How to Cook Up a Healthy Summer Camp

Abstract

This article is designed to help school nurses plan a children’s summer camp. In many ways, it is like a recipe, filled with tried experiences leading to success. Many of the ideas in this article may help others to brainstorm about implementing a camp. The idea for this summer camp originated from an obesity study conducted during the school year. In that study, it was found a large number of students were obese, and the majority of them spent a considerable amount of time in sedentary activities. In addition, the study questionnaire findings indicated that the children were not eating enough fruits or vegetables and had diets with high carbohydrate and fat content. Therefore, the major objective for the summer camp was to introduce the children to structured exercise and nutrition classes. Evaluation indicated the children profited socially, physically, and intellectually from the camp’s activities.