Roughing It Easy at Girls Camp
Girls Camp! Leaders either thrive on the challenge of living for a week with hundreds of teenaged girls or they dread it. Either type of leader will be thrilled to discover Dian Thomas’ book, which has sold over a million copies, making the author a New York Times best-selling author. This invaluable book will serve leaders in charge of any type of camp, from church camp to Girl Scouts, and even your own family reunion.
Thomas details the planning which is essential to a good camp, from choosing the location to choosing the theme. Particularly helpful for new programs is the explanation of youth leadership and the various specialist positions the YCLs can be assigned to hold. The book has checklists for various responsibilities, including an explanation of when each needs to be done, and agendas for each planning meeting, beginning six to twelve months before the start of camp. The planning chapter includes reproducible forms for master planning, daily master scheduling, camp specialists contact information and responsibilities, meal duty charts and even a medical release form.
Other chapters discuss equipment needs, including a discussion of sleeping bags, and a packing list to give the girls. There are instructions with photographs for various types of campfires, A-Frame construction, camp stoves (including homemade ones), cooking methods (including instructions for a homemade solar stove), and recipes the girls can use on these stoves.
The section on journals offers creative ideas for unique and memorable camp journals, and the pages on hiking even includes fun tips for handling complaints. To keep the girls occupied, the author describes unusual activities and ceremonies, as well as wonderful camp traditions to initiate.
This extensive book is a lifesaver for the camp leader. Instructions are clearly written and illustrated and nothing is assumed. Dian Thomas has made a career of being creative. She appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show and made regular appearances on NBC’s Today Show for eight years and for six years on ABC’s Today Show. She is the author of eight books, and has a number of videos on crafts, camping and cooking. Sister Thomas is a popular public speaker and has a web site (accessible through the link on her name at the top of this article) filled with additional tips.