Essential Skills for Campers

We want camp to be a safe and fun environment for everyone, including your camper, other campers, and our team of leaders! To best prepare your camper for their time at Severson Dells, we recommend that they are equipped with the skills listed below. It’s a great idea to practice some of these skills before camp to make sure they are ready! 

We are open to talking with families about potential accommodations and do our best to include campers with various support needs. Thorough and proactive communication will help us assess if our team can provide your camper with the support they need, or if your camper would be better served at a camp with one of our local partners.

If your family is looking for resources to prepare your child for some of these essential skills for camp (and school) readiness, one great place to look would be

Alignment Rockford’s Illinois Basics Program.

Wild Things, Junior Naturalists, Adventure Squad, School’s Out Camps

Self-Care Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Drink water and recognize when thirsty
• Eat meals and snacks, dispose of waste properly.
• Use the bathroom and wash hands.
• Communicate needs to leaders.
• Undress and dress for changing clothes as needed; put on and take off shoes and socks. This may include skills like buttoning, tying, snapping, zipping, and velcroing.
• Deliver their own medications or treatments if needed.

Activity-Based Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Zip and unzip backpack; keep track of personal items in backpack.
• Walk on even and uneven surfaces.
• Wild Things and Junior Naturalist camps can walk up to 2 miles in a day with multiple breaks.
• Adventure Squad Campers can walk up to 5 miles in a day with multiple breaks. 
• Spend time in outdoor environments with stimuli like natural sounds, contact with plants and other natural features, and varied light conditions.
• Do activities in a variety of temperatures, including warm, humid, and sunny days.
• Use camp materials appropriately.

Social & Behavioral Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Separate from caregiver without becoming extremely upset. 
• Keep hands to self and use appropriate touch in game and play settings.
• Use kind language towards other campers and leaders.
• Follow camp guidelines of being kind to self, others, and nature.
• Follow verbal directions in English.
• Follow a structured schedule.
• Share and take turns.
• Self-manage frustrations or emotional outbursts.
• Stay with the group, not identified as a “runner.”

Canoe Camp

In addition to the skills required for other camps, Canoe Campers should be able to:

Self-Care Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Apply sunscreen
• Recognize hunger and ration food appropriately throughout the day.
• Recognize signs of exhaustion.
• Keep track of personal and group gear.

Activity-Based Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Lift 10 pounds frequently, 25 pounds occasionally. 
• Bend over, kneel, crouch, or squat.
• Demonstrate balance and bodily awareness.
• Paddle at a steady but active pace for up to 5 hours a day with breaks.
• Wade in moving water on uneven ground.
• Be comfortable around and in water.
• Identify risks and follow procedures to mitigate them.

Social & Behavioral Skills

Campers must be able to independently:

• Receive and incorporate feedback and coaching.
• Use a growth mindset when approaching challenges. 
• Work in a team with other campers to make choices, communicate needs, and accomplish tasks together.