We provide more structure for our younger campers and allow more freedom for our older campers.
We find the structure to the day at camp is great to provide a diverse experience for everyone. That being said, we know the value of having the freedom to play as you please as well! At Overnight Camp, we find a great blend of this with plenty of structure to expose campers to a variety of experiences and fun while also opening up time (both formally and informally) for campers to have the space to explore how they would like (with proper supervision of course!).
For younger campers, we intentionally structure more of the program so they can experience the wide range of activities we offer. As kids grow older, we allow for more choices to be made to what they want to do, providing enough staff and structure to keep them comfortable and enough freedom to allow for self-direction, discovery, and pursuit.
We also provide our staff with the flexibility to serve their campers how they need and want, providing pivot elements on the schedule to create special moments for their campers, from meals as a group in the meadow to special activities at night and much more. We coach our staff to think of how to specialize the experience for each camper in their group, to propose ideas, to get creative, and to listen to their campers on what would excite them in their experience.