work publicly with the community. Using these findings, we offer a justice‐centered ambitious science teaching (JuST) framework that can deliver the benefits of a framework of practices while also engaging in the necessarily more critical elements of equity work.

Schools as climate shelters: Design, implementation and monitoring methodology based on the Barcelona experience

Densely populated cities tend to significantly affect their inhabitants in warm periods as a result of climate change. With approximately 1.6 million inhabitants, Barcelona serves as an example of a city expected to face the impact of climate change. Projections by 2100, the city will witness an increase of 30 additional warm days per year with temperatures exceeding 30 °C, along with a rise in extreme temperatures from 3.5 °C to 42.8 °C.Schools represent spaces of opportunity to transform cities, due to their great potential to deploy strategies to improve extreme conditions and their possible replicability in other buildings and spaces in the city.This article introduces a novel methodology, characterized by its multi-criteria, multi-scalar, and interdisciplinary approach, which demonstrated its effectiveness in the implementation of measures to transform 11 pilot schools into climate shelters, within the expected deadlines and costs. In addition, the necessary information is provided for its replicability and subsequent monitoring.With a budget close to 4 M€, 4.500 kids will benefit from the pilot investments in their school, 1.350 kids will benefit during summer camps hosted in school's playgrounds, 3.000m2 of schoolyards will be transformed and 4.500m2 of urban green areas will be added.The results indicate that three schools improved by over 40%, four by 25%–40%, and four by 25% or less. The methodology and tools developed have been adopted as tools for other projects that are currently being developed by the Barcelona City Council.

AMBY: A development environment for youth to create conversational agents

Conversational AIs such as Alexa and ChatGPT are increasingly ubiquitous in young people’s lives, but these young users are often not afforded the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of these technologies. One of the most powerful ways to foster this learning is to empower youth to create AI that is personally and socially meaningful to them. We have built a novel development environment, AMBY–“AI Made By You”–for youth to create conversational agents. AMBY was iteratively designed with and for youth aged 12–13 through contextual inquiry and usability studies. AMBY is designed to foster AI learning with features that enable users to generate training datasets and visualize conversational flow. We report on results from a two-week summer camp deployment, and contribute design implications for conversational AI authoring tools that empower AI learning for youth.

Impact of a mathematics early teaching experience for undergraduates: A teacher preparation recruitment strategy

Declining enrollments in teacher preparation programs across the United States signal a critical need for institutions of higher education to consider innovative recruitment initiatives. This pilot study investigates a novel approach to recruiting undergraduates into a teacher preparation program. Nine participants, mostly first-year college students, engaged in a year-long experiential learning program. The program provided participants with an early teaching experience in a classroom-like setting by engaging them in the collaborative development, planning, and teaching of mathematics in a summer camp for high school students. Data were collected throughout the year on their: planned major, attitudes towards mathematics and mathematics education, mathematics teaching self-efficacy, and perceptions of the program. Results showed the program was successful at improving attitudes, increasing self-efficacy, and stimulating reflection on a potential career as a mathematics teacher. Participants also shared positive impressions of the experience. Implications for research and future practice are discussed.

DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF YOUNGER SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF INFORMAL EDUCATION

Martial law conditions do not create favorable conditions for the education and development of children, but at the same time encourage the search for innovative tools. Temporal challenges determine the need to develop digital competence in younger schoolchildren. Modern society increasingly uses digital technologies in various aspects of life, including education and communication. In addition, the ability to use digital resources is also determined by the requirements for the professional skills of a modern teacher, because today mastering the basics of computer literacy is the basis of educational activity. The importance of non-formal education in the digital competence formation, especially in summer camps, increases. The article presents the authors’ practical experience in the development of digital skills of school-aged children in the summer camp «IT for Kids», which was organized by the NGO «Megasocium» in cooperation with the Center for Information Technologies of Uzhhorod National University with the support of the international humanitarian organization «People in Need Slovakia». Educational content included the basics of computer literacy, cyber security, internet safety, media literacy, programming and robotics. The main educational research goals: determination of key aspects of digital competence, approbation of pedagogical tools effective in the conditions of a military conflict; analysis of scientific research and European practices; assessment of the effectiveness of the application of these methods and approaches in the educational process; designing further work on the development of IT competence in conditions of non-formal education; outlining prospects and opportunities for digital skills developing of school-age children vis summer camps.

Summer English Camp in China: Importance of Relationships in English Language Learning

With business relations and international travel on the rise between China and English-speaking countries, the need for English teachers in China has also increased. One method of teaching English in China occurs through summer English camps. The research presented here examines the teacher, camp coordinator, student, and parent experience with a three-week summer English camp for kindergarten through grade eight students hosted by an international school in China. The objective of the study is to describe the lived experiences from the perspective of the various partners to examine whether the curriculum adequately meets their needs, whether children are improving their English skills, and whether the teachers are sufficiently prepared for their experiences. Findings suggest that all participants indicate a high level of satisfaction with the summer camp, especially the importance of relationships in English language learning. Some of the expressed concerns lead to recommendations for improvements. In this study, the practice of the summer English camp is linked to the current English as an additional language research, making this research relevant to a broad international audience. Not only are summer English camps in high demand in China, but in other countries around the world as well.

Tryptyk przekorny z ideologicznymi przyśpiewkami

On January 27, 1898, the 17th issue of “Collier’s Weekly” published the Prologue to the famous novel by Henry James The Turn of the Screw. This novel about a difficult relationship between a young governess and two orphaned children (Flora and Miles) convinces the reader that Demons really exist and Evil embodies various characters. At times it takes the form of a benefactor. The paper is an attempt to reconstruct three mechanisms of ideology which after WWII modified collective awareness. These three mechanisms, as three vices, stabilized and enabled to rebuild the insight of the immature individuals. The first one – the ideological vice of the press – initiated every day and often banal press releases; the second one – ideological educational vise – evolved from the school curricula, especially of the Polish language; the third one – the ideological reading vice – was the most hidden and treacherous, oppressed in the context of extracurricular reading. The influence of the first of them is illustrated by the analysis of exemplary press releases on a summer camp of 1947, the second one talks about the curriculum of the Polish language teaching process in 1949 in the 11-grade high school, and the ideological influences are discussed in the comments about the message of Marian Brandys’s Wyprawy do Arteku (1953).