Camp McGovern: Open a child's eyes, spark their imagination!

Camper Information

The staff at Camp McGovern are pleased that your child will be spending a week with us. We have been busy planning a fun and exciting week for your child. Our goal is to provide a healthy, positive, outdoor experience for every camper who passes through our gates.

On this page you will find some helpful information regarding your camper’s stay at camp this summer.

Camper Responsibilities and Expectations

In order to make this a safe and successful experience for all, a few rules have been established. Please discuss these with your child so they will know what is expected upon arrival.

* Further specific camp rules will be outlined during camp orientation; these too have been established to ensure that we can provide a safe program for all participants.

Camper Responsibilities and Expectations:

You are responsible for your own behaviour.
Swearing, teasing and fighting are not permitted at camp.
Show respect for yourself, fellow campers, staff, their property and the environment
Participation in camp activities and programs is expected. Daily routines, scheduled chores, meal times and safety procedures must be followed.
You are only allowed to be in your own cabin.All other cabins are out of bounds.
Please let your counselor know where you are at all times.
Smoking, drugs, alcohol and knives are not permitted or tolerated at camp.

Behavioural Expectations

Campers are expected to treat one another respectfully. (No put downs or rough horse play) Camp McGovern strives to resolve behavioural problems with campers promptly and effectively but reserves the right to dismiss a camper for behavioural problems at the discretion of the Directors. No refund will be made for dismissals due to disciplinary action. Parents will be responsible for the removal of the camper due to dismissal.

Emergency Contact

For emergency reasons, it is extremely important that you, the parent or guardian, let us know where we can reach you while your child is at camp. If you are planning to be on vacation or away from home, please call us or send a note with your child, letting us know what your phone number will be.

Also, it is important to have a secondary contact number that is different from your usual contact number. Whether it is a family member, friend or co-worker who will be able to track you down if there is an emergency or necessary reason to contact you, we ask you to assist us in this.

Homesickness

It is a fact of life at camp that some children will experience homesickness this summer. We want to ensure you that our staff are given training to support each camper through their homesickness and hopefully help them make it to the end of the week.

If you know that your child is prone to homesickness here are a few hints for helping them…

Start prepping them early - When children are prepared for what to expect, they tend to be less nervous.
Encourage them - Try talking about the fun they’re going to have and how many new things they’re going to experience. Tell them how proud you are of them. Avoid comments about what they’re going to miss at home.
Avoid the promises - As hard as it is for a child to go off to camp for a week it’s also just as hard for us parents to let them go.

But when we promise to call them daily or come pick them up the moment they’re homesick, we don’t give them a chance to develop their fortitude and take that necessary step to maturity.
Let them know it’s okay to have fun - Amazingly some homesick children think that if they have fun at camp they’re turning their back on you. How many times have we heard the words…”but my mommy needs me at home.”

Let them know that although you will miss them, you want them to have fun….for the whole week. They sometimes need to be given license to enjoy themselves; to know that they’re not leaving you alone with nothing to do.
Write them - Approximately a week before they arrive at camp, send them 5 letters to receive while away. We will hold them and hand out 1 a day. This gives them a connection to you and allows you a chance to encourage them daily. It also gives them something to look forward to each day.

Some Facts About Homesickness

Most bouts of homesickness last about 5 minutes. They often occur at the down times of the day such as wake-up, meal times, between activities, free time and bedtime.
The best way to deal with homesickness is to distract the child’s attention on to something else. When they stop dwelling on home, they often will feel better and can go on with what they’re doing.
Homesickness means they care about you. Up until they arrived at camp your child has seen you as their emotional security, and it often takes a little time to reestablish that connection with someone else. This is the anxiety children experience that we call homesickness. BUT, with the caring support of our counselors, that security can be developed at camp. And this can have positive results for your child.
Even staff will experience homesickness. And helping your child through it can help them too. We'll do our best to help your child have a happy and successful week.