Bridging the Gap: From Summer Camp to School Success

A Morning Routine That Sets the Tone

It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. It's time to sharpen the pencils, pack our backpacks, and set our alarm clocks. It also means that we just wrapped up our annual summer camp known as Study & Scribe. After a hands-on week focused on problem-solving, self-advocacy, writing, and executive functioning, our students—and their coaches—were ready to take on the new school year.

As a child, some of my fondest memories were writing in my journal. Most of them began with those two famous words “Dear Diary”. Journaling was our first activity every morning. This placed a great level of importance on that time. Journaling set the tone for the day.

Students would arrive to calm music, take a few moments to settle in, connect with classmates through warm greetings, and then begin writing. Each day, we post a journal topic, but students are also free to write about something of their own choosing. Students need to have choices when writing. It is one of the ways they learn to discover their own personal love of writing.

Learning by Doing

When I think about summer camp, my mind does not wander to a classroom with students sitting in desks placed in nice, neat rows. This camp is problem solving, engaging activities that involve working together and most definitely for thinking outside the box.

Our campers became architects who discovered that building a two-story tower with marshmallows, a box of spaghetti, tape, toothpicks, and string could lead to two completely different—and equally successful—approaches.