KODA Camp Activities  & Programs

Arriving at Camp

Arriving at camp for the campers on the first day bring many exciting and new feelings and emotions. Campers are happy and excited as well as nervous and apprehensive especially on the first day at camp. We understand campers’ wide range of emotions and try to make every effort to help every camper fit in and feel at home when they arrive. Campers at KODA Camp are gradually acclimated to their small cabin groups as well as the larger camp-wide group.

Check in 

The check in Sunday afternoon (1 pm to 5 pm for two week session or 10 to noon for one week session) tends to be very easy process. Each camper will have their picture taken, check in medicine, and turn in snack money. A staff will talk with each parent to review the medicine and make sure everything is accurate.

After Check-in

After checking-in on Sunday morning or afternoon, campers move their things into the cabins and then gather together for ice breaking games. The first evening meal together with all campers and the counselors. This gives the campers a chance to get to know the counselors and the other campers, and to discuss cabin rules and procedures. We also stress the importance of inclusion of all campers, and taking care of and respecting personal belongings. Then the campers will find out what group they will be in, there are six groups for two week session and 2 groups for one week session that they will be together for activities.

Schedule

• 7:00AM Rise & Shine! An activity for the morning could be exercise,  mediating or other cool things

• 8:00AM – 9:00AM: Breakfast & Cabin Clean Up

• 9:00AM – 10:00AM: First Activity

• 10:00AM– 11:00AM: Second Activity

• 11:00AM - 12:00PM: Third Activity

• 12:00PM – 1:00PM: Lunch & Rest time

• 1:00PM – 2:00PM: Fourth Activity

• 2:00PM – 3:00PM: Fifth Activity

• 3:00PM - 4:00PM: Sixth Activity

• 4:00PM – 5:30PM:  Snack time/Mail, free time for A&C, cabins or outdoor game

• 5:30PM- 6:00PM: Cabin time

• 6:00PM – 7:00PM: Dinner

• 7:00PM – 8:30PM: Camp wide nighttime program

• 8:30PM – 10:00PM: Ready for Bed & Lights Out

See below for a more specific breakdown for Teens, Youth, and Kid sessions

Activity Periods

Activity periods last about 50 minutes with a 10 minute transition between them. There are three morning activity periods before lunch and three activity periods in the afternoon. Sometimes, there might be two activities in either morning or afternoon. The 4PM activities also include time for sports, snack time, and cabin activities where campers enjoy the company of other campers. Cabin time gives campers a chance to rest, clean up, write letters, nap, chat, or just chill. 

Activity Groups

On the first day, campers are separated out into 6 groups. Within their individual group, they rotate activities with this group for each activity. There are 2 groups (usually) that rotate for each actiivty. To make sure campers are building bonds with every other camper, the groups they rotate with will vary between the morning and afternoon activities. 

Activity Types

• PE

• Arts & Crafts 

• Team Building 

• KODA Talk 

• Night Activities

• Field Trips

Some activities may stay the same year after year (ex. flag making and some classic night activities like a campfire), but in general, most activities change each year. We want to make sure campers feel like they're getting a familiar rotation, but new experience each year with the type of activities they do. 

PE

Physical Exercise is a core component of activites at KODA Camp Midwest. This is how a lot of the campers get their energy out and enjoy the outdoors. Activities can include KODA Ball, Basketball, Volleyball, Dodgeball, Field Games, and more. There are some classics each year, but each year the PE games will vary. 

Arts & Crafts

Arts & Craft is another core component of activities at KODA Camp Midwest. Balancing physical activity with arts & crafts is a great way to activate all parts of the brain. Activities can include kite making, cardboard castle making, tie dye etc. Classics include designing KODA Books and KODA Flags. 

Team Building

Team building is a staple of KODA Camp Midwest. Campers on the first day are put into "team" aka groups that they rotate with for every morning/afternoon activity. The group they are with is how they compete for the KODAthalon, create flags, and do KODA Camp with. Team building encourages collobration, working with challenging or different personalities, and building bonds within your group and then with every other group that they rotate with. 

KODA Talk

KODA Talk can include ASL games, discussions on what it's like to be a KODA, Deaf history, and more. KODA Talks are based on the age. Kids session is surface level with things like learning different signs depending on where you live, short Deaf history, and generally getting to know that other campers experience the same thing. Youth and Teens will go even deeper with these topics accordance with their age. 

Night Activities

After dinner, there is time for large camp-wide group activities which include: theme nights, skit nights, counselor hunt, carnival night, special night nature hike, sports night, capture-the-flag, camp-fire programs, and related types of activities. 

Heading to Bed

After a day like this, most campers (and counselors, too) are guaranteed an excellent night’s sleep in the cabins. Bed sheets or sleeping bags are the camper's responsibility as well as pillows.

Why field trips?

KODA Camp Midwest has campers go on 2 field trips during the teens/youth session and 1 field trip during the kids session. Field trips are a way for campers to feel like they can explore their identity in public while also growing their identity in the camp "bubble." It's an opportunity to showcase KODA Pride and see what that would be like in a safe, but public setting. 

Typical locations of field trips 

Depending on the year, KODA Camp Midwest varies it's field trip locations. Field trips are generally in the vicinity of 2 hours or less from the MacKenize Center. In the past few years, KODA Camp Midwest has done:

• Devil's Lake State Park

• Noah's Ark Waterpark

• Mt. Olympus Waterpark

• Land of Natura

• Columbus Pool 

General Schedule 

The Kids Session follows the same general schedule as the teens & youth session. The main difference being age appropriate activities and timing (i.e. kids session night activities end at 8PM for in bed & sleeping by 9PM). 

The morning schedule activities 9:00am-11:00am and afternoon schedule activities between 1:00pm-3:00pm will be rotated depending on the group assignments. 

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