Tag: benefits of summer camp

Seven Summers

Most children step off the bus and get their first glance of summer camp as eager, excited, and slightly nervous seven or eight year olds. It’s their first time away from home and they’re not quite sure what to expect. Few register those first moments as the first of a seven year adventure. It’s just… Leggi altro »

Watching Campers Grow

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »

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… Leggi altro »