Keeping Campers Healthy
Each year, National Child Health Day is observed on the first Monday in October. At Camp NAC, we believe in encouraging kids to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Having good physical and mental health is extremely important for children of all ages. Find out how Camp NAC supports your camper’s healthy life throughout the summer and year.
Sports, Games & More: During the summer, campers in all of our camps stay active and moving all day long. Our game book has over 40 pages of fun games, sports and activities for campers to learn and play. Because they are having fun, campers don’t even realize how much exercise they’re getting! Parents can find ways to incorporate gamification into exercise to keep kids motivated to stay active. Check out our other blogs on fun camp games to play at home by clicking here, here and here.
Year-round Programming: Camp NAC keeps campers active not just during the peak summer season, but also all year round with special programming. Campers can sign up for School’s Out Camps, which are single day camps held on dates that local school districts are off from school. These camp days have a variety of themes to appeal to campers of all ages, including cooking, sports, science, dance and more. All School’s Out Camps incorporate the same games and activities that keep campers moving and active during the summer. Camp NAC also holds a fall and spring sleepover each year, where campers swim and play games with their favorite summer friends & counselors!
Allergies: According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2013, food allergies in children increased by 50% from 1997 to 2011. With food and other allergies on the rise, we do our best here at Camp NAC to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our campers. To ensure that all of our campers remain healthy during their time with us at camp, we have a nut-free food policy in place. Nuts are one of the most common food allergies in children today, so we eliminate them from camp to create a safe environment for all campers. In addition, all counselors and management is made aware of other allergies that campers may have and campers who have EpiPens can feel safe knowing that they are kept with instructors throughout the day in case of an emergency.
Fostering Friendships & Independence: Camp NAC puts a strong focus on helping campers develop friendships and independence. According to the Mayo Clinic, those “with strong social support have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI).” Making friends at camp encourages campers to get more involved in games as well, which positively impacts their activity levels. In addition, when campers feel a sense of belonging and friendship at camp, it helps to develop independence from parents.
These are just a few ways that Camp NAC and summer camps around the world help to create a positive impact on campers’ health.