Almost all of our campers will sleep in Olson Lodge (this is a fully air-conditioned building) in one of the 5 bunkrooms. Each bunkroom has 8 bunkbeds as well as direct access to bathrooms with showers. There will be two counselors in each bunkroom with campers.
Some campers may sleep in Riverview Lodge (also fully air-conditioned) in one of two bunk rooms. Each bunk room has 9 bunkbeds and direct access to bathrooms with showers. Two counselors sleep in each bunkroom.
There are a limited number of programs, such as Night Owls, that sleep in our Camping Caves, these are made from giant concrete culverts that have been converted into sleeping quarters. There are bunkbeds along each side of the culverts with a walkway inbetween. They are air-conditioned but are also naturally cool because they are partially underground. These campers would use the bathrooms and showers at Freiberg Bathhouse or at the 7:24 Shelter which are both nearby. Some programs also have the option, depending on the weather conditions, to sleep out in tree boats at Fort Jones, or at our Survivor Site.

We have several options for communicating with your child while they are at camp. You can mail them letters to the camp address with their name followed by the program they are attending, and then camp’s mailing address 9677 County Rd 3 Nickerson, NE 68044. There is also an opportunity to leave written letters with a staff member during check-in to be handed out during the week. Lastly, we partner with a company called Bunk1 to offer the option to send your camper emails during the week. These emails are sent to our camp registrar before dinner each day, they are printed, and then given to campers during the evening mealtime. Campers will not be able to reply to those emails unless you pay an extra fee to include a Bunk Reply which would then be scanned to Bunk1 by our registrar and then emailed to you by them. We do NOT allow campers to have their cell phones during the week. We encourage them to be present in the experiences during the week and disconnect from technology.
In the event of an emergency when you need to speak with your camper in a more immediate way, you can call the camp office at 402-478-4296 and a staff member can work with you to make that happen. If it is outside of business hours you can still call the same number and it will ring to the staff member on call.

Homesickness is a normal part of children being away from home, especially if its for the first time. Our staff take part in training leading up to the start of camp that gives them tools and strategies to help campers deal with homesickness. If those attempts are not successful they can contact a member of the lead team or full-time staff to help with the situation. In the event that the camper is still struggling we would reach out to the parents and talk with them about other possible ways to help the camper. In severe cases of homesickness we would then offer the opportunity for the child to speak directly with the parents to discuss options for moving forward. Sometimes the child is just not ready to stay at camp yet and that’s okay! We hope that they would try again the next summer and find they are successful at staying the whole week.
Sometimes parents also have a similar experience in dealing with their child being away from them for an extended period of time. That’s normal too! Camp staff is happy to chat with you and check-in with your camper to assure you they are safe and having a great time. There are some ways you can help with homesickness before and during camp. Talk with your camper about what types of things they will get to do at camp. If you have never been to camp before we would encourage you to attend our Open House event in late spring so you and your camper can see where they will be staying and meet some of the staff members. You can also ask questions! When writing emails or letters to your camper it helps to stay positive and encourage them in their time at camp. Sharing your hopes for what they would experience at camp is great. It also helps to avoid listing things they may be missing out on while they are at camp or overly focusing on how much you miss them and how sad you are that they are gone.

When your camper receives their welcome packet in the mail it will include a small comic book for them to read that explains what they will experience during their first day at camp. You can view an online version of that comic here: Comic Book

You will be greeted warmly by staff members as you arrive at camp. Each person will be able to direct you to the places that you need to go to check in your camper.

During check-in you will sign your camper in and they will receive a nametag. You can drop off any mail you would like delivered to them throughout the week, pay any remaining balance, and turn in any forms that have not yet been submitted. Your camper will also receive their camper t-shirt. All families will check in at the medical form table to be sure all of those forms are in order and any medications are turned in for the week. You’ll have an opportunity to visit our camp store and then head to your assigned bunkroom to meet your counselors. Once your camper is settled you are free to leave them in the capable and caring hands of their counselors. They will then head off to make a cool leather nametag and play get to know you games with the other campers.

Yes! If you would like to take a tour of camp before you arrive for your child’s week at camp you have a couple of options.

We have a super fun Open House event on June 7th from 1pm – 4pm where you can meet staff, take a tour, get a taste of a few camp activities, visit the camp store, etc. Maybe you’ll even meet some friends who will be coming to camp with you!

If the Open House event doesn’t work with your schedule, or you would like a more one-on-one tour of camp, our staff is happy to provide that opportunity as well. Just call the office 402-478-4296 or email asiver@greatplainsumc.org to set up a time to visit us.