Category: About Camp

How Summer Camp Made Me a Better Person
By Zoe Hammond
Posted May 02 2015 – 10:57am
Tagged SUMMER SLEEPAWAY CAMP CAMPERS COUNSELORS

Have you ever had that moment when you realized your childhood was over? Maybe it was when you said “goodbye” to your parents after they dropped you off at college, or when you did your own taxes for the first time, or when you realized that Disney hid slightly scandalous jokes in their movies that you did not pick up on when you were younger. Though I myself have been through all of these little milestones before in my young adult life, my realization that my childhood was over did not fully come until this past month when I decided to make one of the toughest decisions I have ever been faced with. This summer, I will not be going back to my summer camp.

If you did not grow up going to a sleepaway camp then this probably will not resonate with you as much as it will for someone who did. Kids who went to summer camp are fortunate enough to have been exposed to some of the most important experiences that just are not possible to explain to others. For us lucky kids whose parents decided to pawn us off on someone else for a couple of weeks during the summer, we would come back each and every time slightly more tan, with dirt covered clothes and mosquito bite covered legs, having experienced some of life’s most important lessons.

Before I can explain why camps have such a profound impact on any camper who attends, I first need to explain how my camp experience changed me, for the better.

Camp taught me independence. My first few years at my summer camp I was incredibly homesick; the kind of homesick where I would fall asleep in my bunk crying because I missed my mom so badly and would beg my counselors to call her. For the record, I would like to apologize to any counselor I had during my homesick phase, I cried a lot. I cannot tell you what changed in me exactly, but one day I realized that moms do not have the magic power to fix everything; a lot of the time only you have the power to fix your own problems. Camp gave me a chance to get out of my comfort zone and learn how to take care of myself. Ironically, years later I became the camp counselor that had to comfort the homesick kids who begged me to call their parents which caused me to experience something even more important than independence. Camp taught me how to take care of others.

Camp made me tolerant. Living with random people from various walks of life and being able to interact with them in a neutral setting opened my eyes to human nature at its core. At camp, it does not matter who you are or where you came from, all that matters is that you are nice to your fellow campers and counselors and that you share your Oreo’s with everyone. I learned to work as a team member in some of the most difficult situations possible by finding the good in people and making the most out of it. Whether it was teaching campers how to water ski, or playing capture the flag games equivalent to guerrilla warfare, you learn to accept others for what they bring to the table. Camp opened my eyes to what attributes truly matter in people.

Camp gave me an outlet. Growing up is hard; school is stressful, friends let you down, and family issues create problems out of your control. Compared to others, my home life was in no way bad, but we all have our own struggles that have the ability to consume us entirely. I would count down the days until I was able to run from these challenges and escape to camp. At camp I could be the best version of myself as a happy, friendly, creative, determined, cool (people thought I was cool lol) girl; my self-confidence surged during the summer time. Camp gave me the freedom to be who I wanted to be.

Camp gave me my best friends. Summer camps are a weird place, any person who has ever gone to one can vouch for me on this fact, but what is even weirder than the place, is the people that choose to go there. The good news? These weirdos have been through the same epiphanies at camp that I have and we already have a bond to last a lifetime. Whether it was showering in the lake, climbing on the roofs of cabins, or just doing general tomfoolery, the best friends I could ever make were there with me. At camp I laughed the hardest, smiled the biggest, and made the best memories I could ever ask for. Camp gave me my soulmates.

Camp made me stronger. I attended my summer camp for over a decade, and during each summer I would become mentally, physically, and spiritually stronger. Whether it was hiking up those incredibly large hills, learning skills for the first time, or reflecting on my personal values, camp gave me time to develop and mature into the person I am today. Living in a world where everything is in constant motion, where we are always pushed to be better, do more, and get ahead, we are not left with much time to actually develop the skills to make ourselves the people we aspire to be. Camp gave me time and a place to grow.

The most important thing my sleepaway camp ever gave me was a home. I found my place in a cabin in Michigan where I felt unconditional love, happiness, and comfort for a couple of weeks out of the year during some of the toughest times of my life. While everyone’s experiences differ, this attribute holds true to any camper, counselor, or alumni of a sleepaway camp that has ever needed a place where our hectic lives could stay the same- even for just a little bit. This is a place we could call our own, where we knew we would always be able to find our friends, family, and even ourselves. Growing up we feel the need to cling to things for comfort for fear that our changing environment will take them away from us. We seek familiarity in all aspects of our life which is what makes leaving behind memories of making s’mores, catching lightning bugs, and watching fireworks on the 4th of July so hard. At camp it seems as though time stops as we are able to run away and reminisce on simpler times in a landscape that seems unchanged. The only problem is time doesn’t stop, all things inevitably change; fires burn out, memories fade, and we age.

I am not the first person to deal with this weird, slightly culty, coming of age, and I certainly will not be the last. As I bid adeiu to my summer camp I realize the immense effect it had on my life and I am incredibly grateful for the lessons it provided me. Yes, I am growing up and yes, I am leaving behind one of the most important places I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing, but the impact it has created on my life will never be forgotten. Camp means a lot of things to a lot of people, and the change we experience over the years is the only thing that will make our camp experiences worthwhile. Because through it all the biggest change that happened was in ourselves.

Summer is almost here and that means school’s out! Parents find themselves in a rut when they have so much to do, but their children don’t, during the summer months.

While having your child watch 10 hours of television a night or play video games throughout the day sounds like an easy fix, it can often impair their cognitive development. The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) reports that most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months.

Alarmingly, children who are at high risk of obesity tend to gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school in the summer due to the lack of physical productivity many face just sitting at home.

Summer camp — day or overnight — provides the opportunity for children to hone in their life-skills and enhance their cognitive and behavioral development.

Every year, more than 11 million children in the United States attend camp – 7,000 are resident (overnight) and 5,000 are day camps reports the American Camp Association (ACA). These camps provide children with a safe, nurturing environment that gives them opportunities for leadership and personal growth.

The decision to send your child off to an overnight summer camp is not an easy task as a parent, especially if you don’t know if they are ready.

Bob Ditter, M.Ed., LCSW, who has worked with children’s summer camps since 1982, believes the best time to send a child to camp depends on the individual child.

“There are some six and seven year-olds who march eagerly off to camp without a problem, while some eleven year-olds cower with a fear of becoming homesick,” said Ditter to PBS.org. For example, children who tend to have friends at home and have slept over a friend’s house are most likely ready for camp compared to a child who has a tough time making friends.

Children need to start to learn how to separate themselves from their families in order to become resilient and less reliant on their parents for healthy cognitive and behavioral development.

Separation from Mom and Dad is “…the primary key psychological and emotional benefit for children and parents going to sleep away camp” said Dr. Fran Walfish, a leading child, teen, parent, and family psychotherapist and author in Beverly Hills, CA, to Medical Daily. Camp is a good way to embed this autonomy and independence in your child to aid as they reach young adulthood.

Separation skills are not only necessary for the children but also for the parents. The advice and tender love and care a parent has provided a child throughout the years will affect their overall development. Once the parent reassures themselves that they are ready for their child to go to camp and accept that the separation is part of life – both parent and child can move forward to planning for summer camp.

It’s time to turn off the cell phones and iPods and help your child pack their bags to give them the experience of a lifetime that will improve their mental health and resilience.

How Resilience Gives Children Encouragement

Children who attend summer camp gain a sense of resiliency when they face new challenges like learning how to build a fire, going on a hike or conquering a high ropes course said Michael Ungar, Ph.D on Psychology Today.

A camp is a nurturing environment where children are encouraged to take safe risks and learn from them whether they succeed or fail. Unlike school, children can try to implement new methods of how to do things without a set time limit on when the task should be done. Summer camp provides the freedom for children to make their own mistakes and learn from them so they know how to cope success and failure.

How Confidence Helps Children Overcome Challenges

Summer camp can aid children with building their self-esteem in a healthy and positive way. The “can-do” attitude is a trait many parents want to instill in their kids. However, this can only be achieved if they are faced with new challenges on their own.

When kids achieve something, big or small, like brushing their own teeth or riding a bike, they have a sense of capability and a fuel of confidence, according to Kids Health.org. Summer camps provide plenty of opportunities for kids to face new challenges and build their self-confidence through the daily achievements they make.

How Independence Builds Character In Children

At camp, children can learn how to do things for themselves without mom or dad supervising them. “Kids learn to be self-reliant and take care of their personal needs including hygiene, nutrition, and sleep” said Walfish to Medical Daily.

In addition, a safe summer camp allows kids to make their own decisions without the guidance of their parents or teacher. They will begin to take care their personal space as they feel a sense of responsibility has been delegated to them.

How Social Skills Help Children Respect Others

Enrolling your child in summer camp means that they will be a part of small community. A sense of belonging will allow your child to establish the social skills that will help him or her have respect for others. For example, when a child shares a cabin with another child, they will have to delegate the responsibilities among themselves such as, brooming and bathroom duty.

Communication is key in this situation and this will help your child understand how to effectively talk to others in a respectful way. Walfish told Medical Daily that kids in summer camp are encouraged “to reach out and develop new friendships with other kids both one-on-one and in groups.”
By Lizette Borelli

Your kids want to go to camp for a variety of reasons: to swim, boat, craft, play games, sleep in a bunk, make up stories, sing songs, eat s’mores, and stay up late. Who among us wouldn’t want to spend many warm weeks of summer having fun with our friends? And while parents endorse all those endeavors, fondly recalling sing-a-longs around campfires, secret languages made up in the dark, and days on end spent in wet bathing suits, the real reason we send our kids to camp? It’s the independence.

Sending our kids to camp lets us give them the freedom we remember from our youth. Freedom to play and be adventurous, to explore and discover nature and ourselves, away from the eyes of adults. Camp life is an alternate reality that is controlled yet wild. We can trust that our kids are safe, being watched over by counselors and staff, but with space to get immersed in the outdoors, to form their own tribes, to go a little native in the deep woods of Maine.

The kids know that camp is a special place. That it’s kind of a magical world that exists apart from and outside the one we inhabit the other ten months of the year. Campers are aware that it’s an escape from the pressures of the school year. What they may not realize is that they are acquiring skills, through play and everyday activities that help them grow and develop, independent of parental guidance.

You are giving your kids the incredible gift of self-discovery and the confidence gained through succeeding at tasks, whether a ropes course or simply getting up, dressed, and ready for the day all by themselves. The secret of camp is daily incremental growth intertwined with self-assurance. At the end of their weeks away you will be so impressed by your small person, how proud they are, how strong they have become.

A summer away at camp in Maine can change your child in these two distinct ways. First, that they happily unplug and commit to play and the quiet study of the world around them you thought had been lost in the unblinking eye of technology. And two, that they have transformed into a more capable, competent human being. More childish wonder and more independence, all at once. And it happened without them even knowing it.

Camp teaches kids something every single moment of every day, even when we all are at play.

First and most importantly I want to thank all BSC campers/staff for making 2014 the best summer ever!
Our daily camp blog and pictures from around camp provided parents a glimpse into their son’s experience away from home. The importance of this feature was evident by the ton of phone calls and emails we received when the pictures weren’t posted by a certain time ☺
I often think back to when I was a camper and wonder how my parents made it through seven weeks with no blog, pictures or communication. However, I realize we live in a different time and it’s important to embrace the technology available to us. I know parents feel comfortable when they can see their child active, playing in his major sport or read about an inter-camp tournament that we are competing in. What you don’t see from a picture or blog and what you are hopefully hearing now are all of the camp stories and lessons learned from on/off the fields, new friendships that were formed and those that have carried over from summers past. It is these moments that will help develop your child’s character and be invaluable as he re-connects with friends and family and throughout the school year.
A personal highlight for me this summer happened the last night of camp. I was in the office late when a few of the CIT’s came in and wanted to talk. This years CIT group was the largest yet and most of them have been campers since the inception of BSC. They had very mixed emotions; upset over the realization that their camp career was over, but we enjoyed reminiscing about the past. I told them how my experiences as a camper are still with me today and how they ultimately decided my career path. My hope for them is to focus on all of the good camp has brought them…the stories, memories, and friendships will always remain strong and that is what camp is all about!
Enjoy the rest of your summer and we will be in touch.
Koop

Day two of color war brought the Spurs and Kings even closer. They competed in soccer, basketball, and flag football these sports were all done in a rotation. Rookies, Pros’s and Seniors played all three sports against each other. There were little to no points deducted. Which means there was fair play and good sportsmanship.

At line up the Kings are in the lead by a mere 5 points….320 to 325. Tomorrow should be quite exciting. Color war looks like it might all be decided on the whacked up relay race.

The Ducks won the BSC league in a game of cricket. They will be celebrating with a pizza party.

Color War is now in full swing. Points were tallied at lunch. All majors this morning had competition. On the soccer field the athletes were broken into their respective color wars teams ( Spurs & Kings) and competed in a series of juggling, shooting, long balling, and endurance exercises. Both teams had fantastic attitudes that made the morning fun and enjoyable. The Spurs came out on top with a 12-9 victory on the pitch today.

Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and Lax all did their respective drills for points. Good sportsmanship is stressed and points are added or taken away accordingly.

This afternoon the competition was taken off the fields. There was broom ball matches on the ice, a cook off in the dinning hall, and arts & crafts in the wolverine den. For arts & crafts the campers worked on a banner for their team.

At line up the score for the day Kings 179 & Spurs 173. This is amazingly close.

Tonight is the final BSC league followed by making your own ice cream sunday in the Wolverine Den.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day for Fun Town Slash Town. The counselors were armed with plenty of sunblock. The day was divided between the water park and the rides. I heard this was the first time on some rides for our more adventurous daring campers. They all came back cheering and shouting. I am always amazed at how much energy they

Now for some more excitement. Koop arranged for a really awesome magician to perform for the evening activity. We gathered in the school church and were completely amazed by the allusion and tricks the magician had up his sleeve. He had a lot of the campers participating, and I could tell they were in complete awl. Truly an amazing performance!!!

For his grand finale………..

He broke color war. Let the games begin.

Back to our normal schedule. Majors first period, then a minor before lunch.
At the tail end of third period we had a sudden rain shower. I was in the middle of the lake, and lax players were up on the field not letting the rain interfere. Eventually we all ended up in the gym for a quick round of dodge ball. Just as fast as it rained the sun was back out and activities were back to normal.

For choose up the Gore-locks played the Thunder Ducks in our intramural basketball league. Tomorrow we will find out the league winner. Speaking of winners….. we have room inspection every day. At the end of the week the winners from each age group go into town for the best homemade ice cream in the world.

We had an incredible line up at the end of the day. There were shout outs for so many accomplishments. The campers have now started to stand up and give their own shout outs for their fellow campers. At the end of line up we have… THE JOKE OF THE DAY. You’ll have to look at the pics to see who got the bucket.

For evening activity we had the BSL finals. Results will be in tomorrow.

Another Lazy Bones for the boys. Last night was a late night for the rookies so many took advantage of a little more sleep this morning. The breakfast buffet is served from nine to 10.

The 11 and under soccer team left for an away match and the 15 and under hosted their game here. Sadly we lost both our soccer tournaments, but the boys played as a team and cheered their teammates on to the last second of the game. While this was happening we had campers playing basketball and competing in the tennis tournament. We’re making our way to the quarter finals.

Lunch was cold cuts, and everyone made their own sandwich on a croissant, roll, or wrap.

After rest hour all boys that missed wake boarding/water skiing due to bad weather had the opportunity to head to the waterfront this afternoon. The boat has been going non stop.

There was a lax match up on the field, basketball leagues were on the court, and a gaga round robin. We even had a chill period up on the field. Phone calls tonight and then we start our final, but busiest week of the session. So many exciting events to look forward to.

The sixteen and under basketball team lost by a mere two points. They played as a team and showed such good sportsmanship. You would be proud!

Today we hosted another camp for a baseball game. One of our pitchers had a no hitter for three innings. Many of the boys came to watch and cheer our team. We won 8-3.

In case you saw some pictures of our unconventional warm-up in soccer today:
“Light warm-up using the volleyball net before getting into the shooting drill and small-sided games. The summer is coming to its end but soccer never stops.”
Today in hockey it was “suit up Saturday”
I spent the afternoon down at the lake. The boys were wake boarding, skiing, and tubing. Oh, almost forgot there were quite a lot of fish caught today. One camper caught 12. Is someone stocking the lake??
There was a lot of cheering in he dinning hall. Why?– the rookies were invited to Koop’s house to watch a movie.