Campers may begin attending camp when they’re seven. They come in as frosh or juniors and you observe them. They’re young. They’re cute. You blink. They’re in upper camp. As a camp staff member, there are few things as satisfying as watching your campers grow older. Every year, you get to see them mature. They… Lue lisää »
Tag: benefits of summer camp
Camp Souvenirs
It happens while you’re unpacking. You happen on an oddity or two—or ten—in your child’s bag or maybe shorts pockets. Crazy little circular chains of rubber bands (dozens of them!) seem to be tucked into every crevice of clothing your child could find; a water bottle filled with what appears to be sand and lake… Lue lisää »
The Many Role Models of Camp
There aren’t many places children can go to be surrounded by positive role models that provide them the opportunity to develop relationships on multiple levels. For most kids, adult mentors are limited to parents, coaches and teachers. There’s one place, however, where children are surrounded by mentors on multiple levels 24/7: summer camp. Most summer… Lue lisää »
Home (Parentheses)
Parents: By now your pantries are empty, your laundry rooms are full, and your television remote controls are affixed to your children’s hands. The campers are home, and they’re riding a camp high. They have a lot to tell you. Get ready to hear a lot of stories about camp (over and over), be let… Lue lisää »
Elasticity
Elasticity is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the quality of being adaptable.” By definition, elasticity is not merely a description of successful campers and staff, but a description of summer camp itself. Summer camps have existed for over a century. And although they’re generally considered an American “tradition,” with well over 12,000 summer camps across the… Lue lisää »
A Whole New World
At one of America’s Finest Summer Camps, a first year camper, upon stepping off the bus on arrival day for the first time, immediately exclaimed, “I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life!” The awe of that young camper at that moment was very reminiscent of the scene in The Little Mermaid in which… Lue lisää »
Big Things in Small Moments
This week’s guest contribution comes from the Camp Starlight blog: One of the best parts of camp is observing moments when campers could teach grown-ups a thing or two. One of them is the way in which campers are able to capture a moment. There are lots of big events at camp. We write about… Lue lisää »
Healthy Competition
“Healthy Competition” is a term that is often used at summer camp. While they also offer a wide selection of niche and hobby type activities, traditional summer camps focus heavily on sports. The emphasis, however, is more about encouraging campers to be active and improve their skills. This is not to say that campers do… Lue lisää »
A Camper Reflects on the Day before Camp Begins
Over the past several days, all of America’s Summer Camps welcomed their campers and the summer is officially underway. For our guest blog this week, however, we wanted to share a blog submitted by one of the campers at Camp Starlight, who reflected on what campers feel the day before camp. I am nearing the… Lue lisää »
Summer Camp: A Place for Exploration
Adventure, tradition, fun, and nature are all words that come to mind when one mentions “summer camp.” One word that doesn’t instantly come to mind, however, is “exploration.” Summer camp is an exercise in exploration. There is, of course, literal exploration. Traditional summer camps are primarily located in rural areas, away from the city and… Lue lisää »