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Blue Sky Program
The majority of schools that visit camp are through our Blue Sky Program. The sponsor will pay for all of the classes, a hot lunch, and a snack to take back to school. There are teachers from schools that have been coming since Blue Sky’s inception that look forward to this trip all year.
For some of these students that come to camp, it may be their first time outdoors. For others, it might be their only opportunity to be outside. All of our weekday outdoor education groups are day visits. We have a maximum total of around 100 students per day. There is a new group visiting camp daily, creating variety for each day.
A Typical Day
The start time of each day depends on when the school arrives. The workday usually starts sometime between 8:00-9:00 AM. After the staff meeting, everyone divides to get ready for the day which includes: setting up the dining hall, whatever class they are teaching for the day, and any other program areas needed.
After the school arrives and they are seated in the pavilion, the Outdoor Education Instructors rotate through who will lead a brief orientation for the school. After that, instructors will pick up their students to teach two, one hour long classes before lunch. During lunch, the staff take turns doing different jobs to facilitate and clean up the meal. After lunch, staff will teach one more class.
When the school leaves, all OE staff will clean up any program areas, class supplies, and buildings that were used. During certain days, the remaining time is spent on camp projects such as maintaining trails, cleaning, moving wood, fixing things up around camp, organizing class supplies, personal project time, etc.
The workday will end between 3:00-4:30pm. Your hours will depend on whether you are living onsite or hourly.
YMCA Camp Kresge Sample Day Visit Schedule For Schools
9:30 AM – Arrive at YMCA Camp Kresge
9:35 AM – Welcome/Orientation in Pavilion
9:45-10:45 AM – Class #1
10:45-11:45 AM – Class #2
11:45-12:20 PM – Lunch
12:20-1:25 PM – Class #3
1:30 PM – Departure from Camp
Teaching
The Outdoor Education Director makes every effort to rotate staff through all of the classes that we offer. What you will be teaching depends on what the school has chosen. Typically you will teach the same class for the day for all three one hour blocks. Science based classes let nature guide the students with hands on activities. Outdoor Adventure activities focus on communication and building a better team.
There will always be at least one adult present during a class, either a teacher or parent chaperone. Depending on the class, such as owl pellets or hike, there may be two instructors together teaching two trail groups. Typical trail group sizes range from 12-18 students.
We discuss the 4 core values of the YMCA – Caring, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility – during orientation and use them as a guide during the day to promote good behavior.
Duration Of Employment
The spring outdoor education season lasts from April to the beginning of June. If interested, there is an opportunity to stay on for summer camp in a Leadership Role, Program Specialist Position or as a Cabin Counselor from June to August. Our fall outdoor education season begins again after summer and continues on until early November. There is a potential to make working at YMCA Camp Kresge an 8 month job.
What Makes Us a Great Place to Work
Because we only offer daytime outdoor education, we do not require you to work long hours. Camp is tucked away in a rural location when you are seeking the quietness of nature, but is also close enough to all the city amenities when you feel like going to town.
During staff training, there are teaching seminars. While teaching, the Outdoor Education Director conducts evaluations. Both of these help Outdoor Education Instructors grow as educators and have them decide what skills they would like to improve on.
We strive to form a close knit camp community. YMCA Camp Kresge Staff are super passionate about camp, children, and the environment. The goal of the Outdoor Education Director is to create a positive environment where you feel supported, truly enjoy teaching, and working at camp. The Outdoor Education Director is dedicated to the success of the staff and the outdoor education program at YMCA Camp Kresge.