Life After a Summer at Camp Chikopi

Camp Chikopi has become a core part of summer for thousands of boys every July and August.  Each summer, boys head to airports and motorways to journey to Camp Chikopi’s hills, fields and lake, to take part in the time-honored tradition of Camp Chikopi.  And, while most of you will envisage summer camp with images of swimming and campfires, at Camp Chikopi, it is a much bigger experience than that, but what about after camp and your son is back home? 

Of course your son will settle back into his routine; school, responsibilities, and sports fill most of our boy’s daily lives, but maybe he has a touch of camp sickness, missing his camp friends, the activities the fresh air and the structure.  It will take time to adjust to his quiet room after the hustle and bustle of his cabin.  Here are some of our suggestions to keep the Chikopi momentum going until next summer:

• Talk to your son about Chikopi.  We all know boys are not usually as vocal as girls, but once you get your son talking about his camp experiences it will help him share and process his summer at Chikopi, and the many activities and events he participated in.  While he shares his accounts of the summer he will be able to assess his summer, his favorite activities, his most challenging events, and the friends he made, ask him to point them out from his camp photo.
• Camp Chikopi may be technology free but now your son is back home he has access to several modes of communication; Snapchat, Instagram, IM, phones, Skype, WhatsApp to name a few.  Did your son bring home a list of contacts so he can communicate with his camp friends during the off- season? If not, it's not too late, email us a request of whom he would like to stay in contact with and we will forward his contact information to his friends.  Staying in contact with his International and domestic friends has never been easier. 
• Bookmark the Camp Chikopi web page, as well as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.  Support your son to keep up with what’s going on at camp and in the lives of alumni, encourage him to share the “Chikopi News” with you.
• Every camp has camp songs; at Chikopi we call them “Chants”.  Is your son still singing or humming them in the car?  Ask him to sing them out loud so you can learn them too, they’re fun.  The “Waddle”, “Howdy”, “Silent One”, “I don’t know but I’ve been told”, “Here we go”.
• Our “News and Events” page is for sharing, nothing is too small or insignificant.  Encourage your son to post his news on our media pages to share what’s going on; making the Varsity Team, Scoring the Winning Goal, qualifying for junior nationals in the pool, making honor roll at school, a new sibling.
• Did your son bring home any ribbons?  Chikopi is competitive, and although we do not promote “Participation Awards”, Chikopi events usually go way beyond “participation”.  RAMBO, 10K Run, Triathlon, Chikopi Mile, Knoepfli Swim, Mountain Bike Trail, Kayak Race, Canoe Trips, Treasure Hunt, Team Comp.  Chances are your son did multiple events this summer that demanded a lot of time and energy to complete, and all are worthy of your recognition.  Encourage your son to display his awards somewhere prominent.
• Chikopi boys write home, using pen, paper, an envelope and a stamp every week.  Take out your son's letters show him that you kept them as mementos, how much they meant to you, go over your favorite stories he shared with you.  Offer to keep them in an album so you can return to them each year and see how he has grown.  Camp letters make an excellent gift later on in life.

It’s easy!  With a little help from you, your son will keep the Chikopi momentum going until next summer!