3 Ways Camp Stands By Parents
Posted by Phil
Sometimes I feel like I’m in a special club because I’m a parent. I don’t have a special handshake, and I don’t get to nod at a doorman who lets me pass into a special room. But I do get to share countless experiences and side conversations with other parents that seem to put us on the same level…and perhaps in the same club.
As you do your best to parent your children. We at Ridgecrest Summer Camps want to do our best to walk along side you, working with you rather than against you throughout your child’s adolescence. With some of our directors with as many as 35 years of Ridgecrest experience under their belt, it’s exciting to know that we have seen quite a few campers grow from tiny 6 year-olds, to college students pouring their lives into young kids. We have a unique opportunity to partner with parents for a lifetime.
So it is because of this unique role that we have been given, that we feel driven to continue our ministry to your family no matter what time of year it is. We have chosen to do this in a few ways.
- Weekly Devotions – every Monday Morning we post a new camper devotion on our blog.
- Parent Blog – We want to help equip you and put resources in front of you that can help answer questions along the way.
- We are on Facebook. It may seem strange, but we feel that our presence on Facebook has more of an impact than we originally anticipated. As campers see us on a regular basis online, they are reminded of what they learned at Camp…and ultimately, reminded of Jesus.
Thanks for what you do in the lives of your kids and the kids in your community. Please let us know if we can ever do anything for you.
Phil Berry
Assistant Director
Parent of Piper and Lily Berry
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Crestridge, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
“Conversation Starters” Are Coming…
Posted by Phil
As a parent, we have very unique roles with our kids. Especially while they are young, we get to talk to them more than anyone else. And then as they grow up, unfortunately, we slowly lose this privilege.
So no matter what stage of childhood our kids are in, we can always use a little cheat sheet to help have those important conversations. Some of these “Conversation Starters” may be perfect for you, and some may not be as beneficial the day you read them. Regardless, we plan to post a new Coonversation Starter about once a month, usually on the first Wednesday of the month.
Each post will give a separate question for Preschoolers, for Children, and for Students, all worded so that they can understand it. And we hope that this will be just one more way that we can partner with you as you raise your amazing kids! Thanks for letting us be a part of what the Lord is already doing in your family.
Any questions or concerns? I’d love to hear from you, one parent to another.
Phil Berry
Assistant Director
Parent of Piper and Lily
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, Conversation Starters, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Talking to your kids | Leave a reply
Bullies Go Digital
Posted by Phil
As Ridgecrest Summer Camps does it’s best to partner with you as parents, we want to continue to put interesting and helpful articles online for you to view at your convenience…
As bullies go digital, parents play catch-up!
“Desperate to protect their children, parents are floundering even as they scramble to catch up with the technological sophistication of the next generation…” Read More online
Although this New York Times article is fairly long, it is eye opening.
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Bullies, internet safety, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
What do I need to do to protect my kids from inappropriate sites?
Posted by Phil
As a parent today, computers surround our children. I have a computer in my house that we are teaching our kids how to use…even as young as 4. Our children will never know a world without this powerful tool. And it is because this tool is so powerful, that we as parents need be aware of the risks that are online. We welcome you to watch this very short video that poses a few questions that may help you begin to form a plan of how to protect your own kids in your home. We at Ridgecrest Summer Camps want to continue to partner with you as you continue to do your best to raise your own kids.
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged internet safety, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
“Guy Land”… some insight into your boy’s adolescent journey…
Posted by Phil
This is an excellent article from Fuller Youth Institute that gives great insight into “Guy Land,” the world that your boys grow up in. It also offers some suggestions for how to walk with them through Guy Land. Having worked closely with boys in middle school and high school for the past 10 years, I find this article to be right on target. This is the adolescent boy world. If this is news to you, then I encourage you to read the entire article, and perhaps even take a closer look into your son’s day-to-day life. Who is he spending time with? What are they doing? What do they really talk about? And who is leading them into the rest of their life? Are they leading themselves? Or is there an loving, caring adult walking beside them through these crucial years of transformation? Enjoy the article and please feel free to call / comment / or email us here at Camp with any questions or concerns…
Click this link for read more: http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/2009/08/just-guys/
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest, Guy Land, parent resourses, raising boys, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
#1 Rated Internet Filtering Software
Posted by Phil
We can’t stress it enough for you to make sure your family is protected while online. Ridgecrest Summer Camps isn’t endorsing any specific product, but we are dedicated to empowering you, the parent, to properly protect your child online. The experts are clear with their data, our children are targets for online predators. As a parent myself, I prefer to not be paranoid, but I also want to stay informed. Using some sort of internet filtering software helps me do that. SafeEyes is one option out there. Although it is not free, it gets excellent reviews. I encourage you to do some of your own research and see what your options are. We also encourage you to post comments below for other parents to learn from. Thanks for loving your kids so well! See you this summer!
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge, Camp Ridgecrest, internet safety, parent resourses, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply
A Good Read for Parents
Posted by Phil
We at Ridgecrest Summer Camps are just as devoted to you as a parent as we are to your kids as our campers. Raising kids can be incredibly challenging, and we want to stand by you as you tackle the most important feat a parent can attempt…being a parent. There are TONS of books on parenting…which one’s can you trust? This is a place where we want you to be able to share books that have helped you. (Please share below in the comment section). Below are also some of the books that we recommend from personal experience as well as from being in the camping industry for many years. Please comment on the books that you found helpful! For your convenience, you can even purchase the books below by simply clicking on the link provided.
- Grace Based Parenting by Tim Echols
- Parent Fuel by Barry St. Clair – Most parents ask, “How do I help my kids turn out right?” This book suggests a better question: “How do I help my kids love Jesus more?”
- Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge
- Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson – How to release the hidden power of God in your life.
- Here Comes Heaven by Mike Seth. A Kid’s guide to God’s supernatural power!
- Every Young Man’s Battle – Strategies for victory in the real world of sexual temptation.
- Every Young Woman’s Battle – Guarding your mind, heart and body in a sex-saturated world.
- Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. A battle to fight, an adventure to live, a beauty to rescue — these are the dreams and desires written on the heart of every boy.
- Boundaries with Kids by Cloud. When to say yes, when to say no to help your children gain control of their lives.
- Going Public by Donna Hatasaki – Your Child can thrive in Public School
- Christian Childrearing and Personality Development by Paul Meier
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Book Recomendations, parent resourses | Leave a reply
Internet Safety
Posted by Phil
I would go as far as to say that every family that has a computer in their home must have some sort of filtering strategy. As much as we may not want to admit it, our children are being aggressively pursued online. Experts say that right now there are about 1.5 million sexual predators online. We would strongly urge you to educate your self further, and take action in your home to protect your children. Here are a few resources that may help you. Please know that we are committed to helping you, and will be sure to update you as we learn of more helpful tools.
WEBSITES:
5 Internet Safety Tips – learn how to create a cyber safe home!
Internet Monitoring Family Gameplan – visit this site to learn 10 steps to protect your family.
SafeEyes – is the #1 rated internet filtering software. Visit this website to learn more. If you prefer a different product, thats great! But please make it a priority to protect your family.
10 signs of Internet Abuse – more ways you can educate yourself and proactively fight for your family.
GetNetWise.org – GetNetWise is a public service brought to you by a wide range of Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations.
VIDEOS:
Watch Video: How do I protect myself from internet predators? Is it ok for him to surf the internet unsupervised? Watch this short video to learn more about these questions, and other like them (www.iQuestions.com)
Watch Video: I believe in monitoring what my children watch on TV. But, is it possible to be too controlling? (Ted Baehr, www.iQuestions.com)
Watch Video: What are some fun ways that I can help develop my kids’ media discernment? (Ted Baehr, www.iQuestions.com)
Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged filtering, internet safety, kid and media, parent resourses, pornography | Leave a reply