A Closer Look at a Camp Hobby Program

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In addition to traditional sports, summer camps are offering more and more hobby related activities to campers. The guest blog this week is from the Camp Starlight blog and explores a popular hobby program there that offers campers the opportunity to learn skills that are not commonly taught in schools or neighborhood programs.

The Circus program at Camp Starlight is very popular, and for good reason. It is the only program that gives campers the opportunity to walk on stilts, juggle, do diabl0, flip devil sticks, and spin plates. Campers in the Camp Starlight Creative Writing option decided to spend some time there to see just what draws campers by the dozens each day.

The Circus program is led by Ben. He first became interested in Circus when he was in the Youth Theater, which is an amateur theater in his home country of England. Ben says that a circus person once came to his theater to demonstrate juggling and diablo, which made him very interested in all things circus. So he asked the circus person to teach him his tricks, and so the circus person taught Ben everything he knew. Ben practiced a lot, and eventually became better than his mentor.

Campers find Circus fun and different.  Around the world, spaghetti string, and  throw and catch might not be familiar terms to those who aren’t familiar with the diablo. But one Junior who was interviewed by the roving reporters of the Creative Writing Option and has been to Circus five times this summer has learned all of them. For those less familiar with all things circus, a diablo is a popular circus toy comprised of  two large cylinders attached to both ends of a metal center piece that are balanced and juggled on a piece of string controlled by two sticks.

For campers who are looking for an activity they can’t try at home, Circus is the perfect choice. Every camper interviewed at Circus told us that they learned everything they know about Circus at Camp Starlight. Favorite camper activities at Circus include, devil sticks (aka Chinese juggling sticks), stilts, and the balance board known as a tiabolow. Many Camper Starlight campers build their skills at Circus over multiple summers. One particular enthusiast of the stilts said she has been learning and practicing the art of stilt walking for more than a year.

Circus was even offered as a Starcamp at Camp Starlight this year. Special guests from Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus taught campers the art of Circus comedy that included pies in the face, water throwing, and gags, which are funny skits that many circus clowns perform in between acts during circus shows. Campers also learned new circus skills, such as getting up on stilts without the aid of a wall as well as new juggling and spinning tricks with the circus tools available at Camp Starlight. The Ringling Brothers crew shared that in addition to camp clinics, they also perform for patients at children’s hospitals.

Campers agree that the circus is fun to watch but even more fun to actually do. It is no wonder campers rate the Camp Starlight Circus program a 10!

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Camp Influences

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In their book True North, Bill George and Peter Sims challenge readers to examine the qualities and influences that have made them great leaders through a series of motivational chapters complemented by interactive surveys. In the survey that follows the first chapter, readers are asked: “During your early years, which people had the greatest impact on you?” This is a very significant question to anyone who either attended camp as a child or who works at a camp as an adult.

It only takes a single summer to influence a camper for a lifetime, but the majority of campers attend summer camp for seven summers or more, which exponentially increases the chances of camp counselors having a lasting impact on their lives. Add the community environment of camp in which campers and staff live together 24 hours a day, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine that each camper’s life is not greatly impacted by at least one member of the camp staff. Such a conclusion is evident by the amount of former campers who state the influence of former staff members as one of the primary reasons they chose to return to camp as camp counselors themselves.

George and Sims challenge readers to “discern passion through life experience.” Such an intense task puts the role of camp counselors into a new perspective. Not only do counselors have the ability to greatly impact a child’s life, but to inspire passion in them through the experiences they provide at camp. This is an interesting concept because it is not one about which most camp staff tend to reflect throughout the summer. Camp is a temporary environment that is structured with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Combine this with the fast pace of camp, thinking tends to steer in the opposite direction.  Yet, many campers –and even counselors– are so influenced by their camp experiences that they take away a passion for camp as well as the traditions and values they are taught there.

When examined from such a perspective, the role of camp counselors becomes so much more than a summer job, whether a staff member spends one summer or many summers at camp. When counselors pack their bags each summer and head off to camp, they are taking on the tremendous responsibility of inspiring children to become so deeply invested in the camp experience. It’s neither a small nor insignificant challenge. Yet the hurdles of living up to such high expectations is exactly what draws so many camp counselors to their summer camp roles each summer—and what makes them return in subsequent summers. In this regard, the campers have as much influence and inspire as much passion in the counselors as the counselors do to them. The two roles are interdependent.

It’s easy to go through one’s daily life without slowing enough to properly contemplate the potential influence each of us has over others. But when the concept of influence is examined through the perspective of camp, it’s very easy to see how little time is needed to influence someone for a lifetime.

The Action Never Stops!

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Every day at summer camp is a busy one with a seemingly endless amount of activities for campers. The guest blog this week, which comes courtesy of the Camp Laurel blog, explains just how much action takes place at camp.

Our Outdoor Tripping Staff have taken campers all over the state of Maine:  From Camden to Bradbury, Baxter to Lake St. George, Three Rocks to Rangeley, the list goes on and on.  We’ve played Baseball, Basketball, Lacrosse, Soccer and Tennis at home and at nine different neighboring camps.   The sounds coming out of Rockport  – our music studio – are nothing short of amazing.  Rehearsals are in full swing for Beauty and The Beast.  Sports Night teams are in friendly competition twice a week… and Swimmers, Climbers, Runners and Bikers are competing home and away.

Down at the Waterski Docks, our four new Mastercrafts are going from dusk till ‘dawn, pulling skiers, boarders, tubers and surfers all over Echo Lake.

7.11This afternoon, our Senior Bec and Bago campers (8th graders) leave for their annual White Water Rafting trip on the mighty Kennebec River — an annual summer highlight.

Thursday night is Carnival… and we’re psyched for Bouncy Rides, Photo Booth, Smack the Rat, Casino Tables, Fried Dough and more.  We’ll also welcome the folks from Dunk Your Kicks for a charity event.  It’ll be a great night of fun and some great community service as well.

It’s been a great week so far at camp, and the action keeps on going!

Rain: No Problem!

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Ideally, every day at camp is sunny and warm. Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t always prescribe to human ideals and, although not often, occasionally the skies are a bit more gray than blue and the weather a bit more wet than dry. Although such conditions are “ideal” they certainly don’t bring the fun and activities to a halt. Quite the contrary, those rare thunderstorms are an opportunity at camp to allow campers to enjoy special activities that are reserved for such days rather than a regular part of the daily camp program.

All of America’s Finest Summer Camp campuses have plenty of multi-purpose indoor space that can accommodate small as well as large groups of campers. Despite the gray skies, the mood is decidedly sunny indoors as campers take advantage of the extra time they have to catch up with bunk/cabin mates. Rain also slows the pace and gives campers time to reflect on their time at camp thus far. Many also use the time to write the letters home or catch up on reading.

It may be a stretch to claim that the weather outside is perfect every single day at camp, but regardless of the weather, the mood is always sunny.

Visiting Day is Almost Here!

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At America’s Finest Summer Camps, a very important day is on the horizon: Visiting Day. On camp visiting days, summer camp campuses are inundated by eager parents bearing gifts and snacks for their campers. They then spend the day with their children, catching up on the summer and exploring the camp. The guest blog this week is dedicated to Visiting Day and was posted to the Camp Starlight blog on July 13, 2014.

For non-camp families, shopping day countdowns are usually confined to the winter holidays. For camp parents, however, there is another countdown that happens every year around mid-summer called the Visiting Day countdown. The first or second week in July, just as in winter, special greetings start arriving in the mailboxes of parents with children who are away at camp. Unlike holiday greetings adorned with images of dreidels and menorahs, these mid-summer greetings are written on camp stationary. They include requests—often very long lists—of items without which campers can’t possibly get through the rest of the summer—like more rubber bands for rainbow looms, stickers, magazines, cupcakes, candy, cookies, pizza…even sushi. If campers can dream it, they often include it on their “official” Visiting Day lists, which are sometimes signed something like this: XOXOXOXOXO (and maybe a heart or two drawn off to the side).

For any Camp Starlight parents who have lost track of time (or just haven’t checked their mail in a few days), there are merely five more days left to traverse your city, criss-crossing back and forth in order to hit all of your camper’s favorite places as you check off the list and then strategically plan how you will fit it all in the car and still have room for yourselves. Of course, campers are very grateful for their parents’ efforts and eager to see them as well. As one camper recently put it, ‘Visiting Day is the best day of camp because you get to eat all of your favorite foods AND see your parents AND there are still four more weeks of camp.’

I Never Thought I would…

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A recent blog shared some of the most popular counselor ‘I never thought I would…’ thoughts. Counselors aren’t the only ones from whom this phrase is commonly heard as the introduction of wonder throughout the summer. It’s heard just as often from campers. Here are some of the most popular perspectives of camper exclamations that begin with, ‘I never thought I would…’

Learn to play the guitar

I’ve never played an instrument before in my life! But my camp’s guitar instructor is amazing. He really loves music and he knows how to teach us chords in a way that is really easy to remember. Sometimes I wish I could spend all day at guitar. But then I think of all of the other stuff that I would miss. Instead, I asked my parents if I can take guitar lessons when I get home in the last letter I wrote to them.

FINALLY get my back handspring!

I’ve been working on my back handspring at camp since last summer. This year, I finally got it! I started a couple of summers ago on the tumbling track with my bunk/cabin counselor, who was also a Gymnastics specialist. She knew one of my goals was to learn how to do a back handspring, so she worked with me on the tumbling track, which is a really long trampoline. By the end of the summer, I could do a back handspring pretty well on the tumbling track, but I couldn’t do one on the floor without being spotted. I don’t take gymnastics during the winter, so this summer, when our camp’s gymnastics coach asked me if I was ready to learn how to do a back handspring on the floor, I was nervous. We did a couple on the tumbling track, then he/she spotted me while I did them on a mat. By the end of my next gymnastics activity period, I was doing back handsprings on the floor—by MYSELF! The best part of all is the camp photographer got a picture of it. I can’t wait until my mom sees it!

Become friends with my bunk/cabin mates so quickly

This is my first summer at camp, and I was SO nervous because I didn’t know anyone. I met my new bunk/cabin mates as soon as I got off the bus. It felt like we already knew each other. We’re already BFFs. We do EVERYTHING together! Our counselors taught us how to make friendship bracelets. Then we all made one and traded them with each other.

Swim in a lake

Before coming to camp, I’d only swam in pools. I was super nervous about swimming in the lake, especially since we had to take a swim test in it. I was so scared to jump in the first time. Then my friends and counselors convinced me to get in. The lake at camp is really just like a giant swimming pool. It was especially fun to jump off the water trampoline while holding hands with my camp friends for the first time after passing my swim test.

Make my own pasta

I love spaghetti. When I found out we were making our own pasta in Cooking, I was SO excited! We had to roll the dough a lot, but it was so much fun to see how pasta is made. Fresh pasta is so much better than the pasta you get in a box. I’m going to ask my parents if I can make homemade pasta when I get home after camp.

Be in a show

I’ve always wanted to be in one of my school plays, but have never tried out because I didn’t know if I could get up in front of lots of people. After being in my camp show this summer, I’m totally going to try out for one of the school plays next year. Being in the camp show was so much fun! It was a lot of work. We had to practice a lot. But my counselors worked with me every day to help me memorize my lines. When it was finally time to perform my part in front of the whole camp, I was ready and so excited to get on stage and show everyone what I could do that I didn’t even think about being nervous!

Score a soccer goal

I’ve been trying and trying and trying to score a soccer goal ever since I made my club team at home. This year, I told my soccer instructors at campthat I wanted to be able to tell my club coach that I’d scored a goal when the fall season starts. They gave me lots of tips during our instructional periods. I got to play forward on my division’s team, and I scored the first goal of my first intercamp game!

Act so crazy on purpose

At school, I’m really conscious about how excited I get about things. I’m always wondering what my classmates will think. Camp is completely different! At camp, it’s so easy to just go crazy because all of my camp friends do too. I love being able to be myself without wondering what all of my friends are thinking.

Sports, Activities and Trips Galore…

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Sports and adventures are an integral part of the camp experience. That’s why we selected this feature from the Camp Laurel blog for the guest blog this week.

IMG_1139Our overnight camping program is one of the best parts about going to camp in Maine.  Yesterday, four groups of campers headed out for camping excursions to Three Rocks, Bradbury, Mt Blue and Camden Hills State Parks.  They had a great time hiking, camping out, telling stories and preparing their own food over an open fire.

On the courts and ballfields, more than 100 campers have already participated in Intercamps and Tournaments in Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, and Softball at Laurel and also visiting our neighbors in the Central Maine Camps League. Morning Marathon continues to be a great source of exercise, fun and a great place for those who arise before the rest of camp.  Watching campers – young and old – jog around our sports fields before breakfast is always a highlight. IMG_1214 On the more creative side of camp, the dishes that have been created in ChefCamp…the music that’s being recorded and produced in Rockport…the drawings that are being sketched and painted in Studio Art….the designs that are being molded in Metalsmithing… and the clay that’s being thrown, heated and glazed Ceramics have all been amazing.

Tomorrow is our first Out Of Camp S Day.  We take a break from our daily schedule and groups will head to Funtown USA; Aquaboggan; Boothbay Harbor;  and the Old Port of Portland for a day of fun and sightseeing along the beautiful Maine coast.

I Never Thought I Would…

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It’s interesting how many times throughout the summer counselors are overheard beginning a sentence with the phrase ‘I never thought I would…’ Working at sleepaway camp is truly a collection of ‘I never thought I would…’ moments. All too often, those are also the remarks that speak for camp itself, because they’re epiphanies from the staff members themselves. Although the “I never thought I would…’ comments are as varied as the counselors, there are a few that consistently come up. From the mouths of the staff members themselves, ‘I never thought I would…’

Make so many new friends

Sure, I came to camp expecting to meet a few new people. But I’ve made dozens of friends this summer from all over the world. I feel closer to some of them than I do to people I’ve known for years. I never imagined that I could grow so close to someone in just a few weeks. I’ve wanted to travel abroad for years, but have been scared of going places where I didn’t know the language or the people. Now I can’t wait to go knowing that my new camp friends are going to be there waiting for me!

Be so enthusiastic about little things

One of the most awesome things about working at summer camp is that even the smallest of details are a big deal. The campers get excited and I can’thelp but feel it too. Going to our favorite activity during the day; getting ready for an evening activity; walking into a meal and seeing that it’s my favorite; telling silly knock-knock jokes in our cabin at night; and, in particular, those moments when I really connect with my campers.

Like working so hard

Camp is hard work! I start early in the morning and end late at night. It’s TOTALLY worth it though! I’ve never had so much fun in my life. Sometimes I forget that this is a job and I’m getting paid. So much happens in one day of camp. At night, I lay in bed and try to remember everything that happened during the day just because I don’t want to forget.  I’ve started keeping a journal of my days at camp. This winter, when it’s cold outside and I’m missing camp, I’m going to read it. I’m so glad I decided to work at camp instead of accept an internship. This is SO much better than an office! Now I know I want to spend the rest of my life working with kids.

Talk a camper through something difficult

There are a lot of activities at camp and some of them require courage—especially if you’re a kid. I can’t imagine having the guts to maneuver a ropes course thirty feet in the air when I was ten. I really admire so many of my campers for trying brave and adventurous activities. The best part is being able to give the ones who are a little scared that extra push that they need to take on the adventure. There is nothing more gratifying than a smile and a high-five from a camper who just did something they thought they never could and knowing that I helped them do it.

Live so much in the moment

At camp, it’s simultaneously easy and impossible to forget about how short my time here really is.Every day just flies by, which is also reminder that the end of camp is one day closer. I find myself really wishing that I could slow down time, and I’ve started making an extra effort every day to savor each and every moment of camp. Doing so has made me very conscious of how much time I spend in my everyday life planning and thinking ahead. It’s really nice to keep things in the now. I hope to apply my new focus on living in the moment when I return home at the end of the summer, and stop spending so much time thinking about tomorrow.

Become so attached to my campers

I never imagined that I could become so close to a group of kids. I came to camp to be their leader. But it’s so much more than that. It’s impossible not to be attached after spending so much time with them at activities, at meals, in the cabin and getting to know them one-on-one. It’s blows my mind to think that I’ve become so attuned to their individual personalities in such a short amount of time. The summer isn’t even over, and I already know that I’m going to miss them.

Awesome Opening Days for America’s Finest Summer Camps

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The campers have arrived and summer is in full swing at all of America’s Finest Summer Camps. So, naturally, what other guest blog could we feature this week but a report about those magical moments that the campers arrived as reported by the camps themselves?

An Amazing Arrival Day at Camp Laurel

We had an amazing Arrival Day!! It’s Opening Campfire tonight as we all join together on Echo Lake. Tomorrow is Group Day and the first afternoon of program! Laurel 2014 is here!

It’s a Beautiful Day in the State of Maine!

Oh, what a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!!  It was another amazing Arrival Day.  The weather was gorgeous, camp looked great, and by the end of the day, the entire Laurel South family was reunited! Old friendships were rekindled, and new ones were forged.  All around camp you could see and hear how excited everyone was to be back at their summer home. We all gathered for our traditional, first night cookout dinner followed by exciting Evening Programs.  At the end of the day, each cabin wound down, bonding with their cabin mates and counselors.

Today is Moose Stomp Day.  Each cabin will have the chance to Bumper Tube,

And in Pennsylvania…

Camp Starlight Opening Day Re-Cap

Summer 2014 has officially begun at Camp Starlight! On Sunday, the buses rolled into Camp Starlight and our campers were greeted by their counselors waving bunk signs. Everyone was definitely feeling “on top of the world.” Campers ran off the buses and reunited with their camp friends from across the country, some of whom they haven’t seen in 10 months.  Throughout the afternoon, new campers were busy touring camp and meeting their bunk mates. In the evening, the entire camp assembled for the Opening Night Show and anxiously anticipated those words for which we wait all winter, “Ladies and gentlemen and children of ALL ages…” The show began with David and Allison leading the staff in a song battle and the Starlight flag passing through the audience.  From singing groups to the first ever Starlight ballet, it was clear that this was going to be a summer full of energy and fun.  WE can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
A Great Opening Day at Camp Weequahic

What a great first day! Follow our Facebook page and Instagram account for more updates and photos of your campers! #CW2014

Why Summer Camp is More Important Now than Ever

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As the digital age in which we live seems to be accelerating, it’s easy to dismiss traditions that are not technology focused, such as summer camp. There is an argument to be made, however, for why summer camp is more important than ever for that very reason. There is a lot to be said for effort. While technology has done much to simplify our lives and make life more efficient than ever, it requires less and less effort from users. Increasingly, people are shying away from tasks that can’t be accomplished within a few keystrokes. Effort, however, not only requires certain qualities, it facilitates them as well. Effort requires energy. Energy, by definition, is the mental or physical strength that allows individuals to accomplish goals. Without physical or mental strength, energy cannot begenerated. Without energy, there cannot be effort. Without effort, goals cannot be achieved. There are several very strong keywords to success linked together in those few sentences: effort, energy, strength, goals, accomplishment. At the very least, there is an implied relationship in the linking of these words. In such a sense, using technology to “accomplish” goals is merely a façade. In essence, users are not “accomplishing” anything. They’re merely led through a series of tasks to something that has already been completed for them in order to make their lives easier.

In “unplugging,” summer camp essentially provides campers with the opportunity to control the outcome of their summer by requiring legitimate effort to accomplish goals. Perfecting a tennis serve cannot be done with a few clicks of a mouse. Pressing the “Return” key won’t finish a ceramics project. Communicating with friends is more than logging into an Instagram account. Campers must engage in their camp environment.

When given a challenge at summer camp, they can’t simply skip to the head of the class by typing a search into Google. They must apply their knowledge to come up with a solution. When solving a problem involves more than one camper, they must communicate in order to ultimately come to a consensus about which solution is the best and why. In short, they must apply themselves. Application of oneself not only requires, effort, energy, and strength, it generates them. Campers see firsthand the rewards of hard work. They not only learn how to legitimately achieve goals but to set them as well. They gain a better understanding of the reality of achievement. It requires work, a sharp mind, and the ability to communicate—lifelong skills that form the foundation for success.

Beyond the mental agility that children gain from summer camp, there is the literal aspect of activity. Children move around at camp…all day. It’s very easy in a technology laden world, where so many aspects of daily life have become virtual, to be complacent. The human body naturally preserves energy whenever possible. Summer camp showcases the payoff of physical effort on a daily basis by producing tangible results of campers’ efforts through sports instruction and competition as well as hobby programs. Camper self-confidence grows as the products of effort are realized.

Summer camp is not merely a break from technology for campers. It’s a reminder that life is best realized outside of technology.