Child « gepinto.com

August 8, 2010

Researching the Right Camp for Your Child

Filed under: Camping — Tags: Camp, Child, Researching, Right — arkan @ 4:28 pm

With over 11,000 camps in the United States, it is important to come up with a list of questions to guide you. By doing so, you can narrow the possibilities to a manageable few.

What do I want in a camp?

Single sex or co-ed?

Religious or non-denominational?

Sports-oriented, nature-oriented or a mixture of both?

In driving distance or am I willing to fly?

Do I want lakes or mountains (or will just a river do)?

How many weeks?

Is the camp competitive or nurturing?

Activities required or free choice?

To do this research, it is helpful to:

Talk to other children and parents.

Watch DVDs & talk to your children.

Search the Internet.

Attend a camp fair. The Annual Jewish Camps Fair will be held on Sunday, December 14th, from 10 am – 2 pm, at Solomon Schechter Day School. The broader St. Louis Summer Opportunities Fair will be at Whitfield School on Saturday, January 31st, from 10 am – 3 pm. At both, there will be overnight camps, day camps and teen travel opportunities.

Talk to camp directors.

Talk to a Camp Advisor.

Making Camp Visits (Summer 2009)

Based upon your research, try to narrow your camp options and choose a few programs to go and visit. All camps gladly receive guests, if you schedule an appointment. If you are considering camps in Missouri, you can plan a day or overnight trip to an area and then stop in to see the camp. If you are looking at camps in the Upper Midwest, you could plan a family vacation near to the camps you wish to visit. Most camps are located in beautiful areas near state parks or resort areas, so these visits can be fun for the whole family. You could even plan your family’s vacation at a camp and take advantage of a family weekend. These visits can help your child acclimate to the environment of the camp and make the decision to leave home a lot less scary. And, your first-hand observations of the facilities, the activities or the dining hall routine can help you know if this would be the right place for your child!

Early Bird Discounts (Fall 2009)

Once you have determined which camp suits your child, you can take advantage of early bird discounts. These discounts usually hold the cost of camp down to the previous year’s tuition or take a few hundred dollars off the price of residential camping. And, when your neighbors are stressing out about what their child will be doing in the coming summer, you will be sitting pretty with your child already enrolled!

Summer 2010 – The Best Summer of Your Child’s Life

Since there are programs to fit the needs of any child, I encourage you to explore the range of options available to you. The camp experience is an opportunity that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Happy camping!

Do the Research (January – May 2009)

Jenny Wolkowitz is the Midwest consultant for www.tipsontripsandcamps.com. She is a married mother of 3 children. In her earlier years, she was a day camper, an overnight camper, a counselor, a teen tour participant and a teen tour leader. She studied abroad in college and has traveled extensively throughout the world.

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June 14, 2010

Child Photography Tips That Make Sense

Filed under: Photography — Tags: Child, Photography, Sense, Tips — arkan @ 4:28 pm

The field of child photography is challenging but also both enjoyable and profitable – if you like children. Don\’t bother pretending, if you really don\’t. You may fool a parent – but not the little one.

Tips to help are: The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase “hold it” or “freeze” carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.

YOU can turn this into your advantage: Since children don\’t always do what you want them to do, or what you expect them to do (actually they rarely do!). A solution often is: don\’t expect them to become a cooperative little adult merely because you want to take their picture. Trick them – expect them to act like children. Don\’t expect anything in particular. DO this and you can enter the fun and profitable field of child photography.

Know your stuff – Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing – what your camera is capable of doing – what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the children). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes – though you feel you have just run a marathon – so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.

Know your subjects – With children, you must expect the unexpected. At different ages children are capable of doing different things. The more you know what they typically do during some of these stages, the better images you are going to capture. And the happier you make your clients – which, in turn, makes you financially happy.

During a session photographing children you can get a variety of poses, expressions and antics. In no other field of photography are you liable to get such variety. The more you learn about little ones the better child photographer you will be. Children are not just children until they become adults -they come in all sizes. Between four months and four years you can place them into quite a few categories: 4-6 mos, 6-12 mos, 12-18 mos, 18-24 mos, and then you can lengthen out the age span. Awareness of these ages are needed to help you – the photographer – be aware of the limitations children (especially little ones) have.

Listening to the parent can help toward a successful session. You can learn specific things about their child that will make it or break it: Are they afraid of certain things or sounds? What are their special likes? Do they like books? How comfortable are they with a stranger approaching them? You do NOT want to spook a little one; the scheduled time may not allow for you to win their confidence.

Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!

In most areas of photography a tripod is great for sharp photos. However with child photography you do not always have such a luxury. Once they reach the moving around stage, a tripod limits your ability to capture expressions and poses. Be mindful of your camera settings – keep that shutter speed fast enough to prevent blurring – and be ready to move quickly!

Child photography allows for close-up portraits as well as the child engaged in some activity – taking their socks off – in a box / tub with toys – climbing on or out of something. There is really no limit. As you continue to gain experience in working with children of various ages you will become more adept at learning what typically works with different age groups.

Child photography is a challenge – but don\’t worry sometime it turns into children photography. Mom has twins – big brother / little sister – maybe three little cousins. The list goes on! Imagine two sister and they both have triplets! Other than the obvious difficulty of getting multiple little subjects in any semblance of position, conducive to a memorable photo you need to bring everyone’s eyes to a central focal point. Tricky, but not impossible. Adding something NEW to catch their attention, at the moment you press the shutter, can work. Use this sparingly, because when child photography turns into children photography getting all their attention on the same thing is quite a feat. The beauty of digital is no limits to the exposures you take and you can take a quick peek on the spot.

Parents can be quite helpful during the photo session. Children often are more confident with a parent nearby. Also, do not overlook the value of older brother and sisters. They have a relationship with the little one like no one else! Often they can get their little brother or sister to giggle, make faces, hold things and a host of other things that may be exactly what you need. Plus, you have the opportunity of including more subjects in the photos, which translates into a larger photo package for the customer!

As you advance in child photography you will want a lighting setup and a backdrop. A three light setup – consisting of a main light fill light and a background light – is ideal. However if you are just beginning you can do great photography with a lot less. Experiment, and add as needed. If you are using a backdrop keep the child at least four feet from the backdrop (if possible). This eliminates shadows and prevents the backdrop from competing with your subject.

Take your act on the road – You can do child photography at the park – on the beach – in the backyard, just as easily as in a studio or home – maybe more so – and nature will take care of the lighting for you, as long as you select open shade.

Items to have on hand: Depending on the ages and whether you are shooting indoors or outdoors you need a supply of items to catch and keep their interest and that look great in a photo: rattles feather dusters soft toys dolls hats mirrors a telephone (the bigger the better) a big whistle duplicate toys (for twins & overly competitive little ones) treats & snacks

Did you enjoy this article? Curious about Dominating Digital Photography? Well now you can by reading this Digital Photography Blog…what are you waiting for?

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February 9, 2010

Has Your Child Outgrown Traditional Summer Camp? Try An Extreme Sports Camp!

Filed under: Camping — Tags: Camp, Child, Extreme, Outgrown, Sports, Summer, Traditional — arkan @ 4:28 pm

Remember camp when you were a kid? You spent your days horseback riding, petting farm animals and shooting bows and arrows. Your nights were filled with skits, s’mores, and singing songs around the campfire.

You can still find summer programs like these. There will always be a market for the tradtional camp experience. But today’s youth often demands more stimulating camp activities. Extreme sports camps are where it’s at!

Extreme sports camps run the gamut from surfing camps to wakeboarding camps to dirt biking camps and more. Though extreme sports camps are often viewed as “riskier” than traditional camps, the risks or dangers are often more perceived than actual when the camp takes proper precautions.

What are the “proper precautions” needed to keep kids safe at extreme sports camps?

In general, the camp staff requires additional training and expertise in the activities being offered. New, modern, and well-maintained equipment must be utilized. And weather conditions (such as at a surf camp, for example) must be just right; you don’t want your child learning to surf on a 5 foot wave when a 1-foot wave is more than appropriate for a beginner.

Since extreme sports camp activities are typically more challenging than traditional camp activities, your child’s potential for personal growth and development is enormous. It is not unusual for parents to report a dramatic increase in their child’s self-confidence and esteem after participating in an extreme sports camp. Imagine your son or daughter’s sense of pride and achievement after conquering the biggest wave at surf camp!

The thrill and fun of attending an extreme sports camp can’t be beat. But remember, the necessity for proper safety provisions, supervision, equipment, and personnel cannot be overstated. Assuming these important variables are in place, your child could be in for the most amazing camp experience of their life.

Eric Naftulin is the owner/operator of Aloha Beach Camp, an extreme sports, beach and surf camp for kids and teens ages 4 to 15 in Los Angeles, California. Try Aloha Beach Camp and learn to surf, boogie board, wakeboard, jet ski and more.

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September 18, 2009

Child Photography

Filed under: Photography — Tags: Child, Photography — arkan @ 7:53 am

The field of child photography is challenging but also both enjoyable and profitable – if you like children. Don’t bother pretending, if you really don’t. You may fool a parent – but not the little one.

Tips to help are:

The techniques used in most other fields of photography do not always apply in child photography. The phrase “hold it” or “freeze” carry very little weight with children. They typically do as they please and if they please. Your assignment is to anticipate what a child may be about to do and capture it.

YOU can turn this into your advantage: Since children don’t always do what you want them to do, or what you expect them to do (actually they rarely do!). A solution often is: don’t expect them to become a cooperative little adult merely because you want to take their picture. Trick them – expect them to act like children. Don’t expect anything in particular. DO this and you can enter the fun and profitable field of child photography.

Know your stuff -

Before you start booking sessions with children you must know exactly what you are capable of doing – what your camera is capable of doing – what all your equipment is capable of doing. Operating your camera and equipment must be second nature. Have your style of photography down pat, so when you start a session your mind is on the child(ren). This takes your complete focus. This is not the time to be fiddling with you camera, or trying to figure out your light setup. Children take 100% of your concentration. For some children the entire shoot may only last 10 minutes – though you feel you have just run a marathon – so you have to be able to get in position , get the most cooperation from the child, get great shots. At times, this has to be done very quickly, BUT you cannot make the child feel they are being rushed.

Know your subjects -

With children, you must expect the unexpected. At different ages children are capable of doing different things. The more you know what they typically do during some of these stages, the better images you are going to capture. And the happier you make your clients – which, in turn, makes you financially happy.

Listening to the parent can help toward a successful session.

You can learn specific things about their child that will make it or break it:

Are they afraid of certain things or sounds?

What are their special likes?

Do they like books?

How comfortable are they with a stranger approaching them? You do NOT want to spook a little one; the scheduled time may not allow for you to win their confidence.

Be ready with that camera when you first introduce something new -you do not get a second chance to get first reactions!

Child photography is a challenge – but don’t worry sometime it turns into children photography. Mom has twins – big brother / little sister – maybe three little cousins. The list goes on! Imagine two sister and they both have triplets! Other than the obvious difficulty of getting multiple little subjects in any semblance of position, conducive to a memorable photo you need to bring everyone’s eyes to a central focal point. Tricky, but not impossible. Adding something NEW to catch their attention, at the moment you press the shutter, can work. Use this sparingly, because when child photography turns into children photography getting all their attention on the same thing is quite a feat. The beauty of digital is no limits to the exposures you take and you can take a quick peek on the spot.

Take your act on the road -

You can do child photography at the park – on the beach – in the backyard, just as easily as in a studio or home – maybe more so – and nature will take care of the lighting for you, as long as you select open shade.

Items to have on hand:

Depending on the ages and whether you are shooting indoors or outdoors you need a supply of items to catch and keep their interest and that look great in a photo:

rattles

feather dusters

soft toys

dolls

hats

mirrors

a telephone (the bigger the better)

a big whistle

duplicate toys (for twins & overly competitive little ones)

treats & snacks

There is much more to be written on child photography. For more information on this, and other related subjects, you may want to read the article

http://www.you-can-do-great-photography.com/child-photography.html

This article authored by: You-Can-Do-Great-Photography.com

This article was authored by You-Can-Do-Great-Photography.com

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August 31, 2009

Overnight Summer Camp – How To Choose The Best Weight Loss Camp For Your Child

Filed under: Camping — Tags: Best, Camp, Child, Choose, Loss, Overnight, Summer, Weight, Your — arkan @ 7:29 am

Twenty-five years ago weight-loss camp campers were mostly teenage girls who were at least 100 pounds or more overweight. The menu usually consisted of food such as beef liver, fish and alfalfa sprouts and the only form of exercise was running and doing sit-ups. The ultimate goal at these overnight summer camps is to lose as much weight as possible in as little time as possible. They were often considered special needs camps. There are also many teen and adult weight loss camps.

Today things are a lot less extreme than they were in those days – approximately 39 percent of the campers are boys, the kids usually need to lose between 21 and 41 pounds, the menus offer a much broader range of food, and the exercise is a lot of fun, with activities that include fun sports like tennis and kayaking. The weight loss camps today emphasize very healthy lifestyles and long-lasting skills that the kids can take home with them and actually put into use.

To summarize, these so-called “fat camps” usually resemble regular overnight summer camps and just happen to specialize in teaching excellent decision-making techniques as they relates to food.

Now according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 16 percent or so of children from ages 6-19 are overweight or obese and this number that has tripled since 1981.

The number of overnight or sleepaway weight loss camps has remained about the same. There are about 16 to 20 of these camps out of 10,000 sleep away camps in the United States alone with some of these having offshoots in other locations. There are many other weight loss camps in other countries.

In most of the overnight summer camps the children will be between the ages of 7 and 12. This age group tends to be most successful because parents have more to say about the child’s eating and exercise habits. Usually bad eating habits are less instilled in the younger children.

All sleepaway fat loss camps work at building good habits, not just dealing out quick fixes. You will find these camps have classes on good nutrition, proper portion control, emotional eating, handling situations like pizza parties, birthday parties and ice cream parties.

You’ll find they teach by example. In the old days weight loss camps offered 1,250 to 1,350 calories each day. Today they’re more realistic, usually about 1,800 to 2,000 calories daily. On the menu along with healthier foods you’ll also find there are hamburgers, pita pizzas, baked potato chips and low-fat baked goods.

It’s long been a misconception that overnight weight loss camps don’t offer enough food and they overwork the kids. It’s actually the opposite. The right amount of food is served and they provide workouts for the kids at the right level. Campers never find they are hungry.

Changing the camper’s behavior is the key to sustaining weight loss. Many campers learn to cook, shop for groceries, order out at restaurants, and work with camp psychologists on managing stress, frustration tolerance, and identifying emotional eating.

Generally the campers want to be there. Years ago when their parents made them go they didn’t want to. Kids are happier that they’re making a change and develop confidence and independence as a result of the experience. They learn to make healthier choices also. Kids learn to feel better, breathe better, run faster and become more active as a result.

Some overnight weight loss camps can cost about $1,000 a week. Many of the camps offer scholarships and that’s worth exploring. Your health insurance may cover some of it because of the weight loss therapy. And some churches run free weight loss camps, but may be harder to find.

Choosing the right summer camp for your child may mean doing a lot of research and checking out reviews of weight loss camps. Talking to parents who have sent their kids to those camps would give you some idea as to the successful experience the child has had. Ask the director of the camp you’re considering if they will give you some names of previous campers’ parents so you can contact them. Cost may be a factor too. There is a wide range when it comes to cost and be sure to compare weight loss summer camp ratings online and offline. Check the public library for Consumer Reports magazine’s ratings.

Any overnight summer camp is great because it will force the child to have structured time in the summer and even traditional overnight camps focus on kid’s fitness and health, serve healthier food and encourage a lot of exercise. If you can’t find or afford a weight loss camp, you should choose a camp anyway even if it’s a special camp like arts or science that has some activity. The important thing is to keep overweight kids active in the summer.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp or finding the best sleepaway or weight loss summer camp online and offline go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, facts, free tuition resources, including information on overnight summer camp reviews

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