Kids And Teens
Kids
Though we don't believe in taking your children from you for the entire week that you are at the ranch, we do want to give you a chance to ride, hike, swim or raft while your children are supervised and having a good time. During most of our longer activities, we will have our children's directors running all sorts of activities for your children. That will include crafts, hiking, games, dress-up, plays, Sunday School, contests, movies, gold-panning, fishing and sports. They will usually have one activity each morning, afternoon and evening.Ages
| "This week has been pivotal in our family's lives. For the first time ever, our daughters have had fun being turned loose! I don't know that we have ever been so blessed on a vacation. Please know that Deer Valley Ranch is not just a vacation destination...it is therapy for the family of the 21st century!" ~ The Strickland Family from Colorado Springs |
Discipline is not an issue. Our children's leaders are not there to discipline your children. If the kids don't get with the program, we just kick them out of it (gently). Seriously, that is almost never a problem and we will discuss it with you if it is.
When our prospective staff apply to work at Deer Valley Ranch, we get more requests to work with the children than for any other position. We pick the very best leaders and it is their job to spend the days with your kids. They will have first aid training and a lot of other training in the areas of safety. We tell them that if they work with our children, they are never "off" duty. They are expected to know everyone's name and spend as much time with them as possible. While they love kids, they are not "mothers". In light of that, we invite any parent to take part in all of the children's program. You are always welcome to go on the hayride, watch the kids swim, eat cold hot dogs down by the creek, watch "The Little Mermaid" for the twentieth time, or make S'mores over a campfire. We realize that these are your children and we don't mind at all when you keep an extra eye on them. In fact, we like it.
Philosophy
We are very aware that parents want to know what their young children are experiencing, hearing and seeing. At our family guest ranch, we will keep you very informed as to what they will be doing. On Sunday morning our leaders will meet with the parents and explain the weekly program. In addition, we will post all activities in our daily newspaper. This helps with times, locations, clothing, etc. If, at any time, you think we are doing something that you don't care for, please let us know. There are so many choices and we can always go another direction. We have learned that every parent has a different idea of what is appropriate for their child. We will help with that. We look forward to meeting you and your children!
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Teens
One of the toughest parts of planning a family vacation is finding a place where the teenagers have a good time along with the rest of the family. We understand that teens want to have their own approach to a lot of their day, while at the same time having the chance to do "adult" activities. Deer Valley Ranch has two or three teen leaders that spend their days and evenings with our guest teens (ages 12-19). They schedule fun activities as well as just hanging out. It doesn't take long until the teenagers get to know each other and really have fun together. A lot of long term friendships are made during the week.| "Our two grandsons had the time of their lives! Thank you for a Christian staff and a program for the teens that was engaging and safe." ~ The Finnamore Family from Daphne, Alabama |
We have found out that while the teens love the planned activities, what they really enjoy is just being together. They will have swim parties, go riding together, have a "prom" night with clothes from a local second hand store, go sand jumping on the cliffs, river raft together, spend a night camping out, do the ropes course down the road, swim in the ranch lake and enjoy activities like basketball, Frisbee golf, bowling and movies. A trip to K's Dairy Delite to meet with other Christian teens in the area is a favorite.
Typically, the teens will get together Sunday morning for a time of acquaintance and orientation for the week. Some of the teens get completely involved in every planned teen activity, while others prefer to spend most of their time with their family. Anything is fine with us. We also find that the older teens will do most of the long rides and more extended hiking and rafting. Maybe they will just head into town with the teen leaders for pizza or have a pretty serious discussion about their faith. While Deer Valley Ranch is a lot of fun, it can also be a great place to share what is on your mind.
We really do enjoy the teens at our ranch. They bring a lot of energy to the whole place and we look forward to meeting you and your teen!
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