Resources
Electronic Media and Web Social Networking
Even though there is no electronic media accessible to campers here at F&W, we increasingly find ourselves needing to be “up-to-date” with the current technology and social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, Dodgeball and Xanga) that are available to campers when they return home. Staying current with this media helps us to provide informed guidance and support. The following are some websites and resources that we have found helpful in our work with kids and electronic media.
- Webopedia provides definitions for the often used lexicons in IM, text messages conversations or internet communications, including POS: Parent Over Shoulder.
- Yahoologans Parents is a great site full of helpful information for parents and educators about ways to help children safely navigate the web.
- Common Sense Media provides comprehensive both content information and critical review. This site allows parents to enter the name of a movie, book, video game or website and read a summary of the content so that, as parents, we are able to make more informed decisions on what our children are watching, reading, playing and purchasing.
Homesickness
Each child deals with being away from home differently. For some, the new independence and separation from family is no problem. For others, the feelings of homesickness are intense. There is a helpful DVD/CD set created specifically for camp families with a specific focus on helping to ease homesickness, assisting with the transition to camp, and soothing parental anxiety. Some of the content is common sense, but it is a valuable resource if you are feeling like you need some ideas on how to handle homesickness.
- To read more about it and watch a preview: www.campspirit.com/parents/the-secret-ingredients-dvd-cd-set.html
- To order it online: www.acabookstore.org/product.cfm?pid=1115
