Camp T-Shirts

So one thing I highly suggest you do for you day camp is to get t-shirts. Not only is it a good take away for the kids at the end of the week it's super helpful in other ways too!

T-Shirts are a great promotional tool. When kids wear them throughout the year (which they will - because they love camp so much) they'll tell their friends about camp and then their friends will want to come to camp and we all know word of mouth is the greatest promotional tool.

Camp shirts are also a protection thing. On off site trips shirts help you see all your campers easier and it helps them see you. You have no idea how crazy the zoo, the science center, the water park etc can be unless you've been there. And from one Ditzy Day Camp Director to another having shirts will make your life 100x easier.

Camp shirts also show the parents you care....it's a tangible way to see the money they pay for camp in action.

So how do you go about making these shirts? Well, I'm glad you asked! I've done camp shirts in three different ways. Although this post may be long, I hope it might be helpful in helping you get the best camp shirts ever!

1. So the cheapest and probably easiest way to have camp shirts if you have a small camp is iron ons. Go to Walmart or Staples or some office supply store and they probably have Iron On sheets. You create the design on your computer, print it off on the sheet, and then iron on the image to the shirt. Benefits: it's cheaper, easier, and completely in your control. Downfalls: it looks cheeper, it's a lot of work if you have a large camp (anything 20 plus), and the iron on's don't usually last as long.

2. So here is the second T-Shirt solution I've tried...find someone in your church or a friend who does graphic design and have them design the shirt, and then send it to one of the 1000 t-shirt companies out there to have them print them off. Now if you know someone who is a designer it will look amazing and they probably have photo shop and can do it in photo shop and save it like that - which is most likely the format the printers want it on. If you don't have experience and try to do it...it usually doesn't end up looking that professional and can take a lot of your time. Benefits: it looks better then iron ons, you have a designer who will hopefully do a good job, and you have a t-shirt company that makes them for you and they probably have more selection. Downfalls: If you don't have a designer this option is harder and you don't get to see what the shirt looks like until it's done.

3. And although both of the options above are great solutions this is by far the greatest solution I've found to the Camp T-Shirt dilemma.... customink.com. Custom ink is this great website/company where you design the t-shirts online on their custom designer, send it to them and they print it off. The outcome always looks great! Benefits: it looks great, it's super easy to use, they are dependable (myself and many of my friends have used it with great results), they are helpful and friendly, and you get to see the t-shirts before they come. Downfalls: I actually can't think of any. :)

So tomorrow I'll post a how to on customink.com/canada or customink.com.

Staying Organized: To Do List

One of the biggest problems for day camp directors and especially for this ditzy day camp director is staying organized. It's a hard thing to do! During the planning part of your job before camp starts it's fairly easy to keep things organized and to tidy up but as camp goes along it gets harder and harder to keep things straight. So I thought I'd add another section...staying organized.

So for the first staying organized post I thought I'd give you a hint what my biggest staying organized help is...'to do lists'. I have 'to do lists' everywhere - on the wall, on the fridge, on my mirror, in my phone...everywhere! 'To do lists' can be a great asset - if you use them.

Trust me fello ditzy day camp directors....it's an awesome tool. Use it to remind you of all the things you need to do.

First thing to do...

Yep...write it! You have to write down everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you need to get done.

It might be a really long list, but having it done will help you see what needs to get done. Also writing it down will help you not to forget something you need to do. It's hard to remember all the little things that need to get done if you don't have some kind of reminder telling you what to do.

Now to add the details. Your 'to do list' should include dates. Put down dates of when you are going to do it or when it needs to be done by. This will help you make sure you do priority things first. If you are making a nice one on your computer you could list them according to priority. (On mine I put the due date).

The second thing you should include on your 'to do list' is who is responsible for doing it. If you are the only one doing everything (I'm sorry) but there is no need for you to put down whose doing it...because it's you. But if you are like me and you have a team or an assistant, it's super helpful to include whose responsible for it so that everyone knows what they need to be doing.

The Camp Senda 'to do list' has T's, D's and B's on it. T's for when its my job (Tori), D's for when it's David's job (he's the assistant director) and B's for when we are both going to be doing it.

And don't forget, my favourite part of 'to do lists', crossing things off.

Honestly, crossing things off the list can be so satisfying! It's not only nice to see that things are getting done but it's an instant 'high five you got something done' feeling.

So we did our 'to do list' on a huge piece of cardboard in our office because we thought it would be a helpful reminder like this. But you don't have to do your 'to do list' like this...you could use post it notes, a typed computer version, a day planner, etc. Use whatever works best for you and helps you stay the most organized. :)

So here's to all the 'to do lists' and things we need to get done....

Another day in the life of....

The Ditzy Day Camp Director

Promotion: OLD SCHOOL Sandwich Board

So, like I said earlier, promotion is a key element of any day camp director's job. It's super important to tell people who you are and where you are.

And although there are many super high tech methods of advertising and promoting your camp there is a simpler, cheaper method that is a nice addition to your promotional program - the Sandwich Board. Yep, I said it! Two pieces of wood stuck together with details about your camp. And no, you don't have to have someone wear it .... you can just have it sitting on the corner of your block. It's great for the cars driving by to know that there is a day camp in that area and if you are in a high trafficked area that sign can get a lot of looks. It's really just one more reminder that your camp is there.

NOTE: I definitely don't suggest that this is your only promotional tool. The sandwich board should for sure be done in conjunction with other tools!

Now to having the right kind of sandwich board. This year I went into storage to pull out the board they've been using for years, and this is what I found....

Gross isn't it? It's boring. It's blah. There is nothing eye catching about it...let's be honest it stinks. Now the guys around here thought it looked fine and I should just put it up...but being the awesome ditzy day camp director that I am I knew that there was something I could do to brighten this thing up.

So pull off all the stickers, clean it off, give it a fresh coat of paint, cut out some stencils, add some spray paint and some fresh stickers and what you're left with is....

Now doesn't that look 100% better! I love what we ended up with, and I think it looks great. Adding colour helps to make it more eye catching. I think we will get a lot more looks now.

So I hope you can find someone who can hinge together two boards for you and then add some bling and you'll have yourself a delightfully 'old school' but new sandwich board.

The Ditzy Day Camp Director

Promotion: Come Back Letter

So, one of the biggest tasks you'll need to do as a day camp director is promotion. Over the next few days I'm going to post some ideas on how you can promote your camp.

One of the first things you can do is send out a come back letter to all of the campers and families from last year. A come back letter can remind them about all the fun they had last year and encourage them to get their registrations in early.

In our come back letter we like to include:

• A letter to the parents/guardians with details the will need to know for camp,
• a letter to the child getting them excited for this year,
• registration forms,
• and any flyers you have.

Here are some ideas for the parent letter...note that I can't post the whole thing because the pictures of the children can only be used for promotional reasons, but I hope you still get an idea of what it can look like.

The kids letter is a welcome addition because it gets the children excited for camp, shows the parents you care, and makes them a part of the process. Here is our kid's letter, minus the photos...

Here are some helpful hints for the come back letter:

• Try to make it as personal as possible
• Give all pertinent information
• The kids letter should explain all the fun things you are going to do this summer
• Don't forget contact information on the parent's letter
• Include pictures of the campers if possible, it helps spark memories from last year
• Make it colourful, even if it cost more money - it's totally worth it! It makes the letters look amazing and shows the effort you put behind it.
• If you are printing off a lot of colour copies for your letter, go to Staples or another printing place and have them do it for you...the quality will be better, it's easier on you, and it will save you money in the long run rather then buying ink for your printer.
• If you are putting any colour on the page it cost the same rather you put a little or a lot, you might as well make the whole thing colourful if you do it.
• Include enough registration forms for every child in the family.
• Go to the post office to weigh the envelopes, so you make sure you have the right postage on it.
• Include a return address on the letter so you know how many didn't get to their location, and it's another opportunity for the parents to see your address.

Anyways...I hope this helps. I know it helps bring in a lot of registrations for our camp. Let me know if you have any questions.

The Ditzy Day Camp Director (HEY! That's me!)

Big Idea: Know Your Limits

Hi everyone,

So today I thought I'd just take a moment to let you know what the biggest thing I learned in my first year of being a DDCD (Ditzy Day Camp Director). The biggest thing you need to know is your limits.

Trust me, day camp or any camp is super crazy. Your office (if you are lucky enough to have one) has a revolving door, the phone keeps ringing, problems arise, parents need to speak to you, it rains, kids get bloody noses or huge goose egg bumps on their head, the schedule gets lost....the list just goes on. As prepared as you can be, you'll never fully be prepared for all the things that are going to happen and the problems and issues that will arise. So, I'm not saying this to discourage you or make you feel more overwhelmed but to suggest you get help....AND LOTS OF IT.

The biggest lesson I learned last year was that I can't do everything, as much as I want to, or try too, I can't do everything - and neither can you. I sometimes like to think I'm super woman (and the fact that my dad's ringtone for me is the superwoman song - helps to add to the allusion), but the truth is that we all need help.

So I guess the thing I'm trying to encourage you with is, that you need to know your limits. Try to be as realistic as you can and realize you can't do everything. Ask for help, search out help and then use that help. If you have trained your staff and assistant director (if you have one), then you need to trust that they can do it and trust that they are capable. And trust me...if they have a problem, question, concern, mistake they will come get you. Asking for help doesn't mean you are lazy or not involved...it means you are wise enough to realize you can't do it all and you are smart enough to know when you need help. If you try to do it all, you'll burn out, or break down and your staff and volunteers will think you don't trust them or have faith in their abilities.

Now trust me, I am the biggest ditzy day camp director out there. I forget my own lessons. I do. This summer we started a new leader in training program called Counsellors in Training and I thought to myself this is going to be a lot of work but that's okay...I can do it...I wanted to organize it all and put it all together - plus since it was sorta my baby, I didn't really want to give it up. Thankfully, I have a great boss and friend who kindly came alongside of me to say, "Tori you can't do this too...you need to let someone else coordinate it." And as much as it stinks to have to give up the control, I know he's right. I'll scream it from the roof tops now, "I NEED HELP!"

Okay...that sounded a little worse then it was meant too. I'm super happy we've hired an awesome coordinator to run the CIT program and I know it's going to be awesome!

So through my mistakes and life lessons I hope you learn this big lesson of knowing your limits and asking for help.

Good luck finding the perfect people to help with whatever it is you need help with.

Yours,

The Ditzy Day Camp Director

Deep Breaths

Deep breaths everyone...yes...it is indeed June! Just saying it gets my heart racing and makes me feel sorta nervous. I've never bitten my nails before...but part of me wants to get started.

If you're anything like this Ditzy Day Camp Director and you're planning for day camp right now, I know you must be going crazy with all the preparations you need to do. I know I am.

I have

• t-shirts to design
• t-shirts to buy
• busses to book
• trips to pay for and choose
• counselors to hire
• promotion to do
• curriculum to plan
• staff training to organize
• flyers to hand out
• Jr. High camp to figure out
• Leadership in Training programs to start
• websites to update
• emails to answer

And the list could go on forever and ever - well for myself at least. I hope your list is slightly smaller then mine and you are slightly less frazzled and crazy then I am.

Just know that you aren't alone and there are many of us out there running around like crazy trying to plan in the few short weeks we have left.

Anyways I just wanted to send out an encouragement note...now that it's June (oh wait there is that panicy feeling again), and say you can do it! I also wanted to let you know that you should check back often because in the midst of all things crazy day camp I am planning on posting a ton of helpful hints, websites, resources etc so that I can try and help you as much as possible because I know how crazy this can be.

Anyways I'm off to go figure out how to start, plan, figure out a L.I.T. program....I'll update you with what I find and what I figure out soon.

Hang in there....38 days left till camp!

The Ditzy (going crazy) Day Camp Director

Protection: Protect Your Kids

Whether you are a day camp, an overnight camp, a vbs, or you simply work with children it is incredibly important you protect your kids. Parents want to know they are sending their kids to a safe place where they know your volunteers and workers are screened individuals.

Doing police checks is important, but it's not enough! Your staff and volunteers need to be trained in reducing the risk of child abuse and how to adequately protect children.

The greatest resource I've found is Winning Kids. And yes I have an invested interest in them (because my mom is the President), but there really is nothing else out there that is as good as them.

Winning Kids does police checks and training in order to help you protect your kids, protect your workers, and bring peace of mind to the parents.

So on that note, I wanted to let you in on a promotion they have right now which could save you tons of money and help you protect your kids, your staff, your camp.

Right now they have a promotion for unlimited online abuse prevention training for $149 for one month and additional months for only $49. This is a huge savings! Usually these online trainings cost $25 per person. If you are planning on training more then 6 people you will be saving money for sure! Most camps, vbs, day camps, day cares have way more then 6 people ... I know we do. These online trainings are the perfect way to make sure your staff and volunteers are adequately trained to reduce the risk of child abuse. NOTE: This offer expires on June 3rd at 5pm...so hurry before it's too late!

Features:

- Unlimited access to on-line abuse training

-Addresses all key aspects of abuse prevention

- 30 days to complete the training

- In one sitting, the training takes approximately 2 hours

- Individual registration and long on for each volunteer or staff member

- Certificate issued upon successful completion of training *80% pass

- Notification sent to program leader upon successful completion

This is definitely a great resource to check into at www.winningkidsinc.ca or 1-877-455-35555.

Please note: This is not a paid advertisement. It is simply me trying to share a great resource with you!

Have a great day, I'm off to plan, plan, plan.

The Ditzy Day Camp Director