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4 Ways Day Camps Can Build Camper Groups With Our Bunking Board

It’s that time of the year where you must make the final touches to your summer camp planning. With so much uncertainty in the air this year, it’s difficult to know exactly what needs to be done. But as summer quickly approaches, there is light visible at the end of the tunnel as states issue green lights to summer camps with the agreement that they follow all issued safety guidelines – including maximum camper group sizes.

For camps running this year, a huge aspect of their planning will involve building a solid camper group structure that adheres to these guidelines and the goals for their camps.

There are many benefits to assigning campers to groups. Not only do you and your team reap the logistical benefits, but your campers benefit from group settings as well! By assigning your campers to different groups, it encourages friendships and helps foster a sense of belonging. 

If you run an overnight night, those camper groups consist of cabin and bunking assignments. While if you run a day camp, it may entail creating camper groups for your day-to-day activities. 

No matter how you group your campers, we can all agree that having the right tools can revolutionize how this process is done. The best camp grouping tools should be flexible and include easy to use features. In CampSite, we offer a camp grouping tool (‘Bunking boards’) that offers just that. 

While designed with the overnight camp in mind, you don’t have to be an overnight camp to benefit from this tool. So we’ve compiled a list of the top 4 different camper groups non-overnight camps can easily build through our grouping tool. 

1. Age Groups

This ranks high on the list of common camper groups. This type of grouping structure is popular among both overnight and non-overnight camps. As a result, campers are able to socialize with other campers their own age. Age groups are also a great option if you must tailor activities to the different development needs of each age group!

2. Grade-Level Groups

Like age groups, grade levels also place high in the ranks of common camper groups. Campers will be able to interact with not only campers of the same age, but also with campers in the same grade. With campers grouped by grade, you can easily incorporate grade-appropriate activities for each group too!

3. Classrooms

If you run educational programs that involve getting kids into a classroom, this is a great option. Using our grouping tool, you would be able to easily organize and place campers in the right classroom environment.

4. Teams

You don’t have to be a sports specific camp to utilize this type of grouping structure! If you have your campers participate in sports-related activities, having this already prepared can save you and your staff a great deal of time. As a result, allowing more time spent with your campers.

The End Objective is Always the Same

We understand that each camp has their own preferred method for grouping campers. Hopefully this post will provide a little inspiration as you determine the best way to organize campers for the coming season! At the end of the day, the objective is always the same – making sure campers get the most out of their summer camp experience.

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Facial Recognition: Camper Photo Management Made Easy

facial recognition makes camper photo management a breeze!

Innovating Camp with Facial Recognition

Our Facial Recognition module is one of our most popular a la carte features. It works alongside the Photo and Video Blog feature in our Camp Today dashboard. Both camp admin and parents benefit from this innovative feature. It aims to reduce the camp’s workload while increasing parent-camper communication. 

This time of year, many of our camps are hard at work in various stages of their camp seasons. We know there is a tremendous amount of preparation that occurs behind the scenes of a successful camp. Then, your campers arrive! We understand how important it is to be able to capture and share the excitement and adventure of your camp as it comes to life!

Powered by Amazon Rekognition, CampSite’s Facial Recognition module is the latest in advanced camp management technology. All your admin team needs to do is simply upload a reference photo of each camper. From there, the module uses this reference to automate the process of identifying and tagging campers in photos and videos on the Camp Today dashboard. 

Saving Time with Automation

This feature alone has saved camp administrative teams countless hours of manual work. As an administrator, you can pull reports on the number of times each camper appears in pictures. So, your team can be sure that everyone has plenty of memories to share with their families. Even better, our Facial Recognition feature identifies and tags your campers in real-time as you upload new photos and videos. 

Improving Parent Communication

This is great news for parents who are used to the sometimes weeks-long wait for the opportunity to view or purchase camp photos. Many camps are even using Facial Recognition to improve communication with parents. New photos and videos serve as a way to routinely update parents on their camper’s adventures while camp is in session. Parents simply click a direct link to view all of their children’s photos in their Camp Today dashboard. They can even sign up for automatic email notifications anytime you tag their camper in a new picture!

There’s no better way to do camp photos! Our Facial Recognition feature is available as an add-on module to your core CampSite program. Our expert support team offers free training so your camp can start taking advantage of the benefits right away!

For more information on our Facial Recognition feature, and to see how it can change the photo-sharing process for your camp, request your free demo today!

Already a CampSite user? Contact our support team to discuss adding Facial Recognition to your software!