Camp KangaZoo Frequently Asked Questions

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Camp KangaZoo Frequently Asked Questions"

Leonard Robbins
6 years ago
Views:

1 Camp KangaZoo Frequently Asked Questions What are the times, dates and prices? Please go back to the Camp KangaZoo page and click on one of the links at the top of the page. There are links for Camp Joey (age 4- entering Kg,) Camp KangaZoo (entering 1 st 6 th grades,) and Teen Camp (entering 7 th 9 th grades.) How do I register? When you return to the Camp page, follow the link on the right sidebar for complete registration information. Mail in or online registration is available. Will my child be with children his/her own age? Yes. All of the campers that are registered for a session of Camp are organized into a list based on their birth date. If you have requested a buddy for your camper within one year in age, we make sure that the buddies are together (they are listed by the younger buddy s birth date.) For more information, see questions relating to the buddy system below. If we have between campers registered for a session, we divide the list into 5 equal groups, for campers registered, we divide the list into 4 equal groups, etc. Thus the 20 or so youngest campers are together, the next 20 are together, etc. Although the activities that campers participate in are similar between age groups, Camp Educators are excellent at modifying the lessons and activities to fit their group s abilities and interests. What do the campers do all day? Two different Camp KangaZoo themes are offered: Battle of the Biomes and Animals in Action. The format of both camp sessions is the same. Each day starts with small group games and get to know you activities. At about 8:40 am we join together for our amazing Camp Rocks music session with our Camp Musician. Then the campers split up into their age-based groups. The groups all rotate through activities during the day. On any given day, campers may participate in games, crafts, live animal contact opportunities, Zoo tours and other activities that vary day to day. Campers come together each day for lunch, snack, and sometimes an all-camp activity. Both camps visit the Children s Zoo, attend the Sea Lion show and ride the Zooline Railroad. Camp concludes with an overnight on Thursday night, except miniweek which is 4 days with no overnight (July 2,3,5,7) Campers can take either one or both sessions (Battle of the Biomes and/or Animals in Action.)

2 Is there unstructured time? We keep your campers busy most of the day with structured activities and they are always supervised by Camp staff and volunteers. The only times that could be considered unstructured are: Morning song time Our musician and part of the camp staff lead songs for all of the campers as one group while waiting for all of the campers to arrive (8:45 9 am) and while other camp staff are greeting campers and escorting them to Camp. Lunch All campers are together for the 30 minute lunch period and campers are allowed free choice to sit where they like in the lunch area. In rainy weather, the campers may be split up into two indoor areas for lunch. Snack Campers from each session sit together to eat snack and wait for their name to be called for pick up, while some staff supervise and entertain, and others escort campers back to their cars. Thursday evening drop off and sing-a-long After check in on Thursday evening, we rely on parents to walk their child to the sleeping area and help to get their sleeping gear laid out. Parents and children together can come to our sing-a-long. The camp staff is split up around the Zoo getting ready for the overnight experience, so we rely on you to supervise your child during this time. If you need to drop off your child and leave immediately, please sign up for our free drop-and-go service. What is the overnight like? The overnight is the grand finale to a jam-packed week at Camp. Parents are invited to stay and help get their campers settled, see some Camp projects and participate in a special musical performance until 7:00 pm. After parents leave, the campers eat dinner together, perform skits that they have worked on during the week, and take a night hike around the Zoo. We go to bed between 10:30 and 10:45 pm, and sleep peacefully under the stars in our sleeping area in the Chain of Lakes, or another outdoor location. All is quiet except for the occasional lion roar, sea lion bark, or crested screamer call. If rain or dangerously hot weather is in the forecast, we sleep inside of Zoo buildings, either The Living World or the Exploration Outpost. We rise at 6:30 am, roll up the sleeping bags, eat a tasty breakfast, and then go for an early morning stroll around the Zoo. Morning pick up is at 8:30 am. Sometimes rain happens when it is NOT in the forecast. In this case, our goal is to keep the campers sleeping gear as dry as possible, while we calmly move to an indoor location. What is the difference between the two Camp sessions? The camp sessions have different themes Battle of the Biomes and Animals in Action

3 In Animals in Action, campers will explore the fascinating world of animal behavior. In-depth observations will reveal what animals do, how they move in their Zoo habitat, how they get along with the other animals and how they learn. Active games, creative crafts, fun science activities and awesome Zoo animals will help uncover the mysteries of animals in action. In Battle of the Biomes, campers will compare similar animals and habitats in different parts of the world. How are vultures in the Ozark Mountains like the condors in the Andes Mountains? Are all rainforests and rainforest animals the same? What animals are keystone species? Campers will find the answers through active Camp games, activities, crafts and our amazing Zoo animals! The two Camps have the same amount of animal contact, tours and animal observation, but since the themes are different, the activities, games, crafts and tours are different between the two sessions. Both are awesome camps, which have gotten rave reviews from past campers. Campers can take either one or both sessions. Which session should my child take? Both sessions will be active, fun and awesome! Discuss the themes with your child and see if he or she seems more interested in one topic than the other. Or, take both! The themes complement and build on each other. Battle of the Biomes focuses primarily on where in the world animals live and how they survive in the wild. Animals in Action focuses on animal behavior in the wild and here at the Zoo, and how scientists study animal behavior. Both sessions engage children in animal observation, scientific thinking, and present complex subjects in a meaningful, positive and very fun way. Battle of the Biomes camp was last offered in 2012 and Animals in Action in If your child attended Camp in 2012 or 2013, he or she may recognize some of the activities, however, several of the activities are new and improved, and your child will be 5-6 years older, so will be getting a very different experience. Where are the Camps located at the Zoo? Indoor activities occur at classrooms in the lower level of the Primate House, in The Living World and at the Exploration Outpost, which is located in the lower level of the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center. Outdoor activities take place primarily in the yard and tents between the Primate House and the Herpetarium, in the green space in the middle of Historic Hill, and in a yard near the Exploration Outpost. We also spend time at many animal exhibits, both indoors and out. Why are there two different ending times? It is not possible to do afternoon pick-up for both camps at the same time, there would simply be too many cars! So, we have staggered pick up to ease traffic congestion around the Zoo. Animals in Action pick up is at 3:00 pm and Battle of the Biomes (and Teen Camp) pick up is at 3:30 pm.

4 What if I have children at both Camps? Both camps will have pick up at the same location along Wells Drive in the curb cut east of the pedestrian bridge. If you arrive around 3:15 pm, you will be near the end of the Action line and the beginning of the Biomes line, so will be able to pick up both of your children. Please be patient with us during pick up. We do camper pick-up as quickly and efficiently as we can, however your safety and the safety of your children and our other visitors are our top priorities. Full details about pick up, drop off and other Camp policies are sent to you in the Camp information packet you will receive later this spring, after you register for Camp. Any other advice to help pick up go smoothly? Thanks for asking! One thing that slows us down when the late (3:30) camp parents arrive too early for pick up, and then the early (3:00) campers have to walk past all of those cars to get to their car. It would help greatly if Biomes (3:30 pm) camp parents could stay out of the pick-up line until 3:10 pm or later, and the Action (3:00) parents could arrive no later than 3:05 pm. This will also help to reduce the amount of heat-trapping gases produced from idling cars! What if I also have a child at Camp Joey? Camp Joey pick up will be on the North side of the Zoo, outside The Living World at 3:00 pm for full day. Camp Joey pick up is faster, since there are far fewer children. If both of your camps finish at 3:00 pm, our advice is to pick up the Camp Joey camper first, then drive around to the South side of the Zoo for Camp KangaZoo pick up. That way your youngest camper has a shorter wait-time. We will never leave your campers unattended, so whatever works best for you is fine with us! Full details about pick up, drop off and other Camp policies are sent to you in the Camp information packet you will receive later this spring, after you register for Camp. Can my child attend Camp with a friend? Yes. We have a buddy system in place to ensure that your child and his/her buddy are both registered in the same week of camp, even if there is only 1 space remaining. This buddy system can only be used for mail in registration, not for online registration. If you include the registration form for your child and his/her buddy in the same envelope, they will both be registered for the same session and week of Camp. We also have a system for you to request that buddies be placed in the same camper group. Buddies should be no more than one year apart in age or grade, and requests can be made online or by mail. To request a buddy, write the buddy s name on the appropriate line at the bottom of your child s Camp Health/Information form (mail or online.) Please also have the buddy write your child s name on his/her form. See the Registration Information for full instructions on registering for Camp with a buddy. Please keep in mind that buddies are placed into a group based on the younger buddy s birth date. Can my child request more than one buddy? Please do not request more than one buddy. Circles of several buddies in a group can make the other campers in the group feel left out. Also, since groups are

5 formed based on the camper s ages, if several buddies are added to a group, even if only one year apart, it can push other campers into a group that is not their ideal age group. For instance, if a 7 year old designates several 8 year olds as buddies, all of the 8 s will be placed in the 7 year old s group. This could bump several other 7 year olds into the next group up, which may contain primarily 8 and 9 year olds. Thus by sticking to the one buddy rule, you are helping to support all of the campers having the most age-appropriate experience. Please do not try to take advantage of the buddy system by creating buddy chains (A with B, B with C, C with D, D with A, etc.) If your child will not attend Camp unless he/she is with three or four friends, perhaps he/she is not ready to attend Camp. Remember that one of the most valuable benefits of summer camp is the opportunity for your child to grow mentally, emotionally and socially by participating in activities, meeting new people and making new friends! Who are the Camp Staff? Each Camp session has a staff which includes 8-10 Educators (counselors), 3 Assistant Educators, and numerous teen volunteers. The Educators are primarily teachers, college students and recent graduates. The Assistants are high school or college students, and the volunteers are high school students. Some of our Educators were campers themselves! We also have one or two Inclusion Facilitators dedicated and trained to help meet the needs of campers who need a little extra attention or have special needs, so they are fully included in Camp experiences. Eve Cooney and Bridget Ebert are the Camp Directors. Eve will be directing Animals in Action and Teen Camp and Bridget will be directing Battle of the Biomes. Eve has been the Camp director since the summer of She also manages the Zoo ALIVE teen volunteer program. Bridget worked at Camp as an Assistant Educator then Educator from , then became a full-time Educator at the Zoo for several years before returning to the Camp staff as a director in She also manages our Zoo Overnight programs. Lawrence Weingarten is the Administrative Assistant in the Camp office and helps to coordinate and organize camper health forms, t-shirts, nametags and the Camp Scholarship program. He has been at Camp since What is the counselor to camper ratio? Camp KangaZoo maintains an average 1 to 5 counselor to camper ratio (1 to 4 for the youngest campers, 1 to 6 for the older groups.) How can I be sure my child will be safe? Your child s safety is our top priority and we have many procedures in place to assure the safety of your child. All of the Seasonal Educators are trained in First Aid and CPR, and we have medics from St. Louis Children s Hospital at the Zoo every day in the summer to help with medical emergencies. We use the rule of three at Camp, which ensures that an educator is never alone with a camper. Educators always work in pairs, and have assistants and volunteers with them, so there are plenty of eyes to watch your child and for staff to

6 watch each other. Educators carry two-way radios, so if a child gets separated from the group, we can immediately mobilize Zoo Security and others to help locate the child. Staff and volunteers are all trained on our Youth Protection Code of Conduct regarding appropriate touch, talk and territory, and staff practice 360 supervision to ensure that everyone is following the code. Our pick-up procedures are designed so that the parent can designate who will pick up their child. If the procedures are not followed, or we have any doubt whatsoever, we will not release the child without contacting a parent or an emergency contact person by phone. The entire Camp staff stays for the overnight, and the Zoo has overnight security personnel to keep your child(ren) safe. Camp staff and volunteers also undergo a background check, as well as a thorough interview process and reference check (staff.) It is important for parents to help us by notifying us of any allergies, special needs, behaviors to expect, sleepwalking, etc. Please indicate these on the Health/Information form. If your child s condition changes, or if your contact information changes, please notify us before your child s Camp session. If your child has Autism or other special needs or you think they may benefit from added attention from one of our Inclusion Specialists, please contact Chris Blair Inclusion Specialist at Chris may ask you to complete a Zebra Stripes Form to tell us more about your child s likes/dislikes, fears, triggers, intense interests and behaviors to watch for. If your child engages in unsafe behaviors (leaving or running away from the group, entering restricted areas, not following safety guidelines, attempting to harm other campers or staff, etc.) and is not responding to our interventions, they may be asked to leave. Will my child feel welcome at Camp? That is our goal. We pride ourselves on our ability to make every child feel welcome, respected and included at Camp KangaZoo. Camp staff receive training each year on how to meet the needs and create a welcoming environment for a diverse range of campers, including diversity of race, gender, culture, religion, economic status, ability, etc. Valuing and respecting (not just tolerating) diversity is part of our camp culture. We believe that Camp is better for all children because of the experiences your child brings. If you have concerns about your camper fitting in or being welcome, please contact the camp director to discuss your concerns. If your child reports that he/she is being bullied at Camp, please contact the director and give us a chance to help the situation before the week is over. Your open communication helps us to make Camp better for everyone. Unisex/gender neutral restrooms are available around the Zoo, including in the classroom area that the Animals in Action camp uses frequently. What if my child has allergies? Make sure to list your child s allergies, or other information about your camper, on the Camp Health/Information form. Please be specific about nut allergies peanuts vs. tree nuts or specific types of nuts, and whether foods processed in a facility that also processes nuts, like plain M&M s, are ok.

7 If your child requires medication, you can send the medicine with your child. Neither the Camp staff, nor the Zoo s medics, can administer medication (except Epipens,) but we can remind your child to take medicine. Feel free to call the Camp director to discuss any specific needs. What if my child follows a special diet? We have snacks on hand which would meet most if not all dietary needs, including fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges) and fruit-flavored, non-dairy, non-gluten popsicles. Our other snacks are Rice Krispie treats and Camper Chow a trail mix which includes pretzels, goldfish crackers, animal cookies, raisins, plain M&Ms, and Crispix cereal. If one of our scheduled snacks does not fit with your child s diet, we are happy to substitute one of our other snacks that day, or you can send a snack or meal with your camper. Feel free to call the Camp director to discuss what snacks/foods will be served at Camp on which days. This information will also be included in your parent handbook. We will call you if we have questions about any food allergies. Is Camp accessible to children who use wheelchairs? The Exploration Outpost and The Living World are fully accessible areas. Although the Primate House lower level is not accessible, both of the Camp programs can be modified and locations changed so that they are fully accessible. Is Camp appropriate for children with other special needs? Camp maintains an average 1 to 5 counselor to camper ratio (1:4 for the youngest campers, 1:6 for the older groups.) If your child requires more attention than this or needs one-on-one assistance, for mobility, eating, using the bathroom, etc. please assist us by sending an aide to Camp with your child. Parents may want to contact the Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis and inquire about the program support voucher to help offset the costs of a personal attendant for children with greater needs. Camp is an exciting, sometimes loud, environment. Children with ASD s, auditory sensitivity, or that don t do well in large groups, may be overwhelmed by Camp s energy and action. Although we can accommodate some special needs at Camp, we are not able to separate a child from the group for extended periods. One of our other Education Programs with smaller group sizes, may be a better fit for your child s needs and interests. We also offer a program specifically for children with special needs and their caregivers, called Come and Discover. We have an Inclusion Facilitator on staff in the Education Department who helps us evaluate and meet the needs of children in our programs, and works with parents to see if our programs are a good fit for their child. During the summer, we will have 1 or 2 additional staff or interns who will work as Inclusion Facilitators at Zoo Summer programs and Camp. There may be hundreds of children at the Zoo for summer programs on any given day, so he/she is rarely able to provide 1 on 1 assistance at Camp for a whole week. However they will assist the campers and the Camp staff in making our program accessible and inclusive, and helping campers feel comfortable and confident to succeed at Camp.

8 If your child has Autism or other special needs or you think they may benefit from added attention from one of our Inclusion Specialists, please contact Chris Blair Inclusion Specialist at Chris may ask you to complete a Zebra Stripes Form to tell us more about your child s likes/dislikes, fears, triggers, intense interests and behaviors to watch for. Can I attend Camp with my child? As a general rule, this is not allowed. However, if your child has special needs or requires one-on-one assistance, you may come as your child s aide. Please contact the Camp director or the Inclusion Specialist to discuss arrangements at least three weeks before your child s camp session begins, so that arrangements can be made for a background check. Can parents stay for the overnight? Typically no. But we do have awesome family overnight programs that are designed for parents and children to attend together. We can t let kids have ALL the fun! If a parent needs to be on-hand during the night to attend to your child s medical needs, please contact the Camp director to work out the details. What if my child does not want to spend the night at the Zoo? We encourage all of the campers to spend the night at the Zoo. Usually, by Thursday night, the campers have made new friends, are very comfortable with the Zoo and their counselors, and are looking forward to the overnight. However, for campers that do not wish to stay, or for parents that are uncomfortable allowing their children to stay, we offer an optional 10:30 pm pick up on Thursday night. This allows the camper to participate in all of the evening Camp activities, dinner, skits, night hike, etc. The camp registration fee is the same regardless of whether your camper spends the night. This year we are also offering one Mini-Camp week, July 2-3, 5-6, which does not include an overnight. If any of your questions were not answered or you have more questions, please call the Camp office at or cooney@stlzoo.org.

Camp KangaZoo Frequently Asked Questions

Camp KangaZoo Frequently Asked Questions What are the times, dates and prices? Please go back to the Camp KangaZoo page and click on one of the links at the top of the page. There are links for Camp Joey