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5 Ways to Bring GRP Home

By Anne Izard on May 11, 2017

Let’s be honest: much of what happens at camp stays at camp, and that’s a good thing. It’s what makes the time at GRP special and unique, and keeps kids yearning to come back each summer. That being said, here a few things you can do to integrate valuable GRP lessons into your family life.

  1. Integrate “Wise Words” into your meal routine.

Campers delight in hearing inspirational quotes, passages and poems read by their mentors and counselors at mealtime. This is an easy practice to integrate into your family routine. At the beginning or end of dinner—or at the end of the day—have a different family member select a favorite passage from a book, web site, or collection of poetry to share. These can provide conversation-starters or simply words for quiet reflection.

  1. Rose Bud Thorn

Campers end each day with a simple reflection they share with their peers and mentors. You may already do this in your family, but if not, it’s not too late to start:

Rose=something you liked about your day
Thorn=something you didn’t like about your day
Bud=something you are excited about for tomorrow

A new one to add is Stem, something you learned that you’d like to know more about.

If it’s too much to do this every day, you could do Rose Bud Thorn as a weekly wrap-up.

  1. Make a special memory book to share year round

One of the greatest things about GRP are the images captured by a professional photographer on staff who follows kids arounds on mentor hikes, afternoon activities, camp out, and evening programs. A gift I like to give my children is a GRP memory book containing favorite pictures from the session. Photo books are relatively easy and inexpensive to create and print, and they give children a tangible book of memories –a “highlight reel,” if you will –to reflect upon and share with friends and family members. If your child has been to GRP across several years, it’s fun to combine two or three years of pictures so they can see their growth over time!

  1. Print and Post the Woodcraft Laws

Ask your children about the Woodcraft Laws and how they shape their camp experience. Then talk about how you can incorporate the Woodcraft Laws into your daily lives at home. You can post the Woodcraft Laws on your fridge, write individual ones down on post-it notes throughout your home (i.e. the “beauty” post-it on the door of your child’s room or on a trash can is a nice reminder), or even frame them (with some GRP photos, if you’d like) for placement in a prominent place in your home. Practice living these values year round, not just at camp.

  1. Do your own “ORT Report”

Ask your kids what ORT means and have them show you how to sort trash. Instead of plating your kids’ meals for them, encourage them to select what and how much they will eat (within reason, of course!). Have them package up any uneaten food and think of ways to recreate or reuse the leftovers. Start a compost pile if you haven’t already. Set new family goals, such as having three cans of recycling for every one can of trash. Have your child do your family’s mealtime “ORT Report”—costume optional—and chart your progress toward “Waste not, want not!”

Written by Camp Mom, Leigh Moscowitz

Anne Izard
Anne Izard

Anne has worked at Green River over the years at summer camp, expeditions, and the school programs as a counselor, expedition leader, mentor, and program director. Anne’s related camp experiences include working as a counselor and program assistant at Camp Ton-A-Wandah in North Carolina, an expedition leader for Wilderness Ventures and an environmental educator and expedition leader for the Teton Science School. Prior to returning home to GRP, Anne was the Director of Education for the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton, Colorado. Anne and her husband, Steve, are both actively engaged in the American Camp Association, The Association of Environmental Education, and The North Carolina Youth Camp Association. When Anne is not working, she can be found trail running, paddling, cycling, or backcountry skiing with her husband Steve, their sons, Phen and Hawkins,daughter, Alida,and golden retriever, Irie Bird!