You're Magical

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The five seven- and eight-year olds giggled racing up the path to the archery field. I tried without success to keep up. Out of breath when I arrived, I took a seat beside the archery counselor, the five newest archers arrayed in front of us. 

I had reminded all five girls before heading up to the archery field that they needed to tie their hair back and that they must wear close-toed shoes. They could not participate wearing crocs. 

Yet as the counselor explained the rules she scanned the campers' feet, stopping as she saw Jenna's footwear. 

"You're wearing crocs."

"I don't have sneakers, " Jenna responded, "I guess I'll just have to watch then."

"Are you sure you don't have sneakers?"

A shrug of the shoulders, "I didn't see any."

Jenna's eyes welled up with tears as she sat quietly, her hopes of trying archery for the first time, dashed. 

Hmm, I thought to myself, any parent who sends a daughter to a one-week sleepaway camp with a trunk that a moose could hide in must have sent sneakers. 

"I'll be right back," I told the counselor. 

Arriving in Jenna's cabin, I heaved open her trunk and peered in at myriad zip-loc bags each neatly labeled, "pjs", "shorts", "T-shirts."  Below the clothing bags were an assortment of craft projects and below that extra bottles of sunscreen and bug repellant. Carefully working my way through the layers, I found at the bottom, a pair of brand new, never-been-worn, pink sneakers. I grabbed them and headed back to the archery field where four of the campers were receiving bows and arrows. 

Jenna saw me and a smile lit up her face. 

"You're magical!" she broadcast. 

I smiled in return; that was the best compliment I could receive from a camper. 

Dumpster Diving and Baby Birds

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Walking by the camp office after breakfast, I was enthusiastically greeted with a shout from a petite camper standing by the dumpster, “Kate, come here! We need your help! Our cabin trashcan dropped in. Can you get it?” 

“No problem,” I quickly responded. 

I looked in and there was no trashcan in sight. 

“Are you sure? I don’t see a trashcan.” 

“Oh, I think it was dropped in yesterday. We can’t find it.” 

“Kate, there’s a baby bird on a rock by our cabin, what should we do?” 

And as I walked past the bathroom, “Kate, my toothpaste is too spicy. I can’t brush my teeth.” 

Which was quickly followed by, “Ow! My brush is stuck in my hair. Kate, can you get it out?” 

Each of these minor obstacles, was a refreshing reminder of simple pleasures— clean teeth, caring for other creatures, snarl-free hair, recovering a lost object— all of which each camper managed on her own with only a little guidance. And the trashcan? It was found where it had been left beneath a tree, no dumpster dive required.

Letter Writing Kit: ideal pre-camp project

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Our physical mailboxes have become somewhat archaic, but at summer camp mail time can be an event unto itself.  Assembling a camp writing kit opens up a chance to talk about what your child is feeling about going to overnight camp and as a bonus creates a stepping stone to a successful transition.

Together search for the following:

1. A writing box or writing folder— a shoe box works well, or a colorful folder with pockets. Either can be decorated, which often becomes a project unto itself.


2. Writing paper — if you are channeling Martha Stewart you can make your own, but you may well have plenty of odds and ends of notecards and writing paper already on hand.  Gather them together and let your child select the ones she wants to take.  Help her pre-fold the paper to fit the envelopes. 


3. Stamps — take a trip to the post office and let him pick out the stamp design.  Or go online where you can still buy the Disney Pixar collection.  If she will be writing family and friends outside of the country, remember to buy international stamps.  Now mailing a standard international letter or a postcard from the United States costs $1.15 regardless of destination country.


4. Addresses — who does she want to write from camp? Who does he know that will write back?  You may want to select an aunt or uncle or teacher who is likely to return his correspondence, especially if he will be away for 2 weeks or longer.

I find pre-addressed envelopes invaluable for 7, 8 and 9 year old campers, and pre-printed labels valuable for just about everyone at camp— including the camp director!  If you’re working on your child’s penmanship then she can write out the envelope addresses for herself, but otherwise, print out the addresses on labels or directly on the envelopes.

In any case, have the addresses written out before heading to camp.  When a child has worked carefully on writing a lengthy missive of her morning and then the rest bell rings, she is unlikely to take the time to address the envelope before jumping into her bathing suit and running down to the lake.  So if you are looking forward to receiving her letters in your mailbox rather than when you open her trunk in August, you will benefit by pre-addressing the envelopes.


5. Pencils with erasers and a sharpener — if your child is used to writing in pen then include pens, but often students use pencils exclusively for writing at school.  Including colored pencils gives her the option of decorating her letters as well— sometimes pictures are more expressive than words.  And I haven’t seen a cabin yet with a built-in pencil sharpener.  So if you think he’ll write more than two letters, it’s a good idea to include one.

Carve out some time with your child this weekend, and together assemble a summer camp writing kit.  You may be surprised what gets communicated before the letter writing has even begun.

Top 5 Benefits of Camp

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The snow may be piling up, but the days are lengthening— Think Camp!  Why camp?  Because overnight summer camp provides the foundation for many character elements we want to instill in our children.

Here are my top five benefits of summer camp:

Independence.  When a child needs to take care of the basics from addressing and stamping her own letters home to refilling the cornbread platter or changing out of her bathing suit and even (gasp!) hanging it up to dry, she is shaping her independence.  Independence is a skill that is vital to success throughout life and great preparation for that day in the distant future when she heads off to college.

Self-confidence.  Every day at camp a camper has the opportunity to try myriad pursuits whether holding the tiller of a sailboat for the first time or trying a new dive or leading a camp song by the campfire or feeding a goat.  Trying a new pursuit and working diligently to become proficient are the foundations of how we each build self-confidence.  Summer camp is a playground of new opportunities where every camper can try something new.

Precious present.  In a world of electronics and hustle and bustle we all need time to slow down and be immersed in the precious present.  Summer camp is a place to reconnect with the precious present as you hold a frog gently in your hands and watch it watch you.

Positive role models.  Most summer camps pride themselves on the care their staff bestows upon each and every camper.  Year after year young men and women return to summer camps to make positive connections with their campers.  One may help an eight year old perfect his baseball

swing. Another laughs with her campers heading to morning dip.  A third invites a quiet child to join in a game of spud.  Many sit quietly with campers by the water’s edge to watch the sunset.  We all need mentors and summer camps are filled with positive role models every child should have.  Plus according to this New York Times blog camp counselors can out-parent parents.

Camaraderie. How many times have I heard a former camper reflect nostalgically on camp saying, “I could be myself at camp, no pretenses like at school.”  Campers return summer after summer for the camaraderie they find among friends who accept them for who they are. 

Here are views from a few other folks who know something about camp and kids:

• American Camp Association
• PBS Kids

What are the benefits you see your child receiving at summer camp?

In a word: Relationships

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A word cloud formed from blogs on the value of overnight camp for campers and counselors conveys the essence of camp, and perhaps, of life—relationships. 

Relationships with friends and campers and counselors, and yes with parents too.  

Relationships with counselors who live in the moment and serve as valuable role models for children. 

Relationships among campers who learn and grow to meet their potential, who arrive with trepidation and leave camp with memories and lives changed through the relationships they form each summer.

Relationships between children and parents who give the gift of summer camp knowing a child can gain more self-confidence and responsibility in a few weeks of summer fun than nearly anywhere else in life.

Look into an overnight summer camp experience for your child this year.  

The blogs on which this cloud are based:

• 10 Reasons Why Businesses Should Hire Former Camp Counselors
• 5 Life Lessons Learned from Sleep-Away Camp
• What's Needed to Prepare Your Child for the Future? The Answer May Surprise You...
• Counselors Benefit from Camp Too!

Camp Themed Halloween Costumes

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Sure you see it as just the camp uniform—but to your child’s classmates and neighbors it’s an exceptional Halloween costume and exceptionally easy for you.

Simply add a few elements to your child’s camp uniform for a quick, inexpensive and easy to move around in Halloween costume. Shorts may be chilly for trick or treat in northern climes, so start with jeans, camp shirt, ideally with a logo, and a camp jacket or sweatshirt. Add hiking boots and hiking socks for footwear, put on a headlamp (handy when trick or treating in any case) or wear a camp logo cap and carry something that represents your camper’s favorite activity. Your camper can carry a tennis racquet, wear a hiking back pack, hold a length of rope in a coil if she sails, take along a wood craft if he’s a shop fanatic, put on a life jacket, or make other personalizations.

Perhaps your camper’s costume will interest neighbors in considering summer camp for their children. Regardless, the price is right, just open up the trunk and get out what is needed, dress up and head out.

How do you take advantage of the investment you have made in camp uniforms in the off-season?