Introducing Ozark Sufi Kids Camp!
The Kids Camp is full of love and light! Any child 5 and older can be dropped off at Kids Camp during designated hours to allow parents to go to classes and evening programs. Younger children are welcome to join in with a parent!
Kids Camp Half-Scholarships for Parents!
Our community also offers scholarship programs for parents who bring children under age 13: For parents with children under 5, one parent/guardian per family can attend camp at one half of the normal registration fee and have no assigned staff position other than taking care of their children. Parents or guardians of children age 5 or older can apply for a half scholarship to: 1) serve on staff at Kid’s Camp (contact Kids Camp Director Lori Thweatt at thweattish@aol.com) … or 2) serve on staff elsewhere in the camp (contact Camp Co-manager Aziza Riely at azizaozarkcamp@gmail.com or 573-999-6635).
Please Note: Kids Camp no longer takes the children swimming as an activity. Parents will now get to enjoy swimming with their children as a child must be with a parent to enter the water. We emphasize that Life Jackets are recommended when lake swimming, especially for non-swimmers and the younger children. Noodles are not safety flotation devices. There are no life guards. Camp is not responsible for the safety of any swimmers.
Registration Information:
No registration fees are charged for children under 5 and they are not necessarily assigned a bunk. They must be on a registration form, however. Please note that every camper aged 5 and up is required to pay a $10 Liability Insurance Surcharge.
Bugs:
Please be aware that ticks and chiggers exist at camp, especially in dry autumn leaves. Your insect repellent should be effective on them. Natural insect repellents are encouraged.
Here is a Missouri State Parks link about what to do to avoid ticks:
Ticks in Missouri State Parks
Weather:
To monitor the camp’s potential weather, look up Osage Beach, MO 65065 online. Temperatures in central Missouri vary day to day and hour to hour. Think layers as you pack your clothes.
Kids Camp Guidelines for Parents/Guardians and Children
- Your children are your responsibility at all times except within the confines of kids’ camp during the official kids’ camp program hours. Create an umbrella of safety for them by providing specific parameters about where they can be throughout the day.
- Children under five are welcomed at kids’ camp with an accompanying parent or guardian. At the discretion of the staff, however, parent co-ops or informal babysitting arrangements may enable parents of young children to occasionally attend classes while their young ones are safely supervised at kids’ camp by someone other than kids’ camp staff.
- During kids’ camp hours, your children aged 5 – 12 will be under our staff’s supervision unless you grant them permission for them to leave kids’ camp. Staff needs to know if they are allowed to leave and, if so, where you will allow them to go. Make sure your children abide by your guidelines as to where else they can be when not at kids’ camp. Staff members also need to know your whereabouts so in case your child needs you, we will know where to find you. Please make sure that your children understand that they will not be allowed to wander off unsupervised during kids’ camp.
- Rule of three. Children are not allowed to roam around alone by themselves at any time. Make sure each child understands that under no circumstances is a child ever to be alone with an adult other than a parent or guardian without at least one other person present at all times.
- Do not drive away from the group campgrounds or go to town without appropriate adult supervision in place for your child. You wouldn’t think I’d have to state this, but it has happened in the past that parents of small children left camp without asking anyone to watch their kids.
- Touch base often throughout the day with your children; check to assure that they are hydrated, tick-free, nourished, and well rested. Be observant caretakers so your kids do not become overstimulated, exhausted, and lose self-control or melt down. We’ll do our part to help them stay balanced. Eat meals with your child, perhaps outdoors where it is not as noisy. Tell our staff or the kitchen staff what foods they will eat so we can accommodate their special dietary needs.
- Lake safety. Swim at your own risk. Children are not allowed near the lake without a supervising adult. Swimming will not be an activity that will take place during kids’ camp hours. There are docks and a designated swimming area at the lake, and if you choose to take your kids to the lake, keep in mind that it is polluted and snakes have been spotted near the docks.
- Protocol for drop off and pick up. Parents are kindly and respectfully asked to bring and pick up their children to and from the kids’ camp area in a timely manner. In the mornings, kids’ camp will begin at the main hall for children’s dances and we will walk up to kids’ camp together as a group. If parents do not pick up their kids on time, children left at kids’ camp will be brought to the lunch or dinner circles by our staff. Evening kids camp ends promptly at 10 p.m. At that time, children who have not been picked up at kids’ camp will be brought to the main hall to find you.
- Children will be expected to help keep our camp running smoothly. Kids aged 10 and up will help with snack preparation, clean-up of kids’ camp areas, and/or assisting staff with activities and projects. Kids karma yoga (loving service) will be optional for kids under 10.
- Practice kindness. If children understand and respect these simple guidelines, put in place for their protection, safety, and well-being, the only other rule we have is to treat each other kindly to the best of our ability. Our goal is to ensure your children’s safety in as free an environment as we can create.
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Ozark Sufi Camp 