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Hi there! The countdown continues here in the camp office with the summer just around the corner! We've made some important changes to how campers' luggage gets to camp this summer and wanted to highlight this information in an email. Further details are available in the Parent Packet, which is available for the iPad or for download through your CampMinder account. Note that new for 2014, there are no charges for camp luggage or bus service. Please read this email through until the end.

Chicago Families

If you are driving your child to camp, drop-off is between 12:00 Noon and 2:00 PM on the first day of each session. You are welcome to bring your camper's luggage at that time and place it in their cabin. We wait to pick beds and unpack until the entire cabin arrives, so there is no need to line up at the beginning of the drop-off period!

Friday, June 13th is Visitor's Day from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. This is a fantastic opportunity to take a boat ride, tour a cabin, meet camp staff, and get your questions answered. We're changing up the format this year so even returning families will find something new! First Session campers should feel free to drop off their luggage on Visitor's Day and we'll place it in your child's cabin so that it is ready for the first day.

Here's the change: If your child is taking the bus from Glenbrook North High School to camp at the beginning of First or Second Session, their luggage will NOT be coming up to camp on the Sunday bus drop off. New for 2014, there will be a luggage pick up on the Friday before each session (June 13 & July 11) at Glenbrook North High School and in Chicago in the parking lot of the Jewel-Osco (3400 N. Western Avenue). This pickup will be between 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Your child's luggage will be brought up to camp by our staff and placed in their cabin awaiting their arrival on Sunday. 

We do have a select number of families who drive to Chicago to place their children on the Northbrook bus (Hi there Indianapolis families!). There will be limited space on the busses on Sunday to accommodate your children's luggage. Please contact the camp office if this is the case.

Cleveland Families

Luggage pickup is also the Friday before each session (June 13 & July 11) at Park Synagogue, 27500 Shaker Boulevard, Pepper Pike. Luggage pickup/drop off is between 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM. Escorted flight information is available on the Beber website.

Louisville Families

Luggage pickup is the Friday before First Session (June 13) and drop off on the last day of First Session (July 11) at the Jewish Community Center, 3600 Dutchmans Lane. Escorted flight information is available on the Beber website.

Familes from other Communities

Your child can fly with their luggage on the day of travel, or you may ship your child's bags to Print Pack and Ship in Mukwonago, WI. Further details are available in the Parent Packet.

You'll be receiving further updates as we approach the start of First Session in June. Please do not hesitate to respond or reach out to the camp office, 800-803-2267, with any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

What to pack is one of the top questions we get in the months and weeks leading up to the summer. Great for first-time families and veterans alike, take a literal look at the Beber packing list. Please reach out to the camp office if you have any specific questions!

As summer approaches, your child may be experiencing a flood of different emotions related to going away to camp - eager, excited, nervous and anxious about becoming homesick.  Research indicates that homesickness is the norm, and not the exception. It is completely normal for campers to feel some level of homesickness at some point during the camp session. The good news is that homesickness builds confidence. Overcoming a bout of homesickness and enjoying time away from home nurtures children’s independence and prepares them for the future. So, how can you help? By exercising a little preparation and patience, parents can help ease any anxiety and homesickness in their otherwise happy campers.

Here are some tips for you to help your child deal with feelings of homesickness and anxiety:

Encourage your child's independence throughout the year. Practice separations, such as sleepovers at a friend's house, can simulate the camp environment.

Involve your child in the process of choosing a camp. The more that the child owns the decision, the more comfortable the child will feel being at camp.

Discuss what camp will be like before your child leaves. Consider role-playing anticipated situations, such as picking out clothes in the morning or managing the bedtime routine without parent involvement.

Send a note or care package ahead of time to arrive the first day of camp. Acknowledge, in a positive way, that you will miss your child. For example, you can say "I am going to miss you, but I know that you will have a good time at camp."

Don't bribe. Linking a successful stay at camp to a material object sends the wrong message. The reward should be your child's newfound confidence and independence.

Pack a personal item from home, such as a stuffed animal or favorite pillow.

Never ever make a pick-up deal. Saying, “If you feel homesick, we’ll come get you” undermines children’s confidence and ensures they’ll be preoccupied with home from the moment they arrive at camp. Instead of making a pick-up deal, say, “I’m sure that if you miss home, you and your counselor will be able to work together to help you feel better. Camp will be a blast!”

Talk candidly with the camp staff to obtain his/her perspective on your child's adjustment.  It is critical that your child is getting the same message from you as well as our camp staff in order to help your child navigate homesickness and work through it.

Don't feel guilty about encouraging your child to stay at camp. For many children, camp is a first step toward independence and plays an important role in their growth and development.

Share your optimism, not your anxiety. Talk about all the positive aspects of camp and share your concerns only with another adult, such as your spouse or the camp director. Avoid giving your son or daughter a mixed message by saying something like, “Have a great time at camp. I hope I remember to feed your dog.” Giving your child something to worry about while she’s away will only increase homesickness.

Block out the camp dates on a calendar, so your child can put the separation into perspective.

  Things to Consider

While many children experience homesickness, most feel much better within a day or two. If you can handle their temporary discomfort, they will probably be able to handle it, too. Homesickness may be more pronounced if the family went through a recent loss or stressful period such as a death of a relative or marital separation.  Please make sure that camp staff know if there are any major transitions or changes in the family that may impact your child’s adjustment to camp. Homesickness, while uncomfortable, can make a child feel competent when s/he learns to overcome it.  We want to celebrate their ability to overcome these feelings of discomfort and the massive accomplishment of being on their own! 

Camp has been a huge part of my life for the past 10+ years. It’s something that I have looked forward to every year, as most camp people do! Throughout my school years and to this day the big question has always been how do I fill my “camp fix”. Every the years my answer has always been reunions and keeping in touch with friends. This past March I was able to find a new way to experience camp during the off-season. The American Camping Association held the Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City where several hundred camps and camping professionals came together to talk about camp. 

As a first time attendee, I was a bit overwhelmed. There are so many different aspects of camp to consider. Yes, there were the basics and what comes to mind when you think of camp. I got to go to sessions on programing, new games, and plenty of sessions on why camp is so important to our youth. The range of camps almost seemed limitless; day camps, residential camps, sport camps, gender-specific camps, for profit, not for profit, and religious-specific camps. Each camp is unique in its own way and is run a specific way. Getting the opportunity to collaborate with other camp professionals that share my passion for camping was eye opening because camping is such a creative field. There is so much room for growth and innovation, the conference allowed everyone to come together and share.

What was really spectacular was the vendor hall. Imagine a massive room filled with everything needed to run a camp. That may be a bit overwhelming so let me break it down for you. For those of you that go second session, think about the exhibition hall at the Wisconsin State fair filled with basketball courts, gaga pits, buses, waterfront blowups and tons paddleboards. Aisles were filled with booths for a hundreds of different products. Companies were selling peanut butter alternatives, camp medication systems, photography systems, walkie talkies, beds and mattresses, games, games, and more games.

As we all grow up we move ourselves into niche’s and career paths that we hopefully love. Whatever field you choose to go into, conferences like Tri-States are what help the industry move forward. Not necessarily because of the things you can buy or the sessions available. What keeps the industry moving forward is the act of bringing professionals together to connect with one another. Whether you are still in school or in the workplace, communication and connectivity is so crucial to your own personal success. Conferences are just used as a platform to make it easier for everyone in a specific field to connect. So Tri-States Camp Conference was camp for the camping professional, but wouldn’t all conferences be “camp” for every professional? A conference consists of a group of people coming together for a shared cause and to better themselves and the field. Every summer staff and campers come together to connect with one another, better themselves, and build relationships that continue for a lifetime.   

This February, I was lucky enough to get to spend a fun-filled winter weekend in Mukwonago, WI with 77 amazing campers and great staff. We started our weekend off with Shabbat dinner, exciting evening programs, and an ice cream party!

  Saturday was a packed day, with snow hikes, ice fishing, arts and crafts, gaga, Pictionary, and S’mores in the Gazebo. Some of the groups were even lucky enough to actually see a fish get caught! Throughout the day we were able to spend time with old friends and get to know new ones. Since we were staying at the Perlman Retreat Center of Beber Camp, we were able to explore the trails near Rice Lake, while also spending plenty of time in the snow on lower camp. We ended the day with more awesome evening program -- Casino Night and Giant Banangrams.  Everyone easily fell asleep after such an exhausting day.

On Sunday, we spent the morning playing games in the gym, making more art projects, and playing out on frozen Lake Beulah. Some of the campers even spelled out 3BC (B’nai B’rith Beber Camp) with their bodies! After lunch, we packed our bags back onto the buses and headed off to the Elegant Farmer. We got to eat their famous apple pie, as well as many other delicious treats. Finally, I said my goodbyes to the group as they headed onto the buses to drive back to Northbrook, IL, and I headed back to UW-Madison for school.  I can’t wait to see all of these campers and staff again in just a few, short months!

The Beber Camp community is one that thrives on relationship building. Being a Jewish camp, Beber also serves as a platform for campers, staff, and alumni to find their Jewish Identity. In late February Joel and I had the opportunity to explore Jewish identity and come together with a large Jewish community at Limmud New York. Over the course of four days 850 Jews came together from across the world to create an immersive Jewish learning experience. Limmud (לימוד) or study in Hebrew breaks down to lamad (למד) at its most simple form, which means learn. Every participant was a student as well as a teacher in some form. Whether it was from leading a session on Jewish parenting, explaining what it means to be Jewish in this day and age, or having a conversation with your neighbor at dinner.

Let me give you a bit of history on the organization. Limmud began in 1980 in the UK and became a cultural phenomenon across the globe. 18 different conferences have started in Jewish communities across the world including Israel, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Moscow, Stockholm, Italy, Colorado, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to name a few. Each conference is volunteer-run which allows the conference to be catered to the Jewish community that it represents. For example, the New York conference would probably be much different than the Los Angeles conference because different types of Jews populate the cities.

Attending Limmud got me thinking about what it means to be Jewish and how I define my own “Jewishness”. A common question was, what’s your level of observance or what type of household did you grow up in? There were so many groups of Jews being represented at the conference and it was hard to place myself in a category; reform, conservative, traditional, orthodox, modern orthodox, or haredi. Even before the conference I had a hard time placing myself because I have been exposed to so many different types of Judaism. I had grown up in a conservative household, attended Solomon Schechter, and worked at reform synagogues throughout high school. I still find myself having a hard time choosing between reform and conservative services when Shabbat rolls around each week because I enjoy the rituals and traditions of both forms of observance. What I took away from Limmud is that being Jewish is great which ever way you choose. Grouping our community based on levels of observance is not necessarily the right thing to do because people will participate in customs and rituals that make them feel most comfortable. Our Jewish community is rich and vibrant because of the diversity between religious Jews, cultural Jews, traditional Jews, and you and me! We all have lessons to learn from one another so we must join together to help our “Jewishness” thrive!

It is now almost three weeks since the conference ended and I can see how my takeaway could not be any better for camp. As a non-denominational camp, Beber attracts a diverse group of campers and staff both religiously and culturally. Each summer we get the opportunity to learn from one another, gain perspective, and become a tight knit community. I’ve seen it happen year after year and it will continue to happen because of the open culture that is set from the start. Although everyone is different, we find commonalities and learn from differences to become the best individuals and community we can be! 

2013 was an outstanding year for Beber! We have continued striving to provide the best experience for the whole Beber community, and believe that communication is a key factor in your satisfaction. In addition to the traditional methods of snail mail and emailing families information for the summer, we have created multiple outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, our iPad App, Ustream, the newly introduced Beber Bulletin, and now here with the Beber Blog! 

We are proud to announce that Beber was the recipient of the 'Impact In Technology Award" at the Jcamp180 Annual Conference in November. Jewish camping professionals from across the country came out with a focus on Fundraising, Board Development, Strategic Planning, and Technology. We are thrilled that others in the field recognize the work we are doing here at Beber, and as always are determined to give our community the best possible experience all year round! 

The platform with the biggest growth this year was our Instagram account.  With an average of 64 likes per post our Instagram community engages at high rate. If you are not yet following Beber Camp check us out here http://www.instagram.com/bebercamp.

If you do not yet like us on Facebook, this is the best way to stay up to date on Beber events happening, as well as any Camp Days that are happening. Thanks to everyone who made Camp Days in 2013 such a success! We had an array of contests including an NCAA Bracket, Camp Shirt Day, Pumpkin Carving, Photoshop Challenge, the iPhone and iPad App contest, and Maccabiah Monday. The Beber Magnet Challenge is still ongoing, so always keep your eyes out for other cars sporting a Beber Magnet and send us a picture.

Our iPad app continues to be a great resource for campers and parents getting ready for the summer. Keep your eyes out for our new Summer 2014 update coming out soon. The iPad app includes: a packing list, transportation details, the latest on our communications procedures, and access to your mobile CampMinder account. 

We are always trying to evaluate our processes and bring the most streamlined communication to our community. With this is mind we recently moved away from our monthly newsletter, and have transitioned to the new Beber Bulletin. This is a monthly checklist of things to look out for and keep in mind in the upcoming month related to Beber. The second half of our new strategy is the implementation of the new Beber Blog. The Beber Blog will have updates from the full time staff, updates on year-round events, camp related articles, and other articles our community is interested in.

We have exciting plans for Summer 2014 and cannot wait to share them with you throughout the year! Make sure to subscribe to the Beber Blog by clicking the link at the top of the page – then you will never miss out on the latest post!