Tag: American camps

Because of Camp…

AFSC would like to thank Dagni Christian of Camp Laurel for the following blog… We could talk about the benefits of camp from now ’till the end of the summer. But this month we’ll let the American Camp Association (ACA) do it for us. Recently the ACA – an organization that educates leaders, ensures camp… Leggi altro »

“Sunwise” at Camp

One of the biggest challenges of summer camp is also one of its greatest aspects, spending lots of time in the sunny outdoors.  Indeed, time in the sun is an important aspect of maintaining good health.  The sun is a source of vitamin D, which has been linked to happiness.  However, over-exposure to the sun’s… Leggi altro »

位国际露营者的经验

在先前的博客中,我们讲述了如何判断您的孩子是否已经可以参加露营,并且指出了这取决于您孩子的特点和他的成熟度。一位母亲Christine说:“每个孩子都不同…每位母亲也不同…因此我认为我真的无法提供适用于所有情况的建议…”但是,Christine的12岁大的儿子已经可以参加露营——去年夏天他参加了瑞士的Camp Weequahic夏令营,在刚抵达时他并不认识那里的其他任何一位露营者! Nicolas大多数时间在一家国际学校学习,并曾在瑞士学习英语,因此他拥有良好的沟通技巧,并且对于适应新文化并不感到担心。他先前还曾去过美国,在去年转到瑞士的学校之后,他的母亲希望他继续掌握流利的英语、亲身了解美国文化以及结交美国朋友。Christine说,很多美国露营地都在瑞士推广他们的计划,但是她没有关注这些,因为她“不希望Nicolas去美国后只是与其他法国小孩见面!!!” Christine决定在网上寻找“真正的美国露营地”,并且花费了大量时间进行研究和对比。促使她作出最终决定的是Camp Weequahic网站及其视频剪辑,她被该露营地的浓厚家庭氛围所吸引。最终,她把儿子送去一个很远的地方,让他尝试不同的事情和积累新体验!由于Nicolas来自欧洲,因此三周的露营时间刚好合适——两周似乎太短,而四周对于首次跨越大西洋参加露营的小孩而言又似乎太长。 Nicolas与她的母亲一起前往了该营地,后来,在Weequahic的员工将他送至纽瓦克机场的飞机上之后,Nicolas独自返回了欧洲。Christine的两位侄女也都拥有愉快的美国露营体验,但是Christine认为,如果Nicolas独自去参加露营,他可以更加轻松地结交朋友和了解美国小孩——并且所有母亲都知道每个小孩都各不相同!Nicolas完全同意独自去参加露营,因为他对于美国文化有一些了解,并且会说英语,这给了他很多帮助。 在日内瓦,Nicolas与来自全球的学生建立了友谊,并且他也很好地培养了他母亲希望他具备的全球意识,但是美国之旅也增添了一种全新的跨文化意识。例如,露营地使Nicolas有时间与同龄美国人建立更深厚的关系,并拓展他的有关棒球比赛和传统的知识。他还体验了游客可能会错过的文化内容。Nicolas非常喜欢Camp Weequahic,以至于他还想再次参加,如今他正梦想着以培训顾问的身份返回营地。他的弟弟也迷上了露营,并且也希望参加露营! 不管露营者到多远的地方去露营,这段冒险经历会在很多方面拓展他们,并且为他们的个人发展带来显著帮助。露营者可以获得不同的旅行和个人之旅体验——在Nicolas的例子中,露营还使他的美式英语变得更加流利! 谢谢Christine和Nicolas分享他们的故事!

Une Expérience Internationale du Camping

Dans un précédent blog, nous avons évoqué la façon d’évaluer si votre enfant est prêt à faire du camping. Nous avons indiqué que tout dépend de l’enfant et de sa maturité. Une maman, Christine, l’explique de cette façon : « chaque enfant est différent… chaque maman est différente… Je ne peux donc pas vraiment donner de conseil… Leggi altro »

Radio Reminiscing

The other day as I was listening to the radio while driving down the road, in the blink of an eye, I was back in the Dining Room of Camp Starlight, surrounded by the voices, noises, and even the smells. I love it when those moments happen. Something as simple as one song can transform your… Leggi altro »

Put on Your Bathing Suits, Goggles, and Sunblock–It’s Time to Swim!

Almost every camper will name his or her waterfront area as one of the best parts of camp.  Many camps are built on lakes and their waterfronts play a crucial role during the summer, not only as a place for swimming but as a gathering place and the perfect backdrop for outdoor evening activities.  Learning… Leggi altro »

The History of Camp

In today’s hyper-fast, multi-tasking world, one of the great attractions of camp is tradition. Each camp passes down its own stories and lore. Campers appreciate that they’re enjoying some of the same activities, in the same way, as campers before them have done for generations. But few people realize just how much history the camp… Leggi altro »

Sparking Creativity through Campfire

One of the most endearing and sacred parts of summer camp is the campfire.  More than just wood lit with a match, it’s an intimate part of the camping experience that goes far beyond simply sitting around a fire.  Each camp has a set of traditions uniquely connected to the campfire experience and, to campers,… Leggi altro »

Giving Back: The Spirit of Camp Community

American author Mitch Albom has noted, “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”  Community is a big part of camping and is a core… Leggi altro »

Childhood Obesity Part II: Balancing Nutrition and a Healthy Lifestyle

In the first part of this blog series, we discussed the benefits of physical activity at camp.  There are underlying advantages to this that directly relate to nutritional habits.  Research shows that that the more time children spend doing passive activities such as watching television, sitting at a computer, or playing video games, the more… Leggi altro »