OVERNIGHT CAMP AT CAMP ROGER

ROCKFORD, MICHIGAN

Two Camp Options: 4-Day (Grades 1 - 5) or 6-Day Sessions (Grades 3 - 9)

It's Time for the Best Summer of your Life!

Camp Roger has two options for overnight camp!
Join us for a 4-day or 6-day session for an exciting blend of unique and classic camp activities.
Either session is sure to be a life-changing experience full of friendship and getting to know God in our beautiful woods.

4-Day Overnight Camp

6-Day Overnight Camp

Entering Grades 1 - 5 in the Fall

Entering Grades 3 - 9 in the Fall

Ready for overnight camp?
  • During 4-day adventures, you can swim in Little Bostwick Lake, hold animals in our nature center, join in on a cookout, and play all-camp games!
  • Camp Roger’s caring staff connects you to God, nature, and each other through prayer, intentional conversations, and reading the Bible together.
  • There will be a sampling of fun morning activities including shelter building, archery, boating, rope swing, fishing, campfire building, nature crafts, and more.
6-day overnight sessions offer an exciting blend of unique and classic camp activities.
  • A midweek overnight campout teaches outdoor skills such as setting up a tent and cooking over a campfire. 
  • Daily worship time in Chapel Grove, along with deeper connections with your cabin group, help you learn about God, the Bible, and His amazing love. 
  • Epic programming includes four days of your favorite morning activities along with several different choice activities. Classic camp games such as Capture the Flag, Penny Carnival, 500 Acres, or Gertrude Goes to Pieces keep you challenged and active.

Overnight Camp FAQ

What is the daily schedule for Overnight Camp?

While each camp day has unique programming, there is a general flow to each day. Click below to view a sample daily schedule for Overnight Camp.

What can I expect at drop off and Pick up?

Below is a general overview. More specifics will be published in our Summer Camp Guide available on our site in May. Registered campers will receive a copy by email.

DROP OFF
Check-in times are from 9:30 am - 10:45 am on the date your child’s session begins. We will stagger arrival times to improve the check-in process. Details will be emailed to you before you arrive.

Plan on entering camp via the Belding Road entrance by our blue acorn sign. Upon arrival, wait for a staff member to greet you at your car. Please make sure your camper is feeling well before you arrive at camp. Your child will have a health screening prior to moving into his/her cabin. The adult accompanying the camper will sign a screening form that includes questions about the child’s recent health and whether the child is clear of lice.

After helping your camper settle in, you will return to your car and make your way toward the exit. Along the way there will be stations to drop off your child's medications (including vitamins, inhalers, EpiPens, etc.) with the camp nurse, to chat with the special food coordinator and/or social worker, and to drop off mail for your camper.

PICK UP
Camper pick-up is from 11:15 am - 12 pm on the last day of the session. You will be directed to parking areas and on finding your child's cabin. Be sure to collect ALL of your camper's items and check out with their counselor before leaving. Campers will only be released to authorized persons based on names provided during registration. Please call the camp office or email the Director to update this information if necessary.

The Camp Store will be open during this time for purchasing camp apparel. We ask that adults be present with your camper to help facilitate these purchases. Payment can be made with a credit card, check, or cash.

How are cabin assignments made?

Campers are grouped in cabins by gender and grade. When registering, you are welcome to request ONE OR TWO cabinmates for your camper. Cabinmate requests need to be WITHIN TWO GRADES of each other to be placed in the same cabin (for example, 1st & 3rd or 4th & 6th). It is also helpful to make sure requests are mutual with the cabinmates listed on one another's registration forms. Please be aware that an older camper may be placed with the younger campers who have requested them as cabinmates. We cannot honor requests for large groups of campers to be together.

For campers who do not request cabinmates, we take care to assign them to cabins in which there are other campers who have not requested cabinmates. Many of our campers come on their own, and we are mindful of this when making cabin assignments. Our counselors are very intentional about helping campers build friendships and community within their cabin group.

What health/Lice checks are required before camp?

Beginning in May, an online health history form will be available for a parent or legal guardian to complete for each camper. This form must be completed before your camper is dropped off at camp. A doctor’s visit and doctor's signature are not necessary.

During check-in on opening day, the person accompanying the camper will be required to complete another short health assessment with questions about recent illness or injury. This brief health screening is necessary before moving into the cabin.

We have a lice and nit-free policy. We require that all campers be checked/treated for lice prior to arrival. The brief health screener at check-in requires a signature stating that you have cleared your camper of lice before dropping them off. Our recommendation is to check and treat your child through a licensed lice clinic, if necessary. 

What health care is available for my camper?

Camp Roger’s staff is trained extensively to prioritize camper safety. Our standards and practices go above and beyond the requirements of the State of Michigan and the American Camp Association.  For the entire summer, a registered nurse lives on-site, and a family medical practitioner is on call for medical advice. Camp Roger is also only two miles from an EMS station.

Before your camper arrives at camp, a parent or legal guardian is required to complete the online health history form. Then, at camper drop-off, guardians must turn in ALL medications to the camp nurse in the original containers. The nurse will dispense and document the medication properly and on time throughout the session.

Campers going offsite will be accompanied by a staff member trained in Wilderness First Aid. Campers going on canoe trips or wilderness trips will also be accompanied by a certified Lifeguard. Our on-site RN is available by phone for all campers on and off-site.

What is the bedtime process?

Rest is good for our bodies and minds, and our staff help to make the bedtime process easier with specific routines every night. Each cabin has a checklist to do before bedtime including brushing teeth, using the restroom, washing hands and face, checking for ticks, and putting on pajamas.

Once everyone has completed these tasks, campers gather for a time of devotion, prayer, and conversations about the day with their counselor. This is a great time in which campers learn more about who they are as a child of God and how to build a deeper relationship with him. Once devotions end, campers go to their bunk and their counselors check in with each of them. Our staff members will be available inside or right outside of the cabin, all night for campers.

What happens if My camper has a nighttime accident?

This is a fairly common occurrence, and our counselors are trained on handling these incidents in a discrete manner. If a camper needs Pull-Ups for bedtime, please notify staff and send them with your camper. They can put them on in the cabin bathroom, and in the morning, they can change out of them in the bathroom and throw them away.

If a nighttime accident occurs, campers should take their counselor aside and let them know. Wet clothes can be put inside their sleeping bag. After the other campers are out of the cabin and doing morning activities, our nurse will wash, dry, and return the child’s items to the cabin as soon as they are able.

What if my camper gets homesick?

We want every camper to have a positive experience at camp. To help ensure that, our counselors are trained in comforting a child who is missing his or her home and loved ones and in normalizing these feelings. We work with campers to get them involved in activities, helping them find things that they enjoy doing, and we continue checking in with them regularly to make sure camp is still overall a positive experience for them.

Our head counselors, Camper Life Director, and an on-site social worker encourage them and develop strategies specific to the camper’s personality that will help them have a fun and successful time at camp. If a camper is having a particularly hard time, we will not hesitate to call a guardian so that we can work together to help the camper.

What if my child cannot swim?

It is important for us to know each camper's swimming ability. On the first day of each session, campers may choose to participate in a swim challenge in Little Bostwick Lake. During this camper-choice challenge, campers are supervised by lifeguards and counselors in the water as the child swims from one side of the swim area to the other. If this is difficult for them, a certified lifeguard is in the water, ready to help them across. Our swim zone is clearly divided into a shallow end and a deep end. They will be assigned to a swim level by our system to let our lifeguard staff know what their swim level is.

If a child swims safely and independently during the swim challenge and can safely exit the swim area without assistance, they will be allowed to swim in either section during the session. Campers will have the choice to take the swim challenge. If a camper is unable or chooses not to do the challenge, the camper will simply only be allowed to swim within the shallow area where campers can safely wade, splash, and play during swim time.

Campers are required to swim with a buddy or two and there is a check-in/out system in place. Buddy calls take place at least every nine minutes. Our waterfront is fully staffed according to the lifeguarding ratio guidelines required by the State of Michigan and the American Camp Association.

What if my child has special dietary needs?

Camp Roger’s Special Food Coordinator is trained and certified (through ServSafe) to provide safe menu alternatives and preparation for various mild to moderate food allergies/sensitivities including nuts, gluten, dairy, soy, and egg. We are also able to provide vegetarian menu options as well. Our goal is to provide foods that are similar to the meals served to other campers.

It is important to note that campers with allergies will be eating next to individuals and eating at tables with food provided that they may be allergic to. If your child has a life-threatening allergy, please contact the overnight camp director to discuss if Camp would be a safe place for them.

This special food service is offered to those attending Overnight Camp sessions and Wilderness Trips. Due to the higher cost of offering these foods and training a quality staff member, an additional fee will be charged: $25 for 4-Day Sessions, $40 for 6-Day and Pioneer Sessions, and $60 for Voyager Sessions. Day Camp does not provide lunch and snacks.

Providing this food service replaces parents packing supplemental food for their children. We do not accept special food items for your child. As the number of campers with food allergies/sensitivities increases, this system is safer and easier for campers.

What if my child leaves personal belongings at camp?

During the session, lost and found items are gathered on a daily basis and displayed at meal times on the fireplace mantel for all campers to see. At the end of each session, lost and found items are gathered and displayed near the Lodge and on cabin porches during camper pick-up.

Please label your camper's items by first and last name. Camp Roger is not responsible for lost items, so please do not send your camper with their best or favorite items to camp. Any items left are stored through the end of our summer camp season. Camp Roger may be able to help locate a lost item after the camper has left camp. Picking up or returning the item to the camper will be the responsibility of the guardians, not Camp Roger staff.