Tag: benefits of summer camp

Learning to Be Resilient at Summer Camp

The guest blog this week was originally posted to the Camp Starlight blog on April 17, 2013. Resilience is the ability to adapt quickly to change or bounce back from setbacks.  In addition to the many benefits available to a child who attends summer camp, one that proves invaluable for many years afterward is gaining… Read more »

The Efficacy of Downtime at Summer Camp

A joke telling session in the bunk during a rainy morning, lying in the bunk during rest hour, or sitting by the waterfront and talking with friends as the sun goes down are what we call downtime at summer camp.  Children need downtime to process learning experiences and recharge their creative juices, notes parenting expert… Read more »

Going to Camp with Your Siblings

They may fight like cats and dogs at home, but attending camp together is special for siblings.  Parents may be surprised to learn that at camp, they don’t accuse each of being the one to lose the television remote.  Instead, they wave and smile when they pass each other on campus.  They don’t fight about… Read more »

Everthing I Need to Know in Life…

Robert Fulghum wrote a great poem entitled “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.”  Since so many campers and staff members often speak of all of the valuable things they learn at camp, we thought we’d do a tribute to Fulghum’s original poem, as well as to all present and former campers and… Read more »

Learning to Lose at Camp

Whether it’s a school spelling bee or a soccer game, as parents we want to see our children win not just to experience the joy of seeing them excel but because we know that they want to win.  Being raised in a competitive culture naturally makes us all want to be number one.  Children equate… Read more »

Building Courage at Camp

For many camps, it’s reunion time, that midway point between summers when campers and staff get together to reminisce and plan.  This week’s guest post comes from Camp Weequahic and highlights the reunion experience: We were thrilled to recently host a Weequahic Northeast Reunion. Seeing our campers and their families during the year is certainly… Read more »

Making Decisions at Camp

If your child regularly spends a half hour in the cereal aisle of the supermarket choosing his breakfast cereal or takes the better part of a day debating whether he wants to go to the movies or have a play date with a friend, there is a somewhat underrated and under appreciated aspect of sending… Read more »

Play

We recently listened to a man who has spent many, many years studying the effects of play on humans. While it sounds a lot like our job as camp directors, he’s got the Ph.D. so we thought to give him our attention. We are glad we did. Dr. Stuart Brown said several fascinating things about… Read more »

And Now for a Holiday Olympic “Break”…

Happy 2013!  It’s a officially a new year and the summer of 2013 is creeping closer.  To get through a cold January, we’ve chosen a guest blog this week from Hayley at Camp Starlight about which she reflects on one of hottest events the Starlight summer: Olympics. 1, 3, 5, 6! WE WANT OLYMPICS! It… Read more »

Ask Me More about Camp

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar… Your child comes to you and says, for what seems like the billionth time, “Ask me more about camp.” It’s now December and you’ve heard some of the stories so many times that you can actually recite them along with her.  You wonder what odd but amusing little… Read more »