WI Kids Camp-GLR has been canceled for this summer due to COVID-19.
Monday, June 15 – Friday, June 19, 2020
For those who have completed grades 3, 4 and 5
$250 per camper
Parents,
We imagine you have a lot of questions about sending your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade student to a week-long, overnight camp. This information is an attempt to address many of the questions we typically receive about what WI Kids Camp is like and how it operates. If a question is not addressed, please contact us.
Can I call my son or daughter while at camp?
We have found that it is often difficult for some kids to make the adjustment to camp life and make it the whole week if they are in contact with home. If you need to make contact with your child, we recommend writing letters to the camp ahead of time so that your child will receive them during his or her week at camp. It is always special for a camper to receive mail from home while at camp. In case of emergency only, the Camp Director can be reach at (608)-215-6582.
Please do not send a cell phone with your child.
The best way to get contact with the WI Kids Camp staff during the week of camp is to send a message through the contact form. This message goes directly to the WI Kids Camp Director’s email which is checked frequently.
Are there adequate adults and supervision? In other words, is my child going to be safe?
Yes, to both questions. Recognizing that we are supervising “precious cargo”, we take great care to provide superior supervision and safety. We shoot for a 1:5 ratio. All of our adults have undergone a background check, and have been cleared by their respective churches to volunteer at camp. In addition, each Kids Camp staff member wears a badge, so we know if there are any other adults walking around who haven’t checked in.
We have lifeguards and adult monitors during swimming. During the day each squadron of students are assigned a squadron leader who knows where they are at all times. At night there are adults at each exit of the sleeping barracks. We take your child’s safety very seriously.
What are the sleeping accommodations like? The military-style barracks?
Campers sleep on bunks in rooms of the barracks of the same gender. In the boys’ barracks, each room has 2 bunk-beds, so 4 campers. In the girls’ barracks, each room has 1 bunk-bed and 1 single bed, so 3 campers.
Each barracks has multiple bathrooms and showers. These barracks were built in the 1950s so they have that old military-style charm!
How do I get my child to camp?
Because this camp is organized through local Wesleyan churches, students will arrive as part of a group from a Wesleyan church. So if you got this information from a local Wesleyan church, then please contact them to arrange for transportation to and from camp. While we highly encourage students to arrive with their local Wesleyan church, let us know if other arrangements need to be made.
Click Here for location information for The ARC.
I don’t go to a Wesleyan church, can my son or daughter still go to this camp?
Absolutely. The local Wesleyan churches in WI recognize the need to organize and implement a week-long spiritual camp retreat where children have fun while learning what it means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We welcome any and all children to experience this wonderful week.
What if my child requires consistent prescription medication?
At WI Kids Camp we have a licensed Camp Nurse on duty 24 hours a day. This nurse is the only permitted person to administer medication and perform medical services. All medications (prescription and over-the-counter) need to be packaged and labeled in this manner:
- Place medication (in its original container/packaging) in a zip lock bag. Enclose instructions on how and when to administer (you can use this form if you’d like: Medications Form ). If this is prescription medication, make sure directions from the doctor are enclosed and printed on the container.
- Be sure to indicate proper storage of the medication (i.e. refrigeration) and whether the medication is “as needed” or “daily”.
- Only send enough medication for the length of camp.
- For multiple medications: Enclose each medication in a separate zip lock bag.
How do you deal with homesickness?
Prior to camp, parents can help establish the basis of a successful adjustment to camp using this guide:
- Please do not make any “private deals” such as “just call me if you are unhappy and you can come home.” Instead, let your child know that counselors and camp directors will be there to help out. We have found that most campers make the best of their summer camp experience when parents fully support their efforts to adjust to being independent and spending 5 days away from home.
- Discuss and help your child list a set of personal goals for their camp experience.
- Send a disposable camera to record camp experiences that can be shared after camp is over.
We have very few children who suffer from homesickness, however, when this happens, we begin by recognizing that it is natural to miss home. We work with each child individually, listening and talking about his or her feelings and taking things one step at a time. If necessary, we notify parents and work with you to implement the best plan. In some instances, parents may be asked to pick up a child. It is rare that a camper leaves due to homesickness. After all, children are active and involved in activities as soon as they arrive at camp.
What do the campers do all week?
The camp schedule keeps campers going all week long. Everything from eating together, playing together, having adventures together, and participating in chapel together, all serve to keep the campers involved and going the entire week. The campers will play a variety of recreation games, activities, crafts, swimming, and attend chapel services (both morning and evening).
How is the food?
The food is really good!
Here’s a general breakdown:
Breakfast
–hot & cereal options
Lunch/Dinner
-Salad Bar
-Variety of mains
-Fruit/veg
-Dessert
-Several drink options
What age children can go to this camp?
Children who have completed the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are eligible to attend WI Kids Camp.
How many times a day do you have chapel?
We have twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening.
What if my child has any special needs?
If your child has any special, individual needs, please let us know before he or she arrives. If necessary, tell us about dietary needs, family situations, etc. when registering online. (We need to let The ARC know about all dietary needs ahead of camp.) All information is kept private; only the staff involved will be told. Information can be shared during online registration or via the contact form which will be sent to the WI Kids Camp Director.
Does my child have to turn medicine in even if they know when to take it and how much?
Yes. Campers are allowed to bring prescription medications, but these must be turned in upon check in. It is for the safety of your camper and other campers that we do not allow any camper to dispense their own medication.
How much extra money should I send with my camper?
We work hard at keeping the cost of camp as low as possible in order for as many children to come as are able. The base cost of $250 covers everything at camp (meals, lodging, etc) except for the Canteen snack bar. The snack bar contains candy, snacks, popcorn, etc. The cost of these snacks is in addition to the base camp cost. The maximum dollar amount a child can bring with him or her to camp is $10. If you already paid this when you registered online, you do not need to send any money to camp. Upon arrival, the campers deposit this extra money in the snack bar bank. We do not allow campers to carry money with them during the week of camp. During designated Canteen time campers can use their money to purchase snacks. Please do not send additional food of any kind (including candy and gum) with your camper. We provide three nutritious meals a day (plus the added snack bar) so extra food is not necessary.
How does this camp deal with discipline?
Children in grades 3, 4 and 5 are active, wiggly, need space to move, and have limited attention spans (when compared with most adults). We definitely recognize this. So children don’t get in trouble for being a kid. Anything a camper needs to be corrected on will have to do with safety, respect, and appropriateness.
- Safety: we aim to keep things very safe so if a camper is putting other campers in danger, then we will have to correct.
- Respect: we aim to teach and model to campers a healthy respect for one another and for the leaders (adults and high schoolers). When a camper engages in disrespect then we will have to correct.
- Appropriateness: this one is tricky because each leader has their own view on what is appropriate and what is not. The general principal here is to give the benefit of the doubt. This means that if a camper does something questionable, we will start by giving them the benefit of the doubt, but we will ask them their intentions. Depending on their intention will determine whether or not we will have to correct.
What does it look like to correct a camper? Lots of grace and natural (and some contrived) consequences. We start with simple requests to stop the behavior all seasoned with grace. This stops most safety and appropriateness related behavior. For the most part, campers listen and obey. For those who don’t, we might have them sit out of an activity, go last for something, or remove a privilege (i.e. snack bar). These are contrived consequences to help make the camper aware of their inappropriate behavior. If these attempts to correct do not work, then the conversation is escalated to either the head counselor or the camp director. These two people will attempt correction through grace and natural and contrived consequences all while communicating the importance of respect. All attempts at honoring a child’s individuality is in play here. We are not shooting for uniformity, only a safe, respectful, and appropriate environment for all the campers. On extremely rare circumstances, the camp director might have to contact a parent to discuss additional options.
If you do not hear from the camp director all week, then that means your son or daughter is doing wonderfully and we have any and all matters well in hand!
Can my son or daughter make bunk requests to sleep in the same room as a friend?
Yes. There is an area in the “Online Registration” to make bunk-mate requests. While we cannot guarantee your bunk-mate request, we will try to accommodate them as much as we can (meaning we try really hard and it happens most of the time!). Generally, rooming arrangements are created by attendance from the same church, grade, and bunk-mate requests; that is why we only allow one request per camper. In order for the request to be processed it must be mutual.
What does my camper need to bring to camp?
This information can be found on the Camper page of our website.
What is the spiritual climate like at WI Kids Camp?
The spiritual environment is extremely intentional.
While we enjoy a high degree of fun and engaging child-centered activities, the spiritual goal of modeling and introducing and developing the heart of God into the lives of students is close to the WI Kids Camp staff’s heart. WI Kids Camp does not exist merely to provide a fun week of entertainment for your child during the summer – although we will definitely have fun!
WI Kids Camp exists to introduce students to God, develop a heart that wants to follow God by believing in Jesus, and modeling that special relationship with Jesus to those around them. We take the spiritual climate very seriously at WI Kids Camp!
Do you supply pain reliever or other over-the-counter medication if needed?
Yes. Over-the-counter medications will be administered if deemed necessary by the camp nurse, unless otherwise noted on the medical information supplied.