Tips to Create a Fun, Educational, and Safe Summer Camp for Kids in 2023

17 Jul 2023

lesadmin

Besides creating lasting memories, sending your child to a summer camp allows them to make new friends. Summer camps provide an ideal environment for kids to develop their self-esteem and learn new skills.

An excellent international summer camp teaches kids how to be resilient and teamwork while offering activities allowing children to connect with nature. The right summer camp environment should prioritize children’s safety by ensuring camp staff are well-trained, caring, and experienced enough to allow children to grow.

Preparing for a Successful Summer Camp

Lots of organization and planning goes into creating a successful summer camp. So, where do the camp proprietors start? Here are some tips.

Define Camp Objectives

As a camp proprietor, it’s important to understand the purpose and goals of your facility. What do you want campers to experience and learn during their time at the summer camp? Establish what you want them to accomplish once their time at the camp is over. Think about the activities your camp offers. Do they encourage children to be creative? What about promoting learning or nurturing kids to develop various skills? Planning the ideal summer camp experience can be taxing, but proprietors can collaborate with professionals to customize their camp’s curriculum and activities to align with their camp’s objectives.

Plan a Well-rounded Curriculum

A well-rounded summer camp curriculum ensures campers have an engaging yet diverse learning experience. An extensive curriculum should incorporate the following.

Educational Activities

Include academic subjects that are age-appropriate and align with the camper’s interests. These include history, language arts, science, and math. Adopt interactive teaching practices such as educational games, experiments, debates, and projects to make learning enjoyable.

Incorporate activities encouraging campers to develop and nurture their creativity and artistic skills like dance, drama, music, and visual arts. Ensure the curriculum allows campers to learn new techniques and exhibit their talents.

Physical Fitness and Sports

Provide various physical and sports activities. Plan individual and team sports, outdoor adventures like swimming or hiking, and relay races. Incorporate teamwork and sportsmanship lessons, and ensure they understand the importance of physical well-being.

Teach Life Skills

Incorporate practical skills that can benefit campers in their daily lives. Provide leadership, communication, problem-solving, money management, first aid, and cooking workshops. Besides empowering the campers, these skills boost their self-confidence.

Camp proprietors should strive to balance structured activities with unstructured time to help campers engage in things they are passionate about, bond, and relax. A well-rounded curriculum should meet your camp’s objectives while catering to different age groups.

Evaluate and modify the curriculum depending on feedback from clients and your observations. Doing so helps you develop an engaging, dynamic, and rewarding curriculum for campers.

Engage Qualified and Enthusiastic Staff

Engaging the right staff helps you provide a successful summer experience. Finding and retaining talented and passionate individuals can be challenging. Here are tips to ease the process.

Advertise Open Positions

Today, you can advertise vacant positions on social media, job boards, professional networks, educational institutions, and local community groups. Communicate your expectations and staff requirements, and define the application process clearly to attract suitable candidates.

Outline the responsibilities and roles for each open position in your summer camp. Highlight the experience, qualifications, and certifications needed for critical roles such as lifeguards, activity instructors, counselors, and healthcare providers.

Conduct a Rigorous Interview Process

Use a structured interview process when screening applicants. Ask pertinent questions to gauge their skills, qualifications, passion, and experience working with children. Establish their ability to navigate challenging situations, assist with the camp’s objectives, and work in a team.

Run Background Checks and Contact References

Background checks are critical to choosing the right staff and guaranteeing the safety of campers. Call their references to establish their suitability, reliability, and work ethic for the role. Contact potential candidates’ previous supervisors or employers to establish their performance.

Creating a Safe Environment

A safe environment is crucial when creating a summer camp. Here are tips to help you guarantee the safety and well-being of campers.

Ensure Appropriate Facilities

Conduct an in-depth risk assessment of the summer campsite, planned activities, and facilities. Determine any potential hazards like water bodies, uneven terrain, poorly placed equipment, or weather-related dangers and work out strategies to alleviate them and guarantee campers a safer environment.

Acquire medical data and emergency contact details for every camper. Communicate with their guardians or parents to determine any special needs, medical conditions, or allergies campers may have. Secure a well-stocked first-aid kit and ensure all the staff undergo thorough CPR and first-aid training.

Ensure the campsite is spacious enough to accommodate all the planned activities adequately. Remember to thoroughly inspect the camp to ensure it meets local safety standards. Make sure the fire extinguishers and fire alarms are functional. Evaluate the emergency exits and provide adequate lighting. Perform regular maintenance of the summer camp to identify potential issues promptly.

Establish Clear Rules and Guidelines

Set up comprehensive but clear safety procedures and policies for your camp, including behavior management, transportation, emergency response, and supervision guidelines. Ensure all staff members and campers understand and adhere to the policies. Tailoring your guidelines and rules to your camper’s age groups is also important. Remember, young campers will need concrete yet simple rules, while older counterparts will understand complex guidelines. Establish rules based on the developmental stage and abilities of your campers.

Enforce rules across the entire summer camp consistently to ensure every party is conversant with and follows the rules. Consistency establishes a sense of fairness and guarantees an orderly environment.

Communicate the consequences of breaching the rules. Ensure the staff and campers understand the disciplinary actions they’ll face for violating the guidelines. However, ensure the consequences are appropriate, consistent, and fair for the violation.

Remember, you can reinforce rules and guidelines by adhering to the rules yourself. Ensure staff members follow the rules consistently. Practicing positive role modeling promotes a culture of responsibility and respect. Review your rules regularly to determine their effectiveness.

Ask your staff members, campers, guardians, or parents for feedback. Doing so will help you identify areas that require improvement. Make the necessary adjustments to ensure the rules maintain their suitability.

Implement Effective Supervision

Enforcing adequate supervision helps guarantee the well-being and safety of campers at your facility. But how can you uphold a solid supervision system? Here are tips.

Maintain Appropriate Camper-to-staff Ratios

Establish a suitable staff-to-camper ratio depending on the camper’s needs, age, developmental stage, and activities they’ll be engaging in. Study the legal requirements and industry standards governing camper-to-staff ratios within your location. Remember, these may vary based on factors like the type of activities your camp offers, duration of stay, and unique circumstances of the summer camp.

Remember, some activities require more supervision than others, meaning more staff will be required. These include outdoor adventures, water sports, and field trips. Are the campers attending overnight or day camp? The camper-to-staff ratios, in this case, will vary accordingly. Campers attending overnight camp will require more supervision than their counterparts at a day camp.

Assign Qualified Staff to Oversee Different Activities

Choose your staff carefully to ensure the safety and adequate supervision of campers at the facility. To enhance the effectiveness of day camp activities, consider matching staff expertise and interests.

Evaluate their qualifications, certifications, and experience and establish their areas of competence and suitability for specific activities. For example, staff with a background in arts will be suitable to handle arts and crafts lessons. At the same time, individuals passionate about sports can oversee athletics, tennis, mini golf, or athletic activities.

Provide your staff with the necessary orientation and training to execute their duties effectively. Doing so ensures consistency while enabling them to give campers a positive experience. Be flexible and ready to adjust based on the international summer camp’s changing dynamics and needs. Leverage camp feedback to make the necessary changes to provide the best experience for campers.

Adopt collaborative planning by making your staff members part of the planning process. Encourage them to share their ideas to improve activity programming. Collaboration promotes a sense of investment and ownership among your staff members, helping them deliver more meaningful and engaging activities.

Open communication with staff supervising different activities facilitates effective execution. Ensure they understand their responsibilities and roles clearly. Discuss any changes or updates regarding the activities regularly to ensure everybody is on the same page. Encourage your staff to share suggestions, concerns, or feedback to enhance the camp experience.

Monitor Campers’ Well-Being, Ensuring They Are Safe and Accounted For at All Times

Monitoring camper’s well-being at the summer camp significantly guarantees their accountability and safety within the facility. You can do so by:

Creating staff awareness:Teach staff members the art of always remaining vigilant and observing campers. Prioritize the importance of monitoring campers’ well-being, interactions, and behavior keenly. Your staff should beware of the camp surroundings and be alert to potential concerns and risks.
Supervise the camper check-in and check-out process:Adopt an effective system for checking campers during scheduled events or meal times. Doing so ensures that all campers are accounted for and are in the right location at the appointed time.
Maintain attendance and roster records for every event and activity: Doing so allows you to monitor the participation and presence of every camper. Analyze the attendance records regularly to identify any arising issues and ensure all campers are accounted for.
Supervision during transitions:Be overly attentive to campers as they transition between activities and during breaks. Transition periods can be disorganized, especially during the first week of camp. Exercising caution ensures all campers stay together and are accounted for.
Adopt the buddy system:This involves pairing campers and encouraging them to look out for one another. It encourages a sense of responsibility while increasing the likelihood of discerning when someone is missing without delay.

Infusing Fun and Educational Elements

Incorporating fun and educational features in your summer camp program creates an enriching and engaging experience for campers. Provide a wide range of activities to allow campers to choose the best that align with their interests. You can accomplish this by:

Offer Diverse Activities

Adopting theme-based activities: Classify campers according to their age groups or skill level, choose a theme for each group, and design activities around it. These can include attending a wilderness adventure, biking, attending field trips, or engaging in swimming competitions. Having a theme makes educational-based activities more fun.

Hands-on learning: Create opportunities for campers to practice hands-on learning. Incorporate science projects, interactive experiments, cooking workshops, arts and crafts, or nature exploration. Doing so allows campers to participate in various experiential activities and learn through them actively.

Outdoor adventures: Plan outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, field trips to farms, gardens, parks, and nature walks. Include environmental education, wildlife observation, and nature-based activities to help campers connect with and appreciate nature.

Creative arts:

Incorporate activities that encourage campers to be creative and self-expressive.

Provide drama, visual arts, dance, music, and creative writing sessions.

Encourage the campers to probe their artistic talents, develop new skills, and display their creations.

Team building and sports:

Incorporate team building and sports activities in your program.
Plan team sports, relay races, cooperative games, and obstacle courses.
Reiterate the value of sportsmanship, teamwork, and healthy competition.

Stem exploration:

Include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities to provoke campers’ problem-solving and curiosity skills.
Provide coding workshops, science experiments, robotic challenges, and engineering projects.
Make STEM activities accessible and engaging with age-appropriate challenges and hands-on projects.

Workshops and guest speakers: Invite experts, guest speakers, or professionals to run workshops and provide talks on topics related to the camp’s areas of interest. They can share their experiences, provide insights, and inspire the campers through their prowess.

Physical and sports activities: Include sports like volleyball, swimming, basketball, soccer, or tennis in your program. You can also provide non-traditional sports such as archery, yoga, or martial arts. Provide options for different interests and skill levels to accommodate a wide range of campers.

Performing arts: Provide activities in music, dance, improvisation, or theatre. Allow campers to learn new dance styles, perform skits, play musical instruments, and participate in a talent show.

Foster Experiential Learning

Experiential learning keeps campers engaged in hands-on and active experiences, enhancing their knowledge comprehension and retention. To foster experiential learning, you need to:

Engage campers’ senses: Develop activities involving multiple senses to boost the learning experience. Integrate sensory elements such as sound, sight, taste, smell, and touch to create more immersive and memorable activities.

Adopt real-world connections: Linking your lessons to real-world applications helps learners understand the relevance of their lessons. Bridge academic ideas to everyday experiences and practical programs to illustrate the application of knowledge in the real world.

Outdoor exploration and field trips: Accompany campers to nature reserves, historical sites, local businesses, museums, and field trips. These experiences provide the ideal opportunities for hands-on learning while allowing campers to explore the world away from camp.

Project-oriented learning: Allocate campers to projects that compel them to apply things they’ve learned in a practical context. These may involve problem-solving, research, collaboration, and creativity. Encourage campers to be liable for their projects and provide the necessary guidance.

Discussion and reflection: Reserve time for campers to ponder their experiences and participate in meaningful discussions. Encourage campers to share their connections, insights, and thoughts when participating in the summer camp activities.

Use simulations and role-playing: Doing so allows campers to recreate real-life scenarios. Campers can assume different roles, make informed decisions, and encounter the outcome of their actions within an educational and controlled environment.

Making mistakes is part of learning: The summer camp environment should be a safe space where campers can make and learn through mistakes comfortably. Encourage campers to evaluate their mistakes and reflect on the lessons. Doing so helps them develop problem-solving skills and resilience.

Integrate Team-Building and Social Interactions

Incorporating team-building activities and promoting social interactions helps create an inclusive and positive environment in summer camps in Switzerland 2023. To achieve this, you must include the following in your summer camp program:

Icebreaker activities: Whether campers attend camp for the first time or not, icebreaker activities help them interact with and get to know each other. These activities include team-building exercises, name games, and get-to-know-you activities.

Team challenges: Plan team challenges that campers can collaborate in to counter challenges and solve problems. These challenges can either be mental, physical, or both. Reiterate the importance of strategic thinking, effective communication, and teamwork to achieve success.

Group projects: Allocate group projects encouraging campers to work together towards a common goal. This may involve developing a structure, creating a performance, or planning a themed event. Group-based projects encourage creativity, collaboration, and collaborative decision-making.

Team-building initiatives and games: Include games and team-building initiatives focusing on communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and trust-building. These activities encourage campers to work together, develop robust relationships, and learn from one another.

Conflict resolution and communication workshops: Provide sessions or workshops on effective conflict resolution and communication. Ensure campers understand how to settle conflicts constructively, listen actively, and express themselves assertively. These skills help campers develop healthy relationships and maintain positive social interactions.

Communication and Inclusion

Proper communication and inclusion are crucial to creating a positive summer camp environment. Here are tips to help camp proprietors actualize this.

Maintain respectful and open communication:

Provide an environment where campers will share their ideas and thoughts while expressing themselves comfortably.
Encourage respectful communication and active listening among staff, campers, and volunteers.
Exemplify positive communication practices and guide campers to ensure they understand the practical communication approach.

Encourage participation:

Create opportunities for campers to participate and contribute actively.
Make sure that discussions and activities facilitate equal engagement and participation from campers of different personalities, backgrounds, and abilities.
Don’t allow exclusionary or favoritism practices.

Use respectful language:

Train campers on using considerate, respectful, and inclusive language among themselves.
Discourage stereotypes or assumptions about abilities, race, or gender.
Promote an inclusivity culture by reiterating the value of diversity and celebrating individual differences.

Establish clear communication channels: Campers, their parents or guardians, and staff should be able to communicate via dedicated communication apps, online platforms, phones, or email.

Encourage feedback:

Encourage parents, guardians, staff, and campers to provide feedback regarding the camp program, activities, and overall experience.
Consider availing anonymous feedback options for individuals who prefer sharing their feedback anonymously.
Leverage feedback to make the necessary improvements and address arising matters.

Communicate with guardians and parents regularly:

Keep parents updated about camp schedules, activities, changes, or any updates.
Communicate regularly through parent meetings, emails, and newsletters.
Provide a platform for parents to share their concerns and ask questions.

Provide staff training: Train staff members to ensure they understand effective communication strategies, conflict resolution approaches, and active listening skills. Ensure staff members communicate accurately and timely, address concerns, and manage communication challenges.

Create an Inclusive Environment

An inclusive environment helps campers feel respected, welcomed, and valued in the summer camp. You can promote inclusivity by:

Embracing diversity: Acknowledge and celebrate the diversity among campers, such as differences in ethnicity, race, gender, socioeconomic background, ability, and religious or cultural beliefs.

Educate staff and campers: Train staff members and campers about inclusion, equity, and diversity. Organize workshops or create activities that promote appreciation, empathy, and understanding for varying experiences and backgrounds.

Create equal opportunities: Ensure all campers have equal opportunities to engage in decision-making processes, leadership roles, and activities. Allow campers to showcase their unique talents without favoritism.

Promote understanding and empathy: Encourage campers to listen and learn from each other’s experiences. Cultivate a culture of empathy, kindness, and acceptance.

Peer mentoring and support: Have campers support one another and provide mentorship programs, allowing more experienced or older campers to guide and help newer or younger campers.

Continuous assessment and improvement: Evaluate the inclusivity of the summer camp environment by running surveys, collecting feedback, or holding discussions with parents, staff, and campers. Leverage the feedback to make adjustments and improvements to ensure the camp meets the needs of all campers.

Conclusion

You need excellent planning skills and attention to detail to create a fun, educational, safe summer camp in 2023. A well-organized summer camp creates a structured, nurturing environment supporting children’s holistic well-being and development. It provides opportunities for social connections, learning, creating memorable experiences, and promoting personal growth.

The ideal summer camp facility nurtures children to discover their talents and acquire skills they can leverage to shape their future lives. Implementing the tips in this article will help create a memorable and enriching summer camp experience for children.

How Kids Can Learn English in Verbier During Summer Camp

13 Apr 2023

lesadmin

Children don’t have to attend private lessons to learn the English language. Instead, they can do so within the confines of a summer camp in Verbier. Unlike a school setting where learners cope with strict deadlines, the camp offers a flexible and fun learning environment, as we’ll learn in this article. Further, campers can learn and engage in activities as a group, making the process exciting. If you want your children to learn english in Verbier, consider sending them to a summer camp.

Why Children Should Learn English in Verbier During Summer Camp

When children are fluent in English, they can communicate better with people from different countries. Did you know that approximately 370 million people speak English worldwide? It’s also the formal language of 50 countries. The ability to speak the language is not just about communicating with native speakers. Worth mentioning is that learning English helps campers socialize better in summer camp.

Learning English can have a positive impact on your kid’s academic development. Spending more time in an English-speaking setting helps children learn the language quickly and naturally. This boosts their language skills while eliminating the language barrier in other subjects like geography and history.

Why Choose Verbier for a Summer Camp?

Besides the luxury that defines Verbier ski resort, the location has lots to offer during summer. Whether you want your children to experience the culture, engage in adventurous activities, or enroll in a snowboard school, there is something for everyone. Here is why you should pick Verbier for your child’s summer camp trip.

· An Opportunity to go Hiking

Verbier has more than 500 km of marked trails for visitors to explore. If your child is a hiking enthusiast, this makes the location suitable for their needs. Whether children want to practice athletic challenges, go for long treks, educational tours, or even themed paths, Verbier is an ideal location.

· The Thrills

High school students will have a field day in Verbier during the summer. What with the incredible views of Combins massifs, Mont-Blanc, and the Alps? If your children are passionate about paragliding, they can’t go wrong with Verbier. Older children who are not afraid of adventurous activities can try the 4000m helicopter jump in breathtaking surroundings. Younger children can enjoy thrills from Medran’s Aerial Walkway. This is a treetop adrenaline-filled adventure that tests their skill, balance, and agility on different courses of varied difficulty.

· Mountain Biking

There are marked biking trails in Verbier, as well as a bike park with different trails of varying abilities. If your children love adrenaline ski, they will love mountain biking in the summer camp. Verbier hosts various bike events in the summer, which children will be elated to attend.

· Benefits of Learning English in a Real-world Context

What does it mean when children learn English in a real-world environment? They’re able to apply their skills and knowledge, which allows them to use and transfer what they learn into the real world. They’ll be likely to determine the relevance of what they have learned to their role.

Some studies suggest that learning programs can alter behavior and generate positive results when learners are engaged in their lessons. Learning in a real-world setting enables learners to value the application of the skills and knowledge the learning activity promotes. This increases engagement and motivation.

· Accommodation Options Available at the Camp

There are different types of accommodation to choose from in Verbier, as seen below.

Host Families

When your child stays with a host family, they can adapt to the new customs and schedule in a comfortable environment. Besides immersing themselves and learning a different culture, they’ll practise speaking English.

Dormitories

Staying in a dormitory is only ideal for older children. Usually, children will have individual bedrooms and bathrooms, allowing them to organize their daily schedule. This instills in them a sense of independence. Supervisors are in charge of each child’s well-being and ensure that the children follow set rules to the letter.

Chalets

Chalets are structures built of wood and stone. Each has spacious recreation areas, a reception room, a living room, a terrace, a private dining area, a barbecue area, a library, a music room, a fireplace room, and a kitchen. Children can also conduct research in the available internet cafe.

· Support Offered to Kids during their Stay

Staff members are available to help your child learn in a manner that fits their needs. The summer camp has trained and experienced teachers who encourage your child in their quest to learn English Verbier course. Staff live onsite, which gives your child a sense of security.

A camp manager oversees the other staff members to ensure everything runs smoothly. Children also get pastoral care at summer camp. In this case, pastoral care involves peer support, mentoring, and counseling. Pastoral care is a foundational aspect that supports learning.

Language Learning Activities

Learning activities take place in a relaxed and fun-filled environment. Such a setting allows children to express themselves and practice using new words. Besides developing their communication and language skills effectively, it helps them become more confident and build lasting relationships. These activities include:

· Scavenger Hunts

Campers look forward to engaging in scavenger hunts. Camp tutors should ensure kids are doing language practice during the activity. So fun and exciting is this activity that the kids will learn without realizing it. Here are some fun scavenger-hunting versions children can engage in.

· Description Hunts

Instead of listing items for the children to find, tutors can write simple descriptions and clues in riddle form. This will help children practice and improve their reading comprehension.

· Vocabulary Hunts

A vocabulary scavenger hunt can be simple. For example, tutors can create a simple list of items the children have learned before.

· Adjective Hunts

Tutors focus on specific parts of speech, such as adjectives can provide learners with a simple descriptive items list instead of nouns. The campers will then need to find what each adjective could be describing. Always include adjectives the students don’t already know about to expand their vocabulary.

· Hiking

Camp supervisors can organize a hiking trip complete with written directions for the children to follow. Of course, they will accompany them on the trip, but the children will be the ring leaders. To make this exercise more fun, hide a token for the campers to find. Don’t give them longitude and latitude coordinates. Instead, give them written directions to help them find the prize. The kids will enjoy the searching process and practice reading while at it.

· Caption That

What if camp tutors capture fun photos of their campers, print them out, and ask the children to caption them? Campers will love captioning the images and reading what their peers write.

· Puppet Plays

Children passionate about arts and crafts will have fun about this activity. Start by creating a puppet and organize the students into different groups. Let the learners devise a puppet show for their peers in the other group. Ask them to write a script or come up with an activity that requires them to entertain the audience and still put in some vocabulary practice.

· Nature Impressions

Summer camp offers children an opportunity to explore the outdoors. Learners can create impressions of things they find, such as rocks, fern leaves, or branches in salt dough, reusable clay, or a ball of dough. Once the impressions dry, the campers can guess the materials their peers used to make the impressions. Tutors can use this time to teach children adverbs of frequency or modal verbs.

· Campfire Songs

Summer camp evenings are never the same without a campfire. Tutors can use this opportunity to help children with their language practice. For example, how about singing grammar or other songs that teach a particular vocabulary? Rewrite the lyrics of popular songs according to what you want the children to learn. Let them sing in turns until each grasps the entire song. You can teach them the meaning of the song as the language lesson of the day.

Qualified Language Instructors

Are you planning to send your children to summer camp in Verbier? Do you want them to learn English while at it? Language instructors in Verbier are not only trained, qualified, and experienced; they’re conversant in teaching the English language to children. They understand how kids’ brains work and possess the right skills to accelerate learning. They have adopted a raft of teaching methods designed to create a suitable environment for campers, as seen below.

· A Cooperative, Supportive, and Active Environment

An active learning environment includes and facilitates various learning tasks to help learners move around in group lessons. This keeps them focused while ensuring they remain attentive and motivated in their tasks. Language classes should be comfortable enough for every learner. They should have the freedom to ask questions, make mistakes, and make progress in the pursuit of learning the new language. The tutors in Verbier encourage learners to communicate with one another in English as much as possible. Doing so develops their core language skills and fluency.

· Addressing Student Needs

Tutors in Verbier prepare their classrooms to ensure the environment meets their student’s needs. For example, they ensure the learning area is orderly, calm, and secure. Learners get more motivated when their psychological and physical needs are met. Sometimes the teachers involve the learners in planning, helping them create their preferred learning environment. Creating a conducive learning environment encourages students to do their best.

· Visual Materials

Educators use visual materials to help learners actualize what they are learning. Tutors in Verbier begin with items that learners encounter frequently at the summer camp. They also use pictures and labels to outline lessons.

How Kids Can Learn English in Verbier

Learners attending camp at Verbier can attend language lessons as a group of a maximum of eight students. Tutors can arrange private classes and a conducive place within the camp. The services you will get include reading and writing, conversation classes, homework support, immersion courses, and exam preparation.

Classes start between 9 am and end at 4 pm. There are breaks in between to allow campers to engage in other activities. Learners are grouped based on their age groups to make learning smoother.

The program focuses on the immersive English language environment concept. This means that learners speak, listen to, and learn the language in original everyday settings and interact with it in their surroundings. That helps them learn the language naturally like they would their mother tongue, with minimal vocabulary stress or even pressure.

Benefits of Learning English in Verbier

Learning a new language through the immersion concept comes with various benefits, which include:

It helps children become bilingual while acquiring proficiency in the language.
Learners who learn through immersion perform better in English-based tests than their counterparts who don’t.
Children who have gone through the immersive language learning process are better prepared for the job industry, where being bilingual can be an asset.
Immersion learners develop higher cognitive flexibility and demonstrate better memory, problem-solving, and attention control skills. They also display an improved understanding of their core language.

Learning English opens up the following opportunities for children.

· Ability to Travel More

Traveling to a new country where you don’t speak the primary language exposes you to a communication breakdown. Learning the language from an early age helps you communicate better in your future travels.

· Connecting with People

Language can hinder you from communicating with people you meet in a different country. However, being conversant with the language they speak helps you create lasting connections.

· Opens Career Opportunities

Speaking English can be all you need to land your dream career. Today, the job industry is global, meaning numerous companies look for bilingual staff who can communicate with clients and partners globally. English can play a crucial role in advancing your career.

Conclusion

Learning English in Verbier during summer camp eliminates any language barrier children may have in other lessons. Apart from communicating better with their peers, being conversant in the language improves a learner’s performance in school Verbier.

A summer camp is an excellent place for children to acquire fresh ideas, have fun, and make new friends as they learn English in an immersive environment. If you want your child to learn the language and have no idea where to start, consider enrolling them in a summer camp in Verbier. The enrollment process is simple. Navigate to our user-friendly website and book your slot for the upcoming summer camp.

Top 15 Essential Summer Camp Safety Rules For Kids in Switzerland

23 Jun 2022

lesadmin

A summer camp is vital for your kid if you want them to experience new things. In fact, over 10 million kids across the globe go to day camp or overnight camp during summer. To ensure your children have an exciting summer camp experience, there should be a summer camp safety rules and plan for kids whether you’re going with them or not.

If your kids attend a camp run by pros, you’re assured of their safety. Most summer camps have camp staff who oversee operations, camp counselors to advise the children, caregivers in case of injuries, etc. Let’s look at several summer camp safety tips.

How Do You Keep Kids Safe While Camping?

Etiquette

Teach your kids some camping ground etiquette. For instance, they shouldn’t go anywhere alone, meaning they should always have someone with them to prevent accidents.

Fire

One of the biggest threats to safety precautions in child’s camps is fire, so adults must be around when fires are lit. Kids shouldn’t be left alone near fires.

Open Communication

It’s vital that you maintain open communication with kids during camping. For instance, you can bring walkie-talkies to track your kids when playing or riding bikes with their friends. This will come in handy in case they get lost.

Poisonous Plants

Some plants your kids can run into on the camping trail, such as castor oil plants and poison ivy, can be lethal if ingested. So if you see a suspicious-looking plant, you can look it up and advise your kids against eating anything they come across.

Water Bodies

Summer Camp Safety Rules For Kids around water

You must keep kids safe around water, whether boating, playing near the water body or swimming. To be on the safe side, make sure they don’t try to swim in large water bodies, and if they can, they should be supervised by a professional to guarantee water safety.

Well-being

Make sure the wellness of your kids during camping is guaranteed. For instance, ensure they have appropriate clothes for all weather conditions, stay hydrated, apply sunscreen, etc.

Wild Animals

When camping, your kids may run into wild animals. Some may look friendly to them, but you must teach your kids not to approach them.

How Do I Prepare My Child for Summer Camp?

Involve Your Kid in Pre-Camp Preparations

Involving your kid in the summer camp selection process and discussing some of the camp activities is vital and can help generate excitement about going to summer camp.

Involve your kids in the process of picking a summer camp destination; ask them how long they want to stay and the camp activities they’d like to sign up for.

Look Up Photos of the Camp Site or Visit the Site Physically

You can visit the summer campsite in advance; if this isn’t an option, you can conduct background checks using photos and videos of the camping site online.

Why is this important? To calm your kids’ anxiety in case they’re nervous about going. Also, ask your kid to consult their friends who’ve attended previous camps.

Overnight Stay

You can schedule overnight stays for your kids with family members or friends. This gives them the experience of spending time away from you and sleeping in a new environment.

Go Shopping

Going for summer camp shopping with your kid and packing these items with their help will let them pick what they want to bring to summer camp. If they were anxious before, this would help calm their fears.

Check The Camp’s Packing List

The items your kid needs to take to summer camp will depend on the location and duration of their stay. Most summer camps provide a personalized camping checklist.

But ensure you pack comfortable clothing and sturdy footwear that thorns can’t easily pierce. If they have medication, pack that as well and include the dosing instructions.

As you pack a summer camping bag for your kid, ensure you label their belongings so that they don’t lose them or mistake them with those of their peers.

Top 15 Essential Summer Camp Safety Rules for Kids in Switzerland

1. Ensure Your Kids Are Vaccinated

Most summer camps in Switzerland need proof of vaccination. According to the ACA (American camp association), if campers are not vaccinated, they are prone to disease outbreaks.

2. Ensure Your Kids Get Sleep

Your kids should get adequate sleep during summer camp. Sleep promotes cognitive function, restores energy, boosts disease resistance, etc.

3. Understand Your Kid’s Food Allergies

According to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), over 5% of kids worldwide have at least one food allergy.

If your kid is allergic to any food, notify the summer camp director, so they know how to administer first aid in the event on an emergency. You can also pack an epi-pen for your kid.

4. Book a Doctor’s Appointment Prior to Camp

Book an appointment with your kid’s health care provider prior to summer camp. A physical exam is vital to confirm your child’s health before entering new environments.

5. Ensure Your Kids Wash Their Hands

Campers will get dirty as they engage in activities such as games. So it’s essential that they wash their hands with soap and water, especially before meals. Disinfecting their hands by handwashing or using hand sanitizer is vital to prevent them from ingesting dirt.

6. Sunscreen

Summer camp comprises lots of outdoor activities to keep kids occupied. As a result, they will be exposed to the sun, which can give them sunburn. So teach your kids how to apply sunscreen on their skin to prevent sunburn.

7. Balanced Diet

Your kid should have healthy meals during summer camp. Fortunately, most children’s camps in Switzerland serve healthy kid-friendly meals.

8. Proper Clothing

Your kids should have proper camping clothes and gear to protect them from severe weather conditions and injuries. For instance, sneakers are ideal footwear, knee pads for when they go bike or horseback riding, as well as goggles and life jackets for swimming.

9. Pack Bug Repellent

Bugs are expected in camps, especially during summer. Pack some bug repellent for your kids and encourage them to wear long-sleeve shirts, pants, and socks. Also, instruct your kids to stay away from bug-infested areas such as thickets.

10. Keep Them Hydrated

Kids can quickly dehydrate during summer camp due to exposure to high temperatures and multiple outdoor activities. It’s essential that they have a large water bottle to help them hydrate when they need to.

11. Engage Them in Physical Activity

Physical activity can help your kids develop strong muscles and bones, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and minimize the risk of lifestyle diseases. So it’s vital that your kids engage in physical activity, albeit not too much.

12. Teach Your Kids How to Care for Themselves

If you won’t be with your kids during camp, teach them to take care of themselves. How? if they’re under meds, ensure they know when to take them and remember to take them

13. Shoes On at All Times

Whether boots or sneakers, kids need to have some type of closed footwear when moving around. When in camps and barefoot, children are exposed to various dangers. For instance, poisonous plants, thorns, rocks, etc.

14. Instruct Kids to Stay Together

One of the primary camp safety guidelines for kids is always to stay together. Your kids should practice this even when a camping executive director isn’t monitoring them. This prevents them from wandering to unsafe areas and from getting lost.

15. Keep Dangerous Tools Out of Their Reach

Keep dangerous tools such as knives and firearms out of your kid’s reach. Kids don’t know how to operate such tools, and they could injure themselves in the process.

Final Thought

To sum it all up, there are many more rules you can come up with for your kids to follow during summer camp, but these are the most essential. Not only do they help keep them safe during camp, but they’re crucial life lessons moving forward.

21 Health Tips For Summer Camp in Switzerland

26 May 2022

lesadmin

Your child’s health is critical for an excellent camping experience. Here are health tips to secure a camper’s well-being and give them a memorable time at summer camp in Switzerland.

1. Ensure Campers are Vaccinated

Many camps in Switzerland need proof of immunization. According to pediatricians from the American Camp Association, if campers are not immunized, then the risk of having disease outbreaks increases. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids be fully immunized before their first day in camp.

2. Sleep

Getting adequate sleep promotes a camper’s mental health and wellness, restores their energy, helps them rest, develops their resistance, and boosts their growth.

3. Understand Food Allergies

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) more than 7% of children have one food allergy. If your child suffers from food allergies, alert the camp staff members, so they know the foods they are allergic to and how to manage possible causes.

4. Take Your Child for a Physical Exam

A physical exam is critical if the child is going to a camp with numerous activities or if they have a chronic disease like diabetes or asthma.

5. Frequent Hand Washing

Campers will get dirty as they engage in their day-to-day activities. However, washing hands regularly with soap and water, especially after every activity and before meals is important.

6. Use Sunscreen

Summer camp involves lots of outdoor activities to keep children occupied, help them make new friends, and keep them free from homesickness. Using sunscreen helps protect campers from sunburns.

7. Eat a Healthy Diet

Campers should constantly replenish their bodies with healthy summer meals throughout the day. Staff members in many Switzerland camps prepare and serve healthy child-friendly meals. Remember, summer camp can be hectic, and children can easily forget to eat well. However, camp staffs always ensure that every child eats a nutritious and balanced diet.

8. Wear Proper Clothes

Campers should dress in comfortable clothing that can protect them from injury. For example, closed-toe shoes and sneakers are ideal footwear, while light t-shirts and hats are ideal during sunny weather.

9. Tick Bite and Bug Prevention

Bugs are common during summer. Pack insect repellent for your children and encourage them to wear pants and long-sleeved clothes. Children should stay away from places where ticks are common, like wooded and high grass areas. Tick bites result in Lyme disease.

10. Make Excellent Meal Choices

While there are numerous meal varieties in summer camp, children do not have to munch on everything. Eat everything in moderation and insist on low-calorie foods like vegetables and fruits.

11. Stay Hydrated

Campers should have easy access to fluids, especially water, during sleep-away camp. Children will get easily dehydrated during camp due to exposure to high humidity, temperatures, and numerous outdoor activities. Provide a water bottle for your child to help them hydrate. Young campers need up to two litres of fluid every day, while older children should take between 2.5 to three litres.

12. Visit the Nurse if You’re Unwell

Camp directors encourage campers to report any sickness to the resident camp director.

13. Maintain Accuracy and Honesty on Health Forms

As a parent, explain your child’s health history and let the resident medical staff know about any special needs your child may have. For example, is your child lactose or gluten intolerant? Do they suffer from behavioral diagnoses such as autism or ADHD? Let the camp staff know.

14. Sick Children Should Remain at Home

Many disease outbreaks reported in the camp emanate from illnesses at home. When a camper falls sick just before camp, they can be frustrated. However, staying at home until they feel better is always the better option.

15. Ensure the Child is in Good Shape

If your child is not passionate about sporting activities like athletics, chances are they spend a big chunk of their time in front of the television or their electronic gadgets. Children attending summer camp are exposed to strenuous activities like hiking, swimming, and tug-of-war.

16. Stretch More

Campers should take proper care of their bodies even while resting to remain fit. Stretching is crucial, according to Mike Hervis, an assistant athletic trainer. He says;

“We see many injuries come through our doors that could have been mitigated by more consistent stretching,” he says. “We often give athletes stretches they can do throughout the day with little to no interruption to their daily routine, such as sitting in class while doing a hip stretch.”

17. Stress Management

Stress is likely to occur when campers are under pressure or stuck in a demanding situation. It is one of the common problems that camp counselors help fight. Stress doesn’t affect adults only. Young campers, too, can suffer from stress, especially after navigating a hectic school year amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Stress can be uncomfortable, but sometimes it helps campers acquire excellent skills to handle difficult situations.

18. Teach Kids Self-advocacy and Care

While at summer camp, your children should advocate for their well-being and health now that their parents will not be there to monitor them. If the child is under medication, ensure they know when they should take them. Teach them how to stand up for themselves when health care providers at the camp seek to know their allergies or the medication they are taking. Make sure the child knows essential self-care and hygiene practices. Teach them healthy habits like coughing into elbows or tissue and disposing of it well, washing hands regularly, and not sharing utensils and ware containers.

19. Incorporate Approximately 30 Minutes of Physical Activity

Physical activity helps campers develop strong muscles and bones, enhances their cardiorespiratory fitness, reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, controls weight, and minimizes the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases. Engaging in physical activity can promote healthy camp habits like including nutritious foods in diets. Encouraging campers to participate in physical activities instills a healthy lifestyle that they can practice beyond the camp.

21. Ask campers to provide camp officials with an annual health report from a certified healthcare provider.

22. Children with a history of chronic diseases like asthma, allergies, and seizures should provide a medical clearance report before they are allowed to go camping. Parents should also plan how to manage such problems should they arise.

Finally

Sending your kids to summer camp comes with various benefits. As a result, you want a reliable system you can use to book your child’s camp in advance.

Summer Camp Switzerland Safety Tips During Covid-19

12 Apr 2022

lesadmin

Summer camp enthusiasts are looking forward to camping and engaging in their favorite activities this year. The availability of Covid-19 vaccines has shifted the direction of the pandemic in Switzerland. Further, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently released the latest Covid-19 directives, reiterating that fully vaccinated people are free to resume normal activities without social distancing or wearing masks outdoors and indoors.

Many regions across Switzerland have welcomed these guidelines, and summer camp organizers are currently working on releasing the itinerary for the next summer camping expedition. Still, the pandemic is not yet over.

As a result, everybody should exercise caution when attending camp or other social gatherings. This article shall discuss some safety tips you can adopt to protect you and your family members from catching the virus.

How does Covid 19 Affect Summer Camps?

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted summer camps, especially with prolonged lockdowns that saw many campers spend most of their time indoors. To ensure a smooth flow of services and guarantee the well-being of camping enthusiasts, camp organizers are forced to implement stringent safety measures. Some of them have had to release statements reassuring parents of their commitment to adhere to the set procedures and policies defined by the Swiss authorities, the WHO, and the FOPH (Federal Office for Public Health). Both camp organizers and supervisors have monitored the ever-changing Covid situation and usually change their processes accordingly.

Based on the guidelines refined by the FOPH, WHO, and the Swiss government, many summer camps hold webinars to ensure parents understand the set guidelines. Some of the preventative processes and strategies that many summer camping hubs are adopting include:

Providing face masks when the need arises
Having staff members on duty round the clock
Providing hand sanitizers in different stations across the facility
Conducting temperature checks
Asking campers about any existing conditions and their international travel history
Encouraging regular cleaning processes

At the pandemic’s peak, many camping facilities were lenient enough to offer refunds or reschedule the camping sessions until an appropriate time. Even though the pandemic has been slowly fading away and everything seems to be getting back to normal, camp organizers are not relenting to monitor official guidance from local authorities and institutions of learning. They are committed to setting up their strategy and preparing for what they know is their camper’s best interests.

Switzerland Travel Restriction for Summer Camp

Switzerland is easing Covid-19 restrictions. People coming into the country do not need proof of recovery or a negative PCR test. However, foreigners have to provide proof of vaccination to enter the country.

Wearing face masks is no longer mandatory, and neither is presenting a negative test result to access most public areas. However, wearing a mask in medical facilities and on public transport is still mandatory.

All visitors coming into the country from Canada and the US must be fully vaccinated to be authorized to enter Switzerland. Gaining entry into the country is almost impossible for unvaccinated individuals.

According to health officials in Switzerland, full vaccination means that you have received your Pfizer vaccine, booster, or second shot 270 days before arriving in Switzerland. Other vaccine brands to choose from including the single-dose option from Johnsons and Johnsons.

Switzerland accepts any vaccine so long as it has been dispensed according to the Federal Office of Public Health’s directives or one the WHO has approved. When it comes to air travel, the local gov is responsible for evaluating the adherence of domestic foreign airlines to Covid-19’s international safety regulations.

Campers planning to go skiing or mountaineering should share their itinerary with friends or family. They should also understand the laid down practices to help curb the pandemic in Switzerland.

13 Summer Camp Switzerland Safety Tips during Covid 19

Revised CDC directives have left many vaccinated individuals happy while confusing the unvaccinated ones. Many people opine that unvaccinated individuals will stop wearing masks, increasing their risk of spreading the Covid-17 virus. Here are some things that vaccinated and unvaccinated people should beware of during these unpredictable Covid-19 times.

1. Being Unvaccinated Means You are at a High Risk of Contracting Covid and Spreading it to others

The revised CDC guidelines on wearing masks are likely to have severe consequences. For example, if unvaccinated people choose to forgo the mask, they will be at a higher risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

According to Lisa Maragakis, an associate professor of epidemiology and medicine at the University School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins,

“Unfortunately, the risk to unvaccinated individuals will dramatically rise as everyone else abruptly stops wearing masks. These individuals might need to curtail their activities even further and be even more cautious until they become fully vaccinated. The bottom line is that if you are unvaccinated, you are susceptible to the virus.”

Vaccinated people have a higher chance of recovering from Covid than their unvaccinated counterparts. Get vaccinated before interacting with other campers.

2. You Won’t Need Masks When Biking or Running

Biking and running are some of the most exciting activities for camp enthusiasts. Whether you are vaccinated, you can run, walk, bike, or wheelchair roll outdoors without a mask. The risk of contracting Covid-19 outdoors is lower than is the case indoors. Engaging in outdoor activities without a mask is better because air circulation is properly.

3. Engaging in Outdoor Contact Sports is Safe

Outdoor-related sports such as soccer present a minimal risk of transmitting Covid-19.

“Studies of sporting events show that contestants on the different teams don’t spend a great deal of time in very close proximity to each other throughout a basketball game, for instance”, Maragakis says.

However, Paul Pottinger, a professor in the infectious diseases and allergy division at the department of medicine in Seattle’s branch of the University of Washington, says that off the field team gatherings could be the perfect ground for unvaccinated individuals to spread Covid. Campers participating in off-the-field activities should wear a face covering and practice social distancing to be on the safe side.

4. Outdoor Concerts and Sporting Events could Pose a Risk for Unvaccinated individuals

According to the CDC, participating in outdoor gatherings like live performances or close contact sporting events is risky for unvaccinated individuals. If you must attend these events, ensure the facility has proper and socially distanced sitting arrangements. If you are yet to be vaccinated, wear a mask during these events.

5. Hand and Respiratory Hygiene

Encourage and ensure campers practice proper and frequent hand hygiene. Camp supervisors should ensure campers understand how to wash their hands thoroughly. Both campers and staff should always wash their hands before and after eating, after visiting the toilet, after activities, and every time they use shared equipment. Other things that camp organizers should do to promote proper hand and respiratory hygiene include:

Ensure every staff member and camper adheres to the laid down respiratory hygiene. For example, everybody should always cover their mouths with a paper towel when coughing or sneezing.

Ensure a structured process and program to monitor and refill hand hygiene supplies.

Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer with up to 90% alcohol concentration in different locations across the camping facility.

Implement respiratory and hand hygiene and disinfection practices suitable for the jungle setting during the wilderness tours, such as alcohol-based hand wipes and sanitizers.

6. Social Distancing and Cohorting

Cohorting is the idea of placing staff and campers into specific groups that remain together all through the camping experience. This approach plays an important role in controlling camp operations should a Covid-19 case be reported at camp. Restricting any connection between cohorts reduces the number of staff or campers that should be quarantined. To guarantee the success of this approach, camp organizers should:

Communicate the duties of each cohort at the beginning of the camping event
Practice social distancing between parents, staff, and caregivers at drop-off.
Every cohort should refrain from interacting with members of other cohorts.
Cohorts must remain together during all activities and mealtimes.

Staff and campers sleeping in the same bunkhouse or cabin are household cohorts and don’t have to practice social distancing or wear masks unless they are in the company of members of other cohorts.

Members of different household cohorts must wear face masks when using shared outdoor or indoor spaces. They should also maintain social distancing.

Worth mentioning is that evading quarantine can cost you up to CHF 10,000.

7. Transportation

Ensure vehicles are properly ventilated and encourage campers and staff to utilize natural ventilation methods like opening windows. Consult with a healthcare specialist who can help you understand effective strategies for boosting cross ventilation under different situations. Should any camper become sick during the day, they should be restricted from using group transportation and undergo a Covid-19 test before returning home.

Create a strategy to ensure sick campers or participants arrive home safely. Suppose a driver gets sick during the day, the facility should send another driver to replace them. They should then follow the laid down practices for ill people.

8. Handling Confirmed Covid-19 Cases

Develop policies for alerting authorities of positive cases, overseeing follow-up of cases, and alerting exposed individuals. Here are steps camp organizers should take should a coronavirus case occur in their facilities. Develop a plan for campers and staff who develop Covid-19 symptoms and those whose antigen test returns a positive result. This plan can include:

Immediate isolation in a destined isolation area of symptomatic people and those with positive test results.
Transporting campers home or to the medical center when necessary
Notifying parents when their kids test positive for coronavirus or become ill
Providing an exclusive space for campers and staff that test positive away from where other health services are delivered.

9. Wearing of Masks and Personal Protective Gear

Education providers at the summer camp must offer training on the proper and safe use, care, limitations, and mask disposal. Refer to the cantonal Covid-19 site in your region for additional information about masks. Here are some tips to make this exercise worthwhile.

Every unvaccinated camper or staff must wear masks while indoors unless a camper has special needs or a medical condition that hinders their ability to wear face-covering or masks such as:

Inability to wear or remove their masks without being assisted by another person
Is in an adequately ventilated area and practicing social distancing
Eating or drinking

10. Routine Health Monitoring

Daily screening of the staff and campers is unnecessary, but they should self-screen daily before starting their day camp activities. Camp organizers should provide self-screening tools to ensure staff capture possible Covid-19 symptoms early enough.

They should also train campers using non-stigmatizing and age-applicable language to ensure they understand how to recognize Covid-19 symptoms. They should also be encouraged to inform staff members immediately they fall ill.

Before recommending further assessment, healthcare and medical staff at the summer camps should beware of any pre-existing conditions and Non-Coronavirus related allergies such as migraines, chest congestion, and severe running nose.

11. Camp Activities and Operations

Summer Camp Switzerland Activities and Operations

Here are some factors to consider when planning camp activities in Bern and Geneva.

The more people gather in one location, the higher the risk of transmitting Covid-19.
Campers should engage in outdoor activities as much as possible and limit indoor activities. If campers have to participate in indoor activities, ensure the space is well ventilated.
Restrict nonessential volunteers and visitors
Open windows and doors as much as possible to facilitate proper circulation of fresh air.

There is a high risk of circulation of respiratory droplets during activities involving voices, such as acting or singing, or where wind instruments are used. Campers should conduct such activities outdoors and in adherence to social distancing protocols.

12. Building Regulations

Suppose the camping activity occurs in an amenity that is reopening after remaining shut for a long time. In that case, camp organizers should maintain all water and ventilation features and systems, such as drinking fountains and sink fountains. Doing so ensures they are ready for occupancy and use and in proper working conditions throughout the camping period. Here are some things you can do to improve or increase ventilation and encourage proper fresh air circulation.

Open windows and doors as long as it is safe to do so

Ensure proper functioning of the central air filtration system. Seal any edges across the filters and ensure they are well installed and within service life.

Ensure ventilation systems are in proper working condition to boost the quality of indoor air

Consult a professional to determine what is working and identify equipment requiring replacement in the facility.
Keep air filtration systems running round the clock whenever possible to promote air exchange inside the building

If you plan to perform any activities indoors, keep windows and doors open to increase fresh air circulation.

13. Staff Considerations

Implement non-inflicting and flexible leave policies to allow sick staff to remain at home. Leave policies to help account for:

Staff who report Covid-19 related symptoms
Staff members who have tested positive for coronavirus
Staff who have had their Covid-19 tests but results are still pending
Employees whose children have closed school due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in their schools
Any employee who has had close contact with an individual with Covid-19 symptoms

Camp organizers should encourage their staff to be fully vaccinated before the camping event. If the staff experience any side effects, supervisors should be kind enough to give them a few days off until they recover fully.

Finally

As Covid-19 cases drop, the CDC and WHO are relaxing regulatory measures. However, that does not mean that summer camp organizers should be lax. The virus is still here, and every camp organizer should implement prevention measures to ensure campers are safe during their stay at the camp facility.

These tips are ideal for camp organizers and parents who want to enroll their children in camp this summer. Summer camps come with numerous benefits, such as promoting a child’s mental health. However, the environment should be safe for campers to enjoy those benefits. A reliable camping facility will provide a FAQ page on their website to help parents find answers conveniently.

Best Winter Camp Switzerland and the Must-Try Activities

31 Dec 2019

lesadmin

Finding fun and interesting things for your children to engage in during winter can be an arduous task. What with the dark, long, and boring winter months? As a result, many people will spend most of their time curled up on the couch.

Some will be sipping hot chocolate while others
will want to keep up with the latest movies. Such sedentary practices can
thwart your effort to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Let’s find out some tips to help you survive the
winter season. We shall also discuss some of the activities available at the
best winter camp Switzerland.

How to Survive the
Winter Season

These tips will help you make it through winter
with minimal struggle.

Accept the Season

The sooner you accept winter regardless of the
discomfort, the better it will be to cope.

Change Your
Priorities

The winter weather will leave you feeling
sluggish. Counter the feeling by engaging in serene activities. You could also
engage in activities you are passionate about.

Dress Accordingly

Wear appropriate clothes to keep you warm. The
best way to do so is by dressing up in layers. Ensure the clothes you wear are
of good quality materials to help you survive the extreme cold
temperatures.

Exercise

Exercising is an ideal way of igniting body
warmth to keep the cold weather at bay. Try dancing, jogging, or engage in yoga
practice.

Refurbish
Your Surroundings

For the time you will be spending indoors, you
want to make it pleasant and comfortable. Embrace fresh plants and flowers,
scented candles, and attractive colors. Redecorating your home could go a long
way to make it habitable.

Eat well and Drink
Enough Water

Spiced, warming, and filling meals are ideal for
extreme cold weather. Include complex carbs and root vegetables in your diet
and drink lots of rejuvenating teas such as ginger, honey, and lemon tea.
Include cinnamon in your coffee to make it tasty and help prevent blood sugar
spikes.

Best Winter Camp
Activities in Switzerland

While winter can be extremely cold, there are
numerous activities you can engage in to remain active. Spending time outdoors
during winter comes with many health benefits.

Here are some outdoor activities for your child to try during a visit to the best winter camp in Switzerland.

Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a winter activity that has been
in existence since the 1920s. It involves going down a snow-covered slope with
a board fastened to your feet. The evolution of snowboarding was inspired by
surfing, skateboarding, sledding, skiing, and surfing.

If you are a skateboarding enthusiast, then you
will enjoy snowboarding too. Your child can participate in snowboarding whether
they are beginners or advanced level.

Novice snowboarders should descend a moderately
inclined slope. Seasoned snowboarders, however, can descend from more
challenging peaks.

Skiing

Skiing is the most popular activity during winter. Skiing down the slopes on snow is a thrilling experience that both adults and children enjoy. You will find that many of the skiing areas are located inside the best winter camp in Switzerland. This means that there will be other interesting activities for your child to engage in.

Sledding

Sledding is a less complex winter activity that participants
can execute in a seated position. This is an ideal activity to engage in on a
sunny albeit winter afternoon in one of Switzerland’s best winter camps.

Sleds come in varying sizes and shapes making it
ideal for both adults and children. To enjoy this activity, you will need a
sled and a snow-filled hill before you can slide down.

Sledding involves sliding down and carrying the
sled up the hill again before repeating the activity. This can be tedious but
quite interesting.

Camping

Camping during winter can seem impossible but it
is achievable. Many schools in Switzerland organize the best winter camps which
the children find interesting. Children get a chance to engage in skiing and
other winter-based activities regardless of their level of experience. What’s
more, going camping is a good way of exploring and marveling at the beauty that
is Switzerland.

Snowshoeing

Do you enjoy hiking but dislike the idea of wading through heavy snow? If you do, then snowshoeing is what you should try. This activity allows you to marvel at Switzerland’s natural and beautiful winter scenes.

You don’t need previous experience to engage in
snowshoeing. Snowshoes available today are way larger compared to ordinary snow
boots.

They are specially designed to cover up a larger
surface area and reposition the participant’s weight. This enables them to walk
rather than sink in the snow. Snowshoeing is a great way of hiking and
convenient for all ages.

Ice Skating

Ice skating involves gliding through an ice surface
with blades attached at the bottom part of the shoes. These are also known as
skates. If you are a beginner, watching experienced skaters can be quite
interesting. While you may be convinced that it’s easy to execute, it may take
months before you can finally master the tricks.

Construct Something

The best winter camp Switzerland can never be complete without constructing something on the snow. Snowman is one of the most popular sculptures during winter. Children can also exercise their creativity by making other snow sculptures depending on their preferences. For instance, children can build a slide of a snow fort.

Try Ice Fishing

If you are passionate about fishing, you may want
to try ice fishing. In this activity, participants drop a fishing line in a
water body to catch fish. You may manage to go ice fishing in a heated cabin
developed above the fishing hole depending on the winter camp you’re visiting.
This activity is not different from traditional fishing. The only difference
here is that it’s colder.

Snow Tubing

Snow tubing is
an advanced form of sledding, and the snow tube is usually unstable. While it
can fit several people, determining whether it will go faster or slower can be
difficult. You should exercise caution while snow tubing to avoid hitting
uneven surfaces. Doing so can scatter everybody inside the tube into different
directions.

Enjoy a Bonfire

Few things can beat sitting around a bonfire and
enjoying the warmth while sharing interesting stories. Many children from
different countries and cultures visit the best winter camps in Switzerland
each winter. Children will have a chance to bond with one another and learn
from each other. The best way to enjoy a bonfire is to have some biting at
hand.

Toboggan Rides

Toboggan rides are an exciting way of enjoying
the outdoors during the winter in Switzerland. The conventional toboggan is
made using restrained parallel wood slats. These are bent backward and up at the
front to form a flat J shape.

A thin rope is then driven through the edge of
the curved area to offer simple steering. Modern toboggans are made using
plastic, wood, or aluminum. Toboggan riding involves sliding down snow-coated
slopes.

Several people can ride the toboggan at once in a
sitting or lying prone position. The equipment can be controlled by lifting and
spinning the front. This can also be executed by moving a foot slowly along the
snow. The toboggan can also be used to drag loads through wilderness
trails.

Dog Sledding

Dog sledding is a popular winter activity in Switzerland with various designated regions for the same. This activity also allows you to marvel at some of the sensational views in Switzerland.

About Les Elfes

Les Elfes is a popular resort located in Verbier
which has been in existence for thirty years. The resort has evolved over the
years and today boasts several campuses in Verbier. Les Elfes has a 250 bed
capacity for students attending camp in different seasons.

The camp hosted 500 students in the first year of
its inauguration and today hosts up to 5,000 campers from different countries
annually. Up to 200 international schools participate in one of the many
programs that are on offer at Les Elfes. More than 100 staff members work at
Les Elfes.

What’s Unique about
Les Elfes?

Les Elfes remains open throughout the year. There
are numerous mountain sports and festivals that attract visitors from various
parts of the world. During winter, campers will enjoy snow-coated streets
complete with alluring wooden chalets.

There is a large ski area with approximately 100
lifts providing access to more than 400km of pistes. Beginners will enjoy a ski
area located in the village which guarantees convenience and safety. Les Elfes
offers ski lessons during spring. This is the ideal time for beginners to learn
how to ski.

Summer Activities

Summer activities in Les Elfes include:

Mountain biking
Ropes course
Rock climbing
session
Arts & Crafts
Hiking

Winter Activities

Les Elfes is popularly known for offering
exciting winter activities. These include:

Ice
skating
Skiing
Game
competitions
Campfires
and
Snowboarding

School Trips

Les Elfes offers both ski and
field trips where students engage in various activities and educational
programs. Over the years, this resort has evolved to become one of the safest
and highly supervised regions.

Finally

Are you considering going camping at the best
winter camp Switzerland? There are numerous outdoor activities you can engage
in during the cold season. Being active is beneficial for your health. It will also
help you counter winter blues.

Schools that want to do Switzerland Summer Camp Trips and Meet up with New Students

03 Jul 2019

carlotta

While Switzerland is a small country, it’s a beautiful place with an exceptional diversity. There are three semantic regions in the country, and these have innovated their unique traditions, culture, cuisine, and economy. Still, numerous foreigners have permanently relocated to Switzerland and introduced different languages and cultures in the country.

Switzerland prides itself in having four national languages. In addition, more than 21% of the entire population is made of foreigners, making the country a multicultural hub located at the core of Europe. While a big percentage of Swiss residents speak German, they are also fluent in two languages and this makes the region ideal for studying and student interactions. It’s no wonder then that Swiss schools that want to do trips and meet up new students for international schools are thriving.

How is the Experience of Studying in Switzerland?

Switzerland’s topography, landscape, and leisure related activities are diverse just like the country’s culture. Switzerland is popularly known as a winter and summer sports hub and is home to metropolitan cities such as Basel, Zurich, and Geneva, as well as other small and sophisticated towns.

For long, Switzerland has been among some of the best tourist destinations across the world with fun and interesting attraction sites to marvel at. Lifestyle in the country depends on where you live. In today’s fast-paced world, the Swiss population is divided into people who dwell in the big cities, those who live in smaller cities and the others who live in rural areas.

· Food in Switzerland

Students studying in Swiss schools can sample the vast blend of German, French, and Italian cuisine. Regardless of their favorite meals, students are guaranteed to find them in this country. What’s more, there are numerous Swiss exotic dishes that students can try such as fondue. There is a wide variety of sumptuous desserts too such as cooked apples, brownies, and cookies.

· Living costs for Students in Swiss Schools

The cost of living in Switzerland is slightly high which is understandable, seeing that the country is among the most developed and wealthiest nations in the world. Still, studying in Swiss schools is cheaper than it is in other areas outside of Geneva and Zurich, even though food and other items can be more expensive compared to other regions across Europe.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly option, you may want to go for student housing associations. These offer you a wide variety of flats and rooms to fit your budget. It’s worth noting that the average prices will vary from one city to the other.

· Accommodation

One of the most important things you will be considering before choosing your learning destination is accommodation. There is a wide variety of housing options to choose from ranging from private rentals to university residences.

Some schools in Swiss provide accommodation for their international students depending on their terms and conditions. However, every student is tasked with finding their own accommodation and one of the most popular ways to do so is by renting a house, an apartment, or a room at the student’s residences.

If you are a student, and looking for international learning institutions, you may want to consider studying in Switzerland, seeing that Universities in the country offer you various programs for the ultimate study abroad experience. What’s more, the country is a perfect choice for you if you are a first-time traveler.

As we have mentioned above, the culture is diverse and this allows students to learn and engage in new things. The best thing about this country is: you can still engage in the fun and exciting activities that you loved doing in your home country. With this ease, you shouldn’t have trouble settling in.

Of course, studying in international Swiss schools abroad can be challenging. However, students can go for winter or even summer vacations just to experience the country. This enables them to decide whether or not the experience is worth spending their entire semester.

Top Switzerland Universities for International Students

There are various Universities in Switzerland to choose from, all of which offer tailored programs to ensure that students participate in vacations and get together events, enabling them to interact with new students from various parts of the world. Here are some of them.

· International University in Geneva

The International University in Geneva is one of the top ten business schools across the country, and among the best Universities for international students in Switzerland. The school focuses on both practical and theoretical study practices is ideal when it comes to preparing students for their international business careers.

The institution is a hub for culture, business, and politics. Further, Geneva is an ideal setting for studying which enables you to practice what you have learned theoretically in the actual world. Studying in Geneva comes with added advantages, especially because the city is located in the central part of Europe. This means that traversing to other cities is much easier. The school has made major strides in forming relationships both in and outside Switzerland. These have come in hand to assist students during their studying period and after graduating.

Courses in this International Swiss school are taught in English. The International University in Geneva has partnered with various schools in the US to ensure their students can complete their semester in Geneva and administer what they have learned in their home Universities. If you are looking for a short term study opportunity, The University in Geneva is ideal.

· University of Geneva

The University of Geneva was inaugurated in the year 1559 and it’s the second biggest University in Swiss. It’s a globally recognized institution for both education and research. A third of students studying in this institution are foreigners. While Geneva is the hub of francophone Switzerland, this institution provides French support classes for non-French speaking students.

You can take both short term and regular full degree courses in this institution which are taught in English. The University of Geneva offers students various opportunities to engage in different recreational activities. Students will enjoy engaging in sports and other exciting activities across Switzerland.

Business and Hotel Management School of Switzerland

This hospitality Swiss school is located in Lucerne for students interested in studying hospitality management, culinary arts, and international business management. The institution accommodates students from more than 65 destinations and focuses on giving you a maximum real-world experience.

The business and hotel management school in Switzerland is committed to ensuring that students succeed in the global hospitality industry. The school in Swiss has partnered with various institutions across the world to ensure that students get perfect training and experience during their studying period.

Apart from studying, the institution focuses on exposing students to practical activities such as camps and hiking which offer students a perfect opportunity to interact with other students from various institutions in and out of Switzerland. Whether you are looking for a short term or full degree program, BHMS should be in your bucket list.

· University of Bern

The University of Bern is located within the Switzerland capital. The institution is a political and cultural hub and pays special emphasis on gender sustainability and equality. Students studying at the University of Bern will benefit from the University’s commitment to innovate and enhance service delivery.

The city of Bern is home to numerous museums and the UNESCO world heritage site. Students will also enjoy the various forms of informal learning offered by the school. If you are planning to study at this University, you may want to enroll in German classes. Students can choose either short term or full degree courses which the school offers.

· University of Lausanne

A big percentage of the students studying in this institution are international students. This not only allows you to mingle with students from various parts of the world, but it’s also a perfect opportunity for you to learn about different cultures and make new friends. Lausanne is popularly known for its art scene and archaic center. Further, the region is also a hub of the International Olympic Committee.

Even though various courses at this University are taught in French, the school in Swiss helps students to enhance their understanding of the French language. There is a school of the French department at the institution which offers French courses to its international non-French speaking students.

This not only helps students enhance their French language, but it also enriches their knowledge of culture and literature. Non-French speaking students can even choose to study during the summer and winter vacations. The institution offers both full degree and short term programs.

· University of Zurich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the University of Zurich is the largest in the region. The institution lies in one of the main global centers in the world and is popularly known for being among the best Universities in the country and entire Europe in general. This institution offers a wide range of academic programs for students depending on their needs.

Studying in a big institution is beneficial to students because they can be sure of finding a course that meets their requirements. There are numerous resources for international students in this institution aimed at giving students a smooth transition.

Zurich is home to numerous recreational activities and this institution exposes its students to the fun and exciting activities to help them find a balance between studies and their social life.

Finally

While Switzerland is a small country, it offers exceptional sights, a rich history, sumptuous food, and high-quality Swiss schools for international students. If you are looking for the ideal institution for your studies, Universities in Switzerland provide an all-round education for all students.

Table of Contents

Preparing for a Successful Summer Camp

Define Camp Objectives

Plan a Well-rounded Curriculum

Educational Activities

Physical Fitness and Sports

Teach Life Skills

Engage Qualified and Enthusiastic Staff

Advertise Open Positions

Conduct a Rigorous Interview Process

Run Background Checks and Contact References

Creating a Safe Environment

Ensure Appropriate Facilities

Establish Clear Rules and Guidelines

Implement Effective Supervision

Maintain Appropriate Camper-to-staff Ratios

Assign Qualified Staff to Oversee Different Activities

Monitor Campers’ Well-Being, Ensuring They Are Safe and Accounted For at All Times

Infusing Fun and Educational Elements

Offer Diverse Activities

Foster Experiential Learning

Integrate Team-Building and Social Interactions

Communication and Inclusion

Maintain respectful and open communication:

Create an Inclusive Environment

Conclusion

Table of Contents

Why Children Should Learn English in Verbier During Summer Camp

Why Choose Verbier for a Summer Camp?

· An Opportunity to go Hiking

· The Thrills

· Mountain Biking

· Benefits of Learning English in a Real-world Context

· Accommodation Options Available at the Camp

Host Families

Dormitories

Chalets

· Support Offered to Kids during their Stay

Language Learning Activities

· Scavenger Hunts

· Description Hunts

· Vocabulary Hunts

· Adjective Hunts

· Hiking

· Caption That

· Puppet Plays

· Nature Impressions

· Campfire Songs

Qualified Language Instructors

· A Cooperative, Supportive, and Active Environment

· Addressing Student Needs

· Visual Materials

How Kids Can Learn English in Verbier

Benefits of Learning English in Verbier

· Ability to Travel More

· Connecting with People

· Opens Career Opportunities

Conclusion

Table of Contents

How Do You Keep Kids Safe While Camping?

Etiquette

Fire

Open Communication

Poisonous Plants

Water Bodies

Well-being

Wild Animals

How Do I Prepare My Child for Summer Camp?

Involve Your Kid in Pre-Camp Preparations

Look Up Photos of the Camp Site or Visit the Site Physically

Overnight Stay

Go Shopping

Check The Camp’s Packing List

Top 15 Essential Summer Camp Safety Rules for Kids in Switzerland

1. Ensure Your Kids Are Vaccinated

2. Ensure Your Kids Get Sleep

3. Understand Your Kid’s Food Allergies

4. Book a Doctor’s Appointment Prior to Camp

5. Ensure Your Kids Wash Their Hands

6. Sunscreen

How to Survive the
Winter Season

Change Your
Priorities

Refurbish
Your Surroundings

Eat well and Drink
Enough Water

Best Winter Camp
Activities in Switzerland