Have you ever wondered about communication at summer camp?  This week’s guest blog is from Camp Weequahic concerning letters home.

Before texting and skype, before emails and faxes, there was a tried and true method of communication called ‘letter writing.’ Putting pencil to paper was one of the most effective ways to communicate for a long time. All that is needed is a piece of paper, an envelop, a stamp and a little bit of effort – no electricity required!

At Camp Weequahic, we certainly enjoy the benefits of technology. Our parents see up to 300 pictures a day. We base our fun and rather intricate daily program on an online data system. We keep in touch with our trips with cell phones and walkie talkies. However, when it comes to our campers connecting with parents at home, we are big time traditionalists.

Campers are required to bring a letter to dinner two nights a week. Their letter is their ticket intothe meal and, yes, we do make sure there is something written in the envelope! Of course, the campers can write as much as they’d like.

While it certainly takes longer to arrive home, these letters become treasured pieces of family lore. We have many times witnessed Mom and Dad bringing out their old camp letters to read when meeting our director, Cole. These letters bring out several laughs and helps prepare the next generation.

We at Weequahic are happy to hold on to a great deal of camp tradition. Regardless of where technology is taking us, we writing letters is as important as Color War to the tradition of camp. Happy writing!

This blog was originally posted to the Camp Weequahic blog on July 23, 2013.