DAILY SCHEDULE
At camp, we run a 5 period day. A regular schedule consists of:
2 elective periods (or “Hobbies” as we call them)
1 team sports period
1 instructional swim period
1 recreational swim period
Electives/Hobbies
All campers have individual preferences and our system allows them to pursue their interests. Each morning, the campers make their hobby selections for that day. Some campers choose creative activities (drama, crafts, ceramics, dance), some choose more athletic pursuits (golf, tennis, soccer, outdoor life, basketball), and others choose aquatic hobbies (lake, aqua planning).
Activity choices are different each period and each day so the campers are always trying new things. Our system encourages campers to try every activity.
Campers can take weather into consideration for their choices too. On warm days, the water activities like lake and outdoor life are popular and conversely on cooler days activities such as soccer and the adventure wall are often selected.
This program has been extremely successful as we find the campers enjoy a daily choice of activities instead of signing up days or weeks in advance.
Special Events
The regular schedule is run for approximately half the camp days, while the other days are occupied with Special Events (Carnival, Water Day, Apache Relay), Out-of-Camp Trips, and Color War. We make a conscious effort to break up regular schedule days with these Special Events to keep camp fresh and enthusiasm high.
ADVANCED TRAINING
Varsity and Specialty Camps
While our daily athletics program is focused on fun and sportsmanship, we recognize that many campers wish to have a more intensive athletics experience. For these campers we have a number of different avenues for them to receive specialized instruction.
Varsity Teams
We offer Varsity programs for both Basketball and Soccer. These teams are coached by head staff members who all have coaching experience at the high school level or higher. Teams meet for practice 2 to 3 times per week and get to participate in our intercamp games, where we travel to or host other summer camps in tournaments and competitions. Any camper that wishes to participate is permitted and there are never any try-outs or “cuts.”
Specialty Camps
Our Specialty Camps are programs in which we bring in an outside professional to teach instructional clinics. We offer Specialty Camps in Tennis, Golf and Dance. Because camp has to hire outside instructors there is an additional fee for these programs. Specialty Camps are completely optional. Tennis, Golf and Dance are a part of our regular elective programs throughout the summer. These camps are for those campers who wish to receive additional instruction. Campers who sign up for Specialty Camps will receive 5 to 6 instructional sessions during the summer.
Bar & Bat Mitzvah Lessons/Tutoring
We offer tutoring for those campers that will be having their Bar/Bat Mitzvah after camp. Campers meet with one of our head staff members once or twice per week. We can help campers maintain the knowledge they already have and ensure that they are practicing over the summer. If your child needs help in a school subject we can provide assistance in that area as well. Our head staff is predominantly made up of school teachers so there is always someone to help. We have never had to charge parents for these services.
Trips and Special Events
Special Events are a big part of our program. At least twice a week we break from our regular schedule for a variety of memorable summer experiences! Many of these have become loved traditions that campers look forward to all year long.
Apache Relay, Boys Unity Events, Girls Unity Events
Carnival, College Night, Color War, Dances
Fourth of July Fireworks & Elections, H20lypmics
Intercamp Games, Klondike Day, Lake Regatta
Messtivus, Olympics, Specialty Day, Water Day, Out-of-Camp Trips
Our trips are all age appropriate and change as the campers get older. This keeps the trips fresh each year and gives campers something to look forward to as they grow up in camp. Campers travel in small groups with counselor and are never left without staff supervision.
Arnold’s Fun Zone, Camel Beach Water Park, Canoeing
Dorney Park, Hershey Park, Jenkinson’s Beach, NJ, LaserTag
Medieval Times, Movies, Ozzy’s Fun Zone, Annapolis, MD
Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA, Washington, DC
NOCK-A-NITIATIVES
At Nock-A-Mixon we believe in a culture that promotes inclusion, respect, friendship, tolerance and kindness. Each summer has a theme that helps to foster positive behavior and makes every camper and staff member proud to be a part of a special community. Past themes have included “Nock-Out Bullying”, “Choose Kind”, “Unity”, and “Family.”
Each staff member is given a theme shirt that they then give away to a camper who represents the core values of our culture. We also have a weekly Band Ceremony where campers are recognized with colored bands that represent various character traits including cooperation, sportsmanship, friendship and leadership. In addition, we have weekly winners for Camper of the Week, Inspection, and Unity Cabin.
Over the course of the seven week summer, we are happy and proud to say that hundreds of campers are recognized for positive contributions to our outstanding culture.
HEALTH & NUTRITION
Health
Our modern, air-conditioned Health Center is centrally located in camp and is staffed by 7 nurses and a doctor that lives on the premises. The medical staff is available 24 hours a day, and we have two health calls daily. If a camper needs to stay overnight, we have multiple private rooms. Our Health Center maintains open communication with parents regarding health issues, and we have a parent liaison who works in the Health Center. The nearest hospital is Doylestown Hospital, which is 20 minutes away.
Nutrition
At Nock-A-Mixon, we know that a balanced diet is important for our campers. We offer a wide range of choices so that even the pickiest of eaters will find something to enjoy at every meal. No food made in the camp kitchen has any nut or nut oil, and we can accommodate food allergies and sensitivities including Celiac Disease. We offer fresh fruit and a salad bar at each lunch and dinner in addition to a pasta option and vegetarian option every day. We serve a mid-afternoon snack every day that includes everything from pretzels to ice pops to granola bars.
Adventure
Camp is the perfect place to get a taste of the great outdoors. Our creek is a very popular place to catch a frog, see some crayfish or turn over some rocks to explore what’s underneath. We have a nature program featuring animals such as lambs, chickens, turtles and ducks. You can also help tend to our vegetable garden. If it’s a taste for adventure you want, we have a six sided 35ft climbing tower with an expert wall 45ft tall. There is a zip line, high ropes elements and low ropes challenges. It’ll be certain to test the abilities of any climber.
Climbing Tower • High and Low Ropes Course • Zip Line • Archery • Hiking
Aquatics
Summer is the best time to be in the water! Campers love our 3 heated pools with diving boards and giant water slides. We also have instructional swim programs where campers can improve their skills in a fun environment. We have 2 spring fed lakes where everyone loves to bounce around the water trampoline, climb the giant iceberg, and go fishing. Don’t forget to try our jet-ski pulled aqua tube!
Aqua Planing (tube pulled by jet ski) • Canoeing • Fishing • Lake Floats • Diving • Swimming • Water Slides
Arts
Do you enjoy arts and crafts? Perhaps you want to be the star of a show? Camp Nock-A-Mixon has a huge arts program that you’ll love! Our crafts room has everything from glass fusion to ceramics, candle making and painting. There is also lots of opportunity to explore the performing arts as well. There is a music room with plenty of instruments, as well as dance classes in styles ranging from ballet to hip-hop. If you’ve caught the acting bug then we have our camp plays, giving you the chance to take center stage!
Ceramics • Crafts • Glass Fusion • Jewelry Making • Pottery • Photography
Athletics
At Nock-A-Mixon, athletics is an avenue for life lessons. We feel team competition is a natural aspect of childhood development. It’s a way to teach campers the importance of teamwork, leadership, communication, resilience when times get difficult, and the thrill of a comeback victory. Camp is a place where a child can safely learn the necessary skills of both winning and losing well. We offer a wide variety of sports and physical fitness. We run an in house intramural-style program, where campers are placed on a team for the duration of the summer. Because our leagues are divided by skill level, campers play with children of their own ability so everyone can concentrate on the most important part of athletics, having fun!
Please see our advanced training section for information about our more intensive athletic programs. See you on the field!
Aeroball • Baseball • Basketball • Flag Football • Golf • Gymnastics • Hockey • Lacrosse • Martial Arts • Pickelball • Soccer • Softball • Tennis • Volleyball • Wrestling
Drama
At Nock-A-Mixon, everyone has a chance to be a star! We have 3 musicals every summer, one for each division, and any camper that wishes to participate will be a part of the show. Our camp shows are performed in our award winning amphitheater for everyone in camp. Next stop, The Tonys!
Dance • Music • Creative Drama • Theater
Evening Activities
The fun goes from sun up to sun down at Nock-A-Mixon! From divisional games like “Bunk Feud,” “Lip Sync Battle”, Olympics, and Great Imposter , to all camp activities such as our camp musicals or talent shows, our evenings are filled with some of our most exciting activities. We host guest entertainers yearly to perform for our campers, including magicians, hypnotists, jugglers, variety shows and more! Each summer we also bring in DJs for our all camp dance parties!
Camp Plays & Musicals • Campfires • Dances • Game Shows • Guest Performers • Karaoke • Leagues • Masquerade • Movie Nights • Night Swims • Scavenger Hunts • Talent Shows • Trivia Night
The fun goes from sun up to sun down at Nock-A-Mixon! From divisional games like “Bunk Feud,” “Lip Sync Battle”, Olympics, and Great Imposter , to all camp activities such as our camp musicals or talent shows, our evenings are filled with some of our most exciting activities. We host guest entertainers yearly to perform for our campers, including magicians, hypnotists, jugglers, variety shows and more! Each summer we also bring in DJs for our all camp dance parties!
Camp Plays & Musicals • Campfires • Dances • Game Shows • Guest Performers • Karaoke • Leagues • Masquerade • Movie Nights • Night Swims • Scavenger Hunts • Talent Shows • Trivia Night
Friday Nights
On Friday nights, the camp gathers for a small service before evening activity. Staff and campers think about the week ahead, what they are thankful for,and how to continue to be better friends and camp citizens. Most of our head staff grew up at camp, and most fridays one will take a few moments to speak about their camp and life experiences. It’s a great time to reflect with your camp family.
On Friday nights, the camp gathers for a small service before evening activity. Staff and campers think about the week ahead, what they are thankful for,and how to continue to be better friends and camp citizens. Most of our head staff grew up at camp, and most fridays one will take a few moments to speak about their camp and life experiences. It’s a great time to reflect with your camp family.
FITNESS
Staying in shape is a year round pursuit; Nock-A-Mixon offers facilities and programs to help campers prepare for making the school team, or just getting and staying fit. We have a fully equipped and staffed weight room with cardio equipment, free weights and machines. Camp also has quarter mile long track with exercise stations placed throughout the path. Of course, there are classes too. Yoga, Spinning, Barre, and Zumba are all on the camp schedule.
Fitness Track • Spinning • Weight Room • Aerobics • Yoga • Zumba
NATURE & OUTDOORS
Our outdoor program is hugely popular at Nock-A-Mixon. Afterall, summer camp is the perfect place to experience nature and the great outdoors!
Nature
Our nature den has hosted animals such as lambs, chickens, turtles, bunnies, pigs and many others each summer. We also have a vegetable garden where we grow all natural cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and more! Many of the vegetables are then used in our cooking program!
Outdoor Life
On a hot summer day there is no better place to spend time than Outdoor Life, a program effectively designed by the campers themselves. We are very lucky to have a portion of Gallows Run creek flowing right through camp. Playing and learning come together while catching frogs and crayfish, building dams, exploring and treasure hunting. The list of things to do is almost as long as the creek!
Outdoor Cookouts
Each cabin will have a night scheduled for a “Cookout.” Our special cookout site is tucked into a corner of the camp making it a fun adventure for our campers. Cabins get to hike, cook outside, play in the creek and hear camp stories all around a campfire. Of course, no cook out is complete with some S’mores!
STEM
Campers choose S.T.E.M for creative exploration, engineering, tinkering, and inventing. Each week there is a new S.T.E.M. challenge to complete. There’s also always time for free range exploration and inventing with Sphero, Bots, Legos, K’Nex and more! Campers enjoy an open environment. Our STEM director, is also a STEM teacher during the school year, and directs some great staff to form this amazing program.
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Established in 1938 and opening its doors for its first summer in 1939, Camp Nock-A-Mixon is a traditional, co-ed, overnight summer camp located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. At Nock-A-Mixon, we value each person’s individuality while also emphasizing community. Camp is a place where children gain independence and self confidence along with the experience of a lifetime!
At Camp Nock-A-Mixon, we believe in seeing everyone as individuals while also teaching community. We work to ensure each child has the chance to focus on that which they enjoy and encourage them to try new activities as well. Campers also learn to value other people’s talents and everyone gets a chance to shine. We do this by having core values and beliefs that we aim to uphold each and every day.
We Believe In:
Our 7-Week Single Session
We operate a 7-week session only. This ensures continuity with no mid-summer camper disruption (i.e a best friend leaving early), which allows us to run “Learn to Swim” programs, athletic leagues and other activities in ways multi-session camps cannot. Most importantly though, during the 7 weeks, our campers and counselors build extremely strong bonds. We believe these bonds and friendships are what create our 96+% return rate.
Counselor Responsibility
A strong counselor staff is the backbone of any camp and we believe our counselors are top rate. The vast majority are former campers, roughly 75-80% each year. Our former campers return because of their love of our camp environment. They bring a passion for the summer that only those who have spent years at camp can have. Many of our counselors that were not campers return each year as well, giving us a returning staff rate of around 85%. This high return rate allows us to be very selective when hiring first time staff. Our counselors know they will receive several drug tests during the summer, which ensures that they are there for the right reason – your child.
Parent Partnership
At Camp Nock-A-Mixon, we adopt a “partners in parenting” methodology. Each summer, parents will be comforted to know that although they are not at camp, they are an integral part of their child’s camp experience. We want to ensure our families that we are committed to open and honest communication and that we know your child and are doing everything possible to achieve each camper’s happiness.
Developing Social Skills
Happiness is the true key to success in life, and the basis of happiness is knowing how to build lasting relationships. Now more than ever, developing interpersonal and social skills in our children is vital. Making and keeping friends by living with others in our camp community is at the core of what we do.
Self-Esteem & Confidence
We create a nurturing and emotionally safe environment at camp that is necessary to build self-esteem and confidence within your child. These characteristics are crucial in order to navigate the world and become strong, well-adjusted adults. We also instill this within our staff and being part of the camp community will allow your child to learn and grow.
Resilience
Being at camp will allow your child to understand winning and losing, as well as how to face daily challenges. We will teach them to learn from their experiences and bounce back.
A Structured Teen Program
When choosing a camp, it’s important to consider how a Teen Program works. As our campers become teenagers, they have more elective time scheduled in their day. Even though it requires more organization on the camp’s end, we feel it is important teenagers have more input in their daily activities. Although they have more freedom in their schedule we make sure that our teen campers are supervised throughout the day. While many camps do not have opportunities for 16-17 year olds, requiring them to take a summer off, we offer a different program for that age. After all, as parents we don’t forget about our children once they reach that age. Why would a camp? That is why most of our counselors are former Camp Nock-A-Mixon campers. They return to pass on camp traditions and give back to “their” camp.
Meet Our Director
Uncle Speedy
Uncle Speedy is a true camp lifer, having spent more than 60 years at Camp Nock-A-Mixon! Born and raised in Hewlett, New York, Speedy first came to Nock-A-Mixon in 1957 at just 5 years old! He later progressed to counselor, Athletic Director, Division Leader, Head Counselor, and Assistant Director. He started his professional career as a Philadelphia public school teacher before going to work full time for the previous owner of Nock-A-Mixon in 1978. In 1981, he and Aunt Bernice purchased the camp and have been the owners and directors ever since. Uncle Speedy is a dedicated sports fan with an immense appreciation for the arts as an avid theater goer. As a result he is able to connect with campers of all interests. Speedy spends his winters in West Palm Beach, Florida playing golf, rooting for his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes and cooking up brand new ideas for the summer!
Aunt Bernice
Aunt Bernice, a Philadelphia native, first came to Camp Nock-A-Mixon as a counselor in 1970. She was promoted to Head of Girls' Camp in 1973, a position she held until she and Uncle Speedy became the sole owners of camp in 1981. Bernice also spent 22 years as a school teacher, and overall has more than 45 years of experience working with children. At camp, Aunt Bernice never stops moving. She runs the camp office, teaches Zumba classes, takes pictures and always has the best costumes for Junior Girls Halloween night! Of course what the girls love most is each night when Aunt Bernice visits their cabins to make sure she says goodnight to each and every girl. In the winter, Aunt Bernice heads down to Florida with Uncle Speedy where she is a passionate tennis player. She also enjoys Mahjong and knitting the most comfortable sweaters!
Our Staff
Supervisors
With over 95% being former Nock-A-Mixon campers or counselors, our Supervisors (also known as division heads or leaders) are truly special and unique in the camping industry. The overwhelming majority of our Supervisors work full time as teachers and educators which allows them to be the perfect role models for our campers, as they are naturally able to blend the Nock-A-Mixon way with classroom leadership and methods. You will be hard pressed to find more caring and harder working adults in our industry.
Counselors
Our counselor staff at Nock-A-Mixon is one of the best aspects of our organization. With 80-85% of our counselors each summer being former campers, our staff makes it easy to further our camp traditions while naturally being able to show our campers the empathy needed to properly nurture them. Our incredibly high counselor return rate also allows us to be extremely selective when hiring first time staff members.
All of our staff members go through an interview process before being placed within our organization. We strategically identify potential staff members with specific skills such as enthusiasm, willingness to work with children and a true caring demeanor. Each staff member receives weekly feedback sessions from their direct Supervisors in addition to a formal final evaluation before our season ends. Our head staff works tirelessly to ensure that our counselors grow both professionally and personally each summer.
Lastly, all of our staff members take part in a mandatory orientation which takes place the week before our campers arrive. Every staff member must complete a background check, provide references and have an in person interview with a member of our leadership team. We are also proud of the fact that Camp Nock-A-Mixon was one of the first camps to implement a drug testing program for counselors to ensure that our staff is at camp for the right reasons.
Facility and Location
Camp Nock-A-Mixon is a privately owned summer camp located in beautiful Bucks County, PA. We have no public roads running through camp and our security booth views the only entrance into camp.
On the grounds are 2 spring-fed Lakes with a Trampoline and Iceberg, 3 heated Swimming Pools (1 Olympic size!) with 2 giant Waterslides, 11 Basketball Courts, 7 Baseball/Softball Fields, Golf Driving Range, 11 Tennis Courts, Mini-Golf Course, 3 covered Hockey/Basketball Courts, professional sized Hockey Court, Ropes Course and Zip Line, 6 Pickleball Courts, Indoor Recreation Hall, 4 Volleyball Courts (1 beach), 4 covered Gaga Courts, 7 Soccer Fields, 2 Batting Cages, Dining Hall, Dance Studio, S.T.E.M Room, Canteen, Arts & Activity Center, Roofed Pavilion Amphitheater (with seating for the whole camp), Indoor Gymnastics Center and more!
Accommodations
We provide modern cabins with private bathroom stalls and showers. Our cabins are spacious with plenty of cubby space and shelving for everyone. All cabins have screen windows and fans to keep our campers cool. Campers sleep on a comfortable mattress – never on the top of a bunk bed. Each cabin is equipped with hardwired smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for safety. Campers and staff decorate and personalize each cabin to make them feel like home!
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