2015 Camp Curriculum

The National Military Family Association has developed this curriculum guide for use by the Operation Purple program. Use of this guide or any part of it for any other purpose is prohibited without written permission from the National Military Family Association.

National Military Family Association
3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 425
Alexandria, Virginia 22304

© 2015 National Military Family Association

Table of Contents

Foreword Page 5

  • The National Military Family Association
  • Operation PurpleCamp

Introduction Page 6

  • The Operation Purple Program and Military Children
  • Operation Purple Curriculum
  • How to Use the Curriculum

Section 1: Operation Purple Themes and ObjectivesPage 11

  • Themes
  • Daily Theme Overviews

Section 2: Lesson Plans Page 23

  • Letter to Staff
  • Important reminder about camper supervision and bullying
  • Sample Schedule
  • Lesson Plans

Section 3: Print DocumentsPage 68

  • Wall of Honor Printout
  • My Service Member Printout
  • Military Kid Top Ten Game Sheet
  • Operation Purple Bingo Icebreaker
  • Migration- Animals Move Too! Map
  • A letter to my counselor (Camper)
  • A letter to the counselor (Parent)
  • Flag Etiquette
  • Flag Retirement Protocol

Section 4: ResourcesPage 83

  • Links
  • Glossary/Vocabulary
  • Operation Purple Terms and Military Acronyms
  • Operation Purple Who’s Who

Don’t forget about online Operation Purple resources!

  • Operation Purple Camp Staff Facebook Group
  • Camp Staff Only Page(CSOP) on the National Military Family

Association website

  • Operation Purple online meet-ups and forums

Foreword
War takes its toll not only on the service members who fight in the field, but also on the families who wait and worry at home. Currently, more than 155,000 children have at least one parent deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. This astounding number does not include those experiencing a parent’s routine, often lengthy, deployments supporting missions elsewhere around the world.

The National Military Family Association
The National Military Family Association is an organization with an almost 45-year history of strong grassroots support balanced with professionalism that makes us a leader in the field. Our mission, to fight for benefits and programs that strengthen and protect uniformed services families and reflect the Nation’s respect for their service, is at the forefront of all we say and do. The National Military Family Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that does not accept federal funding. The Association’s programs are generously funded by various private organizations, corporations, individual donors, and, in rare instances, the Association itself . The generosity of these donors allows us to provide programs such as Operation Purplecamp. The Operation Purple program is a reflection of this mission and an answer to the call from our military families. For more information visit:
The Operation Purple program has been created, developed, implemented, and managed by the National Military Family Association based on the call from military parents to “help me help my child” during this unprecedented period.To date, nearly 51,000 children have benefitted from the Operation Purple camp program.

Introduction

The Operation Purple Program and Military Children
The mission of Operation Purple camp is to empower military children to develop and maintain healthy and connected relationships, using the healing and holistic aspects of the natural world. The goal is to bring children of deployed service members together for an exciting and memorable camp experience. This experience is geared towards giving each child additional tools to help deal with the stress resulting from a parent’s deployment. Each camp is joint or “purple” —encompassing all seven Service branchesas well asthe National Guard and Reserve components —and gives priority to those children whose parents are currently within a 15-month deployment window. This deployment window includes the pre-, during, and post-deployment phases.

Research shows that a three-part strategy of building social support networks, engaging in physical exercise, and targeted learning is the most effective approach to help children cope with stressors. The Operation Purple program provides youth the opportunity to learn and experience these tested methods through a fun-filled week of traditional camp activities.

Nearly 95% of military youth do not attend Department of Defense (DoD) schools, and only about 35% of active duty military families actually live in military housing. Though children of service members are part of the unique military culture, they spend most of their time in the local community. They play sports, join clubs, and even see doctors in the local community. Also, there are more than 700,000 National Guard and Reserve children who might never live on a military installation. These families look within their communities for friendship and support, but in order to reach our military youth we have to know who they are and understand them.

By the time most military children have grown up they will have moved at least twice during their high school years, and attended six to nine different schools between kindergarten and 12th grade. They will have made numerous new friends and memorized half a dozen new home addresses. Military children say they like meeting new people and traveling to new places, but they also say moving is one of the toughest things about military life. In fact, military children will say good-bye to more significant people by age eighteen than the average person will in their lifetime.

It is also important to note that National Guard and Reserve families may be on the move, too. When a deployment comes, they may relocate closer to a support network of friends and family for the duration of the deployment. Additionally, children of single service members may have to move in with a grandparent or another relative when their parent deploys. Often this means changing schools and leaving friends behind. These circumstances can pose risks for individual isolation. These circumstances can also affect a child’s school performance and/or relationships.

For military children, deployments have become a fact of life. Birthdays, holidays, and family vacations often occur without the presence of the service member parent. However, even with all these challenges, our military children grow, develop, and, yes, even flourish. The National Military Family Association is proud of the Operation Purple program and the role it plays in helping military children deal with the challenges of today’s military lifestyle.

Military children are the Nation’s children. As an Operation Purple Host Camp you contribute to the well-being of this very special population of kids. Thank you for all that you are about to do and the support you will provide our Operation Purple campers.

Operation PurpleCamp Curriculum

The Operation Purplecurriculum identifies the essential content of the program that supports several necessary skills military children should gain in order to maintain and support healthy family and peer relationships.

The curriculum elements are to be used as guidelines and benchmarks for camper education and to ensure a variety of experiences throughout the week of camp. Except for the mandatory activities identified in this curriculum, your camp is free to use its own tried and true activities; we ask only that you relate them to one or more of our four themes. These themes provide the basis for all instructional strategies and activities and should be integrated throughout the entire camp week.

Themes

1.Communication
a. Building Trust
b. Identifying Ways to Communicate
c. Identifying and Expressing Feelings

2.Stewardship
a. Self
b. Family
c. Military Community

3.Outdoor Environmental Education
a. Leave No Trace (LNT)
b. Local Ecology and Fauna

4.Military Experience
a. “Military Kids Serve Too”
b. Military Theme Day
c. Military Speaker

The themes are not intended to encompass the entire camp program for a given week of camp. Camp Directors and camp staff are encouraged to highlight the uniqueness of their particular camp program while integrating these themes. Please use the activities you enjoy throughout the summer during your Operation Purple camp week as they relate to the daily objectives and at least one of the four themes.

How to Use the Operation PurpleCamp Curriculum

The Operation Purplecurriculum is divided into an introduction and five supporting sections.

INTRODUCTION: Here you will find an overview of the Operation Purple program as well as the educational objectives of this curriculum. The introduction is geared towards general information for you, the Camp Director, and other program staff members.

SECTION 1: Operation Purple Themes and Objectives. This section will help you to integrate the Operation Purplecurriculum themes: Communication, Stewardship, Military Experience, and Environmental Education.This section will provide you with an understandingof the unique objectives related to theOperation Purple experience, as well as, daily overviews for incorporating the themes into each day of camp.

SECTION 2: Lesson Plans. This section is designed as a “printable forms and samples”section.This section will guide you in developing your Operation Purple camp schedule and the training of camp staff for your 2015Operation Purple week(s).

Each mandatory activity listed in this curriculum has a corresponding lesson plan to provide instruction for thisactivity. A daily theme overview has been provided within Section 1 to assist you with integratingOperation Purplethemes throughout each day of camp.

A NOTE ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTANTS:

Mandatory activities are listed and must be included in your camp schedule. Some of these activities require facilitation for smaller group sessions using cabin counselors. This is where the mental health counselor or MFLC (Military Family Life Consultant) provided by the Department of Defense to support your Operation Purple camp week will be of special value. The name and contact information of your designated MFLC will be provided at least two weeks before the beginning of your Operation Purple camp week. Getting to know your MFLC prior to the beginning of your Operation Purple camp week and integrating him or her into your camp staff will ensure you are able to seamlessly utilize him or her throughout the week. Be sure to review your Operation Purple camp schedule and identify times and activities where their support will be especially valuable.

SECTION 3: Print Documents.We have provided you with materials that will be helpful to you when facilitating mandatory activities. These materials have been created by successful Operation Purple host camp organizations and are availablefor you to copy.Pleasenote: you are also required to complete documents not included within this curriculumthat are housed on the “Camp Staff Only” webpage. For example, theCounselor Feedback Survey is annually updated and must be completed by every counselor participating in an Operation Purple camp. This survey must be returned to you (or your program director). This feedback will allow you, as well as us, to provide feedback as we assess the effectiveness of the Operation Purple curriculum. Feedback from camp counselors is essential. This feedback provides a foundation for theannual updates or adaptations to the themes and activities within this curriculum in order toensure we are responding to the need of our campers and camps.

SECTION 4: Resources. Within this sectionyou will find items that previous camp directors have requested or mentioned as being “I wish I had…” items.

We hope that this curriculum will give you and your staff an easy-to-use guide to making your week of Operation Purplecamp exciting, efficient and, above all, FUN! Should you have questions along the way, remember to consult the Operation PurpleCamp Staff Facebook Group, the “Camp Staff Only” page on our website or email .

SECTION 1: Operation Purple Themes and Objectives

COMMUNICATION

Overview of Communication Theme

Military children have unique needs and unique situations that can affect the way they communicate. All military children struggle through a parent’s deployment, especially when their deployed parent misses holidays, birthdays, and other important events in their life. These children are often under a lot of pressure at home when acting as caregivers for younger siblings, taking care of other household responsibilities, or dealing with worries about the deployed parent. Some children will keep their feelings of depression, fear, or anger to themselves. Others will act out or regress and/or lose newly-established developmental behaviors. Teaching effective communication skills can help military children better cope with their unique lifestyle, especially during deployments.

Goal

The goal of the communication theme is to help military children increase their knowledge of verbal and non-verbal communication skills and begin to use these skills in a more effective manner to communicate with each other and with their parents.

Objectives

  • Campers will recognize different methods of communication
  • Campers will identify ways to communicate
  • Campers will learn to identify and express feelings
  • Campers will learn to record their feelings, thoughts, and emotions in a daily journal
  • Campers will use letter writing to communicate with their parents
  • Camper will be able to distinguish between verbal and non-verbal communication techniques
  • Campers will be able to exhibit various ways to use newly-developed communication skills and knowledge when interacting with their family, community, or the environment

STEWARDSHIP

Overview of Stewardship Theme

No person is an island and never is that truer than in a military community. Part of the military culture is taking care of others, but we would also like campers to know the importance of taking care of themselves. The dictionary definitionof a steward is a “manager.” A military child must “manage” change, uncertainty, school, grades, sports, home life, deployment, and communication with family and friends. Carrying out the specific activities listed within the lesson plans and engaging in discussions will help campers learn skills to balance their life, as well as, identify and focus on their strengths—all the while caring for themselves, others, and our earth.

Goal

The goal of the stewardship theme is to teach campers the skills necessary to balance the demands of military life, while also taking care of themselves and being a productive member of their family and community.

Objectives

  • Campers will define stewardship of self, others (community and family), and environment
  • Campers will freely discuss the stressors of military life and identify positive coping skills to deal with the pressure related to said lifestyle

MILITARY EXPERIENCE

Overview of Military Experience Theme

Although Operation Purple campers are all military kids, not all of them — especially National Guard and Reserve children — have a good understanding of what their military parent does. Exposing campers to different aspects of various military experiences can make their personal experience seem less foreign.

The military theme should provide an opportunity for military children to feel connected to their parent’s service in the military. Military themed activities should build teamwork, promote understanding of all of the Services, foster pride, and most importantly, foster camaraderie and communication with their peers.

Goal

The goal of the military experience theme is to promote familiarity with the military as a career and lifestyle.

Please Note: Do not confuse the concept of connecting military children to their military heritage with conducting a “military style” environment at camp. If you use the objectives below as guidelines you will successfully meet the goals of the military experience theme.

Objectives

  • Campers will increase their knowledge of the military, various jobs, and equipment associated with the military occupation
  • Campers will increase their knowledge of the military parent’s experience while deployed
  • Military Theme Day will connect campers to various uniformed careers and tangible artifacts of the military profession
  • Campers will gain firsthand knowledge of deployment by listening to a military speaker and having a question and answer session with him or her
  • Campers will learn that “ Military Kids Serve Too”
  • Campers will be introduced to their service through the Opening Ceremony and Introduction to Operation Purple camp
  • Campers will complete the Wall of Honor
  • Campers will complete a camp Top 10 list

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Overview of Environmental Education Theme

Children today spend less time doing physical activities. Operation Purple camp is the perfect place to get outdoors, play, and learn about our environment. Every day at camp is an opportunity for adventure and discovery of the outdoors and the local ecology. Campers should be encouraged to be curious and explore their camp’s natural surroundings. The activities you plan should be instructive and helpful for fostering friendships.The camp should be aiding campers with discovering a sense of self in connection to the world around them. After their week at camp, campers should feel empowered to become more responsible (a steward) in caring for their natural surroundings wherever they live, work, and play.

All camps must demonstrate that they have incorporated environmental education activities throughout the week, starting with Leave No Trace elements. The Leave No Trace (LNT) Center’s mission is “to promote and inspire responsible outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships.” Camp directors should review the basic elements of LNT (Front Country) with their cabin counselors prior to the beginning of the camp week. Some camps already have very robust outdoor environmental education programming; continue to use these quality programs to supplement the LNT elements. We encourage camps that are still developing outdoor environmental programs to make use of resources that other Operation Purple camp directors can offer to assist you with incorporating this theme into your week of camp.