Where in the World are America’s Finest Summer Camps? Part I

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Have you ever wondered where, exactly, are American summer camps?  What are the towns like?  Is there anything worth a look besides the camp?  The answer is YES!  America’s Finest Summer Camps are located in some of the most beautiful and historical areas of the U.S. and the surrounding regions are often overflowing with plenty of worthwhile things to do and see.  The following blog is courtesy of Camps Laurel and Laurel South and provides a glimpse into Mount Vernon and Casco, the homes of the Laurel camps.

“If you know Camp Laurel or Laurel South, you’re familiar with Mount Vernon or Casco. You might think of them as way stations on your way to or from camp – but they’re much more than that.

Elizabeth Arden health spa hereMount Vernon is a gem in the Kennebec River valley. The tiny beach next to the community center; the former church with Victorian stick-work; the 200-year-old gristmill; the brick general store selling everything you could possibly think of (from bait to pesto) – all make it worth more than drive-through on the way somewhere else.

Filled with artists, writers, educators, farmers and retirees, it’s got a quirky, eclectic but very real community feel. It’s also got plenty of history. Elizabeth Arden built a health spa here. Her guests included Eleanor Roosevelt, Judy Garland and Ava Gardner.

Olde Post Office CaféMount Vernon has a “hippie sensibility” – really a spirit of independence and self-reliance – that dates back to the 1700s, Downeast Magazine has written. With only 1,500 residents – along with moose, deer and bald eagles — the town packs a lot into its hilltop meadows, wooded valleys, ponds and lakes.

If you have time for only one thing in Mount Vernon, head to the Olde Post Office Café. It’s the unofficial town center for breakfast or lunch. You won’t regret it.

Casco, in the Sebago Lakes Region, also dates its founding to the 1700s. It too was a mill town. In the 1840s, steamboats on Sebago Lake and the canals carried tourists and freight. The lake – since 1938, part of a state park – helps shape the town’s character, and provides plenty of recreational opportunities.

Sebago Lake, Casco, ME

Point Sebago Resort offers many of the amenities of Laurel South (for those who are not of camp age), while the town itself – about the same size as Mount Vernon – has a variety of good restaurants. One of our favorite stops is Webbs Mills Variety just down the road from camp. It’s meatloaf sandwich is a favorite. And how about Crescent Lake? It is truly one of southern Maine’s most beautiful. There’s really nothing like it.

Blacksmiths WineryYou also can’t leave Casco without a quick stop at Blacksmiths Winery for a sip on the famous Porch or in the Tasting Room.

Casco’s not far from Portland – providing a nice counterpart to city and ocean tourism for anyone heading back and forth from Laurel South.

So, join us at camp this summer for a visit…and get a taste of the local color in Mt Vernon or Casco.”

In Part II, we’ll take a look at some of the unique and special areas of the Catskills and Poconos, the beautiful mountain areas of Northeast Pennsylvania and New York state that surround Camps Starlight and Weequahic.

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“Sports Camp” Isn’t Just a One Sport Term

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It’s no secret that summer camps offer campers the opportunity to sample many different sports, but what may not be evident is why this may be preferable to sending children to a camp at which the focus is exclusively on one sport.  Dr. Jared Wood, a sports psychologist, believes children should be encouraged to try many different sports in order to find their favorites.  He warns that focusing on one sport too early in youth often “unnecessarily limits a child’s interest and skill development.”

Many child development experts recommend that children be given the opportunity to try out a sport before committing to it because it’s important for them to develop their self esteem prior to joining a team and engaging in intense training.  When children enter a sport with confidence, they’re more likely feel that they can do well and, therefore, strive to do well.  Many summer camp sports programs subscribe to this recommended combination of skill instruction and giving children the opportunity to use those new skills on the field or court.  Summer camps also emphasize skill development over winning or losing.  Campers learn sports skills in a supportive atmosphere and are taught by specialists who are proficient in their respective sports  Many summer camp sports programs are headed by college or high school coaches who lead counselors who played at the high school and college level.  This type of approach permits campers to try out various positions and get comfortable with the rules and general flow of a sport without feeling pressured to do well by overly zealous parents and coaches.

Another benefit of summer camp sports programs is that they offer a healthy mix of team and individual sports.  Child experts point out that some children prefer and perform at their best as part of a team while others are happier and better off playing individual sports.  By being able to simultaneously sample tennis and lacrosse, for instance, campers can get a feel for which one leaves them feeling the most motivated to further develop their skills while still being able to have a healthy appreciation for the other.

The variety offered at summer camp also gives campers the opportunity to try sports to which they may never have been exposed or would not otherwise have the opportunity to try.  Many a camper has tried a sport for the first time at summer camp and then gone on to play on a travel team, high school team, or even a college team.  Sports psychologist and author, Richard Ginsburg, Ph.D., suggests that children should be at least “12 or 13” before being encouraged to commit to one sport.  Dr.  Wood agrees, “It’s pretty clear that early specialization is much more likely to lead to burnout than it is to a scholarship or Olympic medal.”

So when you’re determining which type of summer camp is right for your child.  Consider the benefit of a summer camp that offers a diverse array of sports that will permit your child to sample a variety of choices.

Reflections of a Senior Camper

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For parents, deciding when, or even if, to send your children to summer camp–whether it’s for a few weeks or seven–is a big decision.  They’re young.  You wonder if they’ll remember to brush their teeth or make their beds.  You want to know that they’re going to make friends and have fun every moment of everyday.  Sometimes the best people to speak in favor of summer camp are campers themselves.  The following is a blog from a senior camper at one of America’s Finest Summer Camps:

“Hello, my name is Kyle S and I’m currently sitting with my friends Carly and Sylvie and we have decided to render on the past times of Camp Starlight.  Throughout the past seven summers here, the meaning of camp has transformed tremendously.

Arriving on this beautiful campus seven summers ago, I came as a stranger, not knowing what to expect.  Would I make friends?  Could I last seven weeks away from my parents?  Will I be able to play sports several hours of the day?  Questions similar to these flooded my eight year old mind but within that same summer I had made my best friends and now, in 2011 those girls have transitioned into my sisters.

As an Upper Senior I can laugh at the questions plaguing my young junior mind.  My friends are my sisters, seven weeks isn’t enough time away from my parents and I wish there were more hours in the day to do the things I enjoy so much!  Camp has easily been the best thing I have ever experienced and I am so thankful for my time spent here.”

Well said, Kyle!

S’ouvrir au Monde

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En tant que parents, on nous incite souvent à préparer nos enfants à un monde nouveau et « global ». Alors que certains expliquent que les fondements des interactions mondiales trouvent leurs origines dans les siècles passés, les technologies électroniques et de transport actuelles rendent les individus à travers le monde encore plus reliés et interdépendants. Ainsi, comment préparer nos enfants et leur transmettre l’expérience nécessaire afin qu’ils s’ouvrent au monde ?

Tout naturellement, les voyages sont une manière évidente d’aider nos enfants à augmenter leur capital culturel ; les colonies de vacances peuvent également les aider à stimuler leur pensée globale et leurs qualités de manière spécifique. La colonie de vacances est un endroit où les enfants de par le monde, et de différentes régions des Etats-Unis, se lient les uns aux autres, établissent des amitiés durables, essayent de nouvelles choses et pratiquent la vie en communauté. À AFSC, par exemple, alors que seuls quelques jeunes proviennent de l’étranger, ils apportent beaucoup à la vie en groupe et à la communauté dans son ensemble. Chacun tire parti d’un mélange varié d’enfants au sein de la collectivité. Les enfants peuvent pratiquer une autre langue, ils s’enrichiront certainement des différentes coutumes grâce aux interactions quotidiennes et auront le temps de bien s’en imprégner. Plus important encore, ils apprendront comment échanger respectueusement avec des personnes aux opinions divergentes, dont la vision des choses n’est pas tout à fait la même de la leur.

Dans son livre, Growing Up Global : Raising Children to Be At Home in the World, Homa Sabet Tavangar indique que la première étape en vue de développer des perspectives globales exige « d’adopter la mentalité pour se faire un ami et pour devenir un bon ami ». Se faire des amis est synonyme de qualités universelles comme la compassion et le respect, et établir des amitiés durables au camp est une partie non-négligeable de toute cette expérience. Nos conseillers et notre personnel sont formés et prêts à aider les jeunes à évoluer en ce sens, à déployer de nouveaux talents si nécessaire et sont de véritables modèles soucieux de leurs prochains. Tavangar explique que différentes versions de la Règle d’or, ou le « Ne fais pas à autrui ce que tu n’aimerais pas que l’on te fasse » imprègnent toutes les cultures et traditions de foi, et s’en inspire très largement dans son livre. Quand les enfants épousent les valeurs universelles consistant à s’occuper les uns des autres, ils ont recours à l’humilité, à la curiosité et à la compassion dont découlent alors de vraies amitiés – et c’est ce qui fait un citoyen du monde.

Ainsi, où que nous allions dans le monde, c’est l’expérience qui consiste à décomposer les éléments de cultures diverses et à voir ce qui les rend semblables ou distincts, qui nous prépare à l’interaction avec l’autre. Pour les enfants, une petite étape vers l’acceptation de nouvelles cultures peut être de surmonter la crainte de nouveaux aliments ou de se trouver loin du foyer, au camp, là où les choses sont « différentes » – après tout, chaque camp et ce, chaque année, possède un caractère ou une culture qui lui est propre. Par exemple, de nombreux jeunes s’unissent pour surmonter la crainte que représentent de nouveaux aliments et c’est ce genre d’expérience qui prépare les enfants au futur.

S’ouvrir au monde n’est pas uniquement synonyme de bizness dans l’économie mondiale. Il s’agit de désirer échanger avec le père kenyan qui entraîne une équipe de football locale, avec un voisin turc dont le style vestimentaire dénote ou avec un Américain qui s’attend à ce que son électricité fonctionne correctement ! En d’autres termes, il s’agit d’être curieux des différences plutôt que d’en avoir peur, de donner de la valeur aux amitiés que nous lions avec les personnes, aussi différentes soient-elles, que nous sommes amenés à rencontrer. Les psychologues associent l’amitié à la santé d’un individu et par là même, à sa capacité à survivre – les amitiés sont donc primordiales pour se sentir aussi bien à l’aise dans notre peau que sur notre planète.

Nos expériences des colonies de vacances sont une composante clé à la sensibilisation des enfants sur le sujet. Les amitiés et l’expérience acquises au camp perdureront ; en effet, les jeunes continuent d’élargir leurs horizons, échangent avec leurs amis dans le temps et l’espace et découvrent leurs passions.

A Special Place for Girls and Boys

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For older campers, one of the most profound and lasting advantages of camp is the opportunity they have to focus on being boys and girls.  Many summer camps also strengthen the safety of the camp setting by offering exclusive programs that help teenage campers gain a better understanding about how to best grasp the transition from being girls to being women and from being boys to being men.  Such programs provide non threatening forums for teenage girls and boys to address sensitive issues and topics as well as help them prepare for their later teen years as they near college and adulthood.  These programs also have their own rites and traditions that serve as progress points for individuals as well as groups and as the basis for the point at which camp friends become a lifelong support network.

Many camps, even co-ed ones, also operate separate programs for boys and girls regardless of age.  They have their respective sides of camp, their respective program areas, and their respective activities.  However, they come together for meals and many evening camp activities.  Many believe this approach is a bit part of why children are afraid to relax and even be silly while at camp.  Being with children of the same gender frees them of stereotypes that may be placed on them elsewhere.  Spending exclusive time with other girls or boys creates a non threatening environment, particularly for adolescents and early teens already going through awkward changes as they begin to maneuver the sometimes tumultuous teen years.  Girls can get down and dirty in an intense game of flag football and boys don’t feel the need to look over their shoulders while bouncing around in the camp’s gymnastics area or putting together some choreographed moves in the dance studio because it’s all just a part of camp.

Sing, Sing a Song

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There is something about singing that brings people together.  Perhaps that’s why singing (and music in general) is such an important part of camp.  The silly or sometimes sentimental words of a “camp song” can set a mood, evoke a feeling, and create atmosphere.  Music is a universal language that everyone understands.  Perhaps this is why so many American summer camps open and close their summers with sing-alongs.  Sing-alongs are fantastic ways to say both “we’re together again” and “until next time.”

Ask campers to name some of their most favorite moments of summer camp and, most assuredly, they’ll name more than one that involves singing in some way…that first exciting night of camp, campfires, zany and often spontaneous dining room rituals, fun times with fellow campers and counselors inside the bunk, and saying goodbye at the end of the summer.  More importantly, ask any current or former camper to sing his camp alma mater and he’ll do it as if it’s second nature.  The words of a camp’s alma mater are magical—a way to instantly transport one back to camp and those summers filled with fun and friends.

Many parents say that their children even sing camp songs constantly throughout the winter as a way of remembering their time at camp.  Some of them even admit that they can’t resist the temptation to join in.

Crazy Days and Whacky Nights

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Parents, do you ever log onto your computer to check out the camp photos for the day, see your child painted in blue from head to toe or maybe wearing a crazy wig and big nerdy glasses and wonder, ‘What in the world?’  The answer probably has something to do with your summer camp’s special events and evening activities.  For fifty plus nights (and some days) summer camps entertain your children with some of the zaniest games and wackiest contests that they can come up with.  Why?  Because it’s fun to be painted in blue from head to toe…seriously.  Or at least it is when your bunk/cabin is performing a dance to the Smurfs theme in front of the entire camp and you’re Papa Smurf—or Smurfette.  And seeing images of your children and their counselors slipping, sliding, and splashing around in what appears to be multi-colored goo…it’s a camp thing…a really fun camp thing.  Eye patches are always fun.  So is spending a day pretending to be pirates and searching for buried treasure.   Becoming a secret agent and collecting clues to decode a message or pretending to be wild animals is also a great way to spend that occasional non-program day.  From trivia contests to talent contests and everything in between, some of the greatest moments of summer camp happen during the crazy days and wacky nights!

Growing up Global

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作为父母，我们常常听到人们预测说我们的孩子们需要为一个新的“全球”世界作准备。但是有些人却认为全球互动的根基在多个世纪前就已经准备好了，我们当前所拥有的电子和交通技术让世界各地的人们更加互相联系和依赖。因此，如何才能让我们的孩子们准备就绪并给予他们能够变得全球化的经验？

诚然，旅行是一种帮助孩子们提高他们文化通货的显著办法。但是，去野营也能够以特殊的方式帮助他们培养全球化思维的技能。夏令营是一个让来自世界各地和美国各地的孩子们互相连结的场所。他们可以在这里建立终生友谊，一起尝试新事物和实践生活。以在AFSC夏令营为例，虽然只有少数露营者是来自国外，但却给露营生活和整个社区带来很多东西。每个人都从露营中的不同孩子们身上得到益处。孩子们可以练习一门语言，而且肯定能在日常互动中了解到不同的风俗习惯并有时间对这些进行吸收。 最重要的是，他们将学会如何尊重有着不同观点的人并与他们相处，这些人做事的方式可能会不同。

Homa Sabet Tavangar 在她的书 籍《Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World》中说道，发展一个世界观的第一步就要求能够 “拥有一个去交朋友和与人成为好朋友的心态”。交朋友指的是练习全球性的品质(如，移情和尊重）。在露营中与别人建立长久的友谊是整个体验过程中的重要部分。 我们的辅导员和员工们都经过培训，随时准备帮助露营者们在露营中得到成长，在必要时能开发新技能并关心他人。Tavangar认为，“黄金法则” 或者“你希望别人怎样对待你，那么你也怎样对待别人”的观点渗透了各种文化和信仰传统，这些在她的书中也有详细说明。当孩子们有着互相关心的普世价值观时，他们就会变得谦虚，有礼貌且具有同情心，从而能够交到真正的朋友 – 这也让他成为一名世界公民。

因此，不论我们去到世界的哪个地方，打破不同文化因素及能够看到让各种文化相似或相异的东西才是让我们为能够彼此相联系做好准备。 对于孩子们来说，在与新文化沟通时向前迈一小步，就能够克服尝试新食物或者离开家来到各种事物都“不同”的露营地的恐怖。毕竟，每年的每次露营都具有其特殊的特点或文化。 例如，许多露营者必须忍受并学会去喜欢新食物，而正是这种经验让孩子们能够为未来做好准备。

Growing up global并非只是为了如何准备好在经济世界做生意。它还与如何能够拥有意愿去与训练了 一个本地足球队的肯尼亚父亲，一个有着与众不同的时尚风格的土耳其邻居，或者一个期望永不间断电源的美国人轻松相联系息息相关。最后，它所涉及的是对不同事物具有好奇心而不是恐惧感，并重视与我们遇见的不同人们交朋友。 心理学家认为友谊与一个人的健康息息相关，并最终关系到我们的生存能力。因此，友谊是让人在个自的领域以及在我们的地球上感觉舒适自在的关键。

我们的夏令营经验是培养具有全球意识和自信意识的孩子的关键组成部分。在露营时所学到的东西和交到朋友在露营结束后能长久持续。因为露营者会继续扩展他们的视野，并跨越时间和空间的障碍与朋友们保持联系，从而找到他们的生活热情。

Let’s Go on a Trip!

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With all of the amazing offerings within camp, it’s hard to believe that anyone would want to leave.  But some of the greatest fun children have at summer camp is actually away from camp on one of the many out of camp trips that are arranged throughout the summer.  Some are small, an evening or afternoon, while others are overnight camping or hiking expeditions.  For many campers, the culmination of their camp experience each year is the multi-day trips that take place toward the end of the summer.  Regardless whether it’s one night or many, some of the unforgettable summer camp memories made away from camp include…

Day/Evening Trips
From evenings spent eating hot dogs while cheering on the local pro or semi pro sports team at the ballpark to friendly competition on the bowling lanes, lacing up the skates at a local rink or catching a movie at the cinema, campers enjoy a “night out” a few times during the summer. .  Sometimes instead of nights its days spent relaxing in inner tubes as they float lazily down a river, enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes from riding the water slides at a local waterpark, or braving the roller coasters of an amusement park.  Enjoying some of the most breathtaking scenery in the northeast is always a pleasure on an out of camp hike or nature walk as well.

Overnight Trips
One of the best parts of camp is the overnight camping program….spending a night or two at a campsite in a tent with all of your camp friends!    It’s no secret that campers love to camp!  Tents, campfires, s’mores, hikes, canoes, and a night dedicated exclusively to spending time exclusively with other campers within their own age group are all reasons why overnight camping trips are some of the most eagerly anticipated out of camp trips.

Multi-Day Trips
Campers don’t merely look forward to these trips all summer, they look forward to them from the very first day they step foot into camp as second and third graders.  As campers grow older, the trips get bigger, and each one is a rite of passage that campers anxiously await.  Amusement parks, national parks, and major cities are just some of the places that campers visit on multi-day overnight trips.  Sometimes they travel no further than a few hours from camp.  Older campers venture across the country to places like California or even over international borders into Canada.  Even with such exciting destinations, for many senior campers, it’s the journey with their camp friends and not the place that make multi-day out of camp trips the pinnacle of their camp experiences.
Whether it’s one day or several, some of the most exciting summer camp offerings aren’t in camp at all.  But they’re still very special parts of camp because they’re shared with people who can only be found at camp—camp friends!

A Peek at What’s Happening at AFSC Right Now!

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The start of summer 2011 is at hand and the always amazing staffs of America’s Finest Summer Camps assembled this week at their respective camps, excited to be with old friends as well as new and anxious to begin preparing for the campers.   We thought we’d take a moment to share the success of each staff orientation so far…

Fun is the word over at Camp Laurel in Maine: 

“Staff Orientation is in full swing! All our staff is at camp learning the ins-and-outs of being a camp counselor and having a blast. It’s certainly a talented crew! We’ve had a jam-packed week so far with Leadership Training Sessions, Health and Safety Seminars, Typical Day At Camp, Role Playing, Staff Chaos, Campus Competes, Field Night, CL Drafts, Swim Tests, Driving Tests and so much more. We even brought in Maine’s premier Square Dance Caller, Al Hipkins, for a little Hoe-Down last night. Yeehaw! We still have a lot to do before camper arrival day on Saturday but we can’t wait. Only 5 days till camp!!!”

A hop and a skip away, the Laurel South Staff has been enjoying themselves as well:

“Staff Orientation has been amazing and the weather has been spectacular. With counselors now assigned to cabins, we are focused on learning all about our wonderful campers, learning the Laurel South culture, readying the cabins and program areas and bonding as a cohesive unit. Camp looks great. In fact, the only thing that could make it look better is the faces of 400 campers arriving this Thursday!!! We can’t wait to see you!”

In Pennsylvania, it’s all about friends and family. 

Camp Starlight reports:

“ It goes without saying that some things just happen almost by themselves – the sun comes out, the sky turns blue and the red bunks seem to gleam against the impossibly green grass – but that’s just a small part of summer.  Camp just wouldn’t be the same without the amazing people, both campers and counselors alike, who become our friends and surrogate family for just a few weeks.

Our staff this year comes from 39 states and 13 countries – that’s a lot of air miles clocked up just getting here!  Our staff are some of the best in their field and it is testament to Camp Starlight’s reputation that they want to spend the summer sharing these skills with others.  The passion, the drive and commitment of all our staff is evident and unquestionable”.

And Weequahic summed it all up, saying:

“Wow!  Our staff is really working well together.  They can’t wait to see everyone in a few short days!”

With so much fun, new friendships, and memories already, we can only imagine how awesome it’s going to be when the campers’ arrive in just a couple of short days!