Much like Dave, I recently stumbled across an article that struck me. This article was an excerpt from the March American Camp Association (ACA) E-News. The article was entitled "What the World Could Learn from Summer Camp." I think that the whole article can be best summed up with the last phrase, "Anyone who has worked at a camp will agree that you won't understand camp without trying it. Without trying it I wouldn't have learned as much as I have." I hope that all of you will have had the opportunity to try camp this summer, and as a result, learn from the great experience. I look forward to seeing you all this summer!
What the World Could Learn From
Summer Camp
By Matthew Carroll
In the summer of 2008, I decided to work as a counselor at a traditional American summer camp in upstate New York. This trip to New York started out as a journey of procrastination and meditation, but quickly turned into a journey of discovery. I'd finished University only one week before and had no idea what my future would hold; I thought that a couple of months working in a camp would assist me in my pursuit of avoiding the real world. It was exactly this mission that made me realize something — camp was not the real world.
It first hit me on the first day of camp when everyone was dressed the same — white T-shirt, shorts, sneakers, or flip flops. Kids were dressed the same as counselors; counselors were dressed the same as kitchen staff; and office staff were dressed the same as the head counselors. You couldn't distinguish the kids whose parents had saved up for months to send their kids to camp from those who had spent the spare change of a week's pay.
Everyone here was truly equal. While the campers and American counselors recited the Pledge of Allegiance on the opening day, the international staff looked on in silence. Different faiths and different cultures were respected and tolerated. Coming from Northern Ireland this was not only a novelty but something that impressed me. People of all faiths were observing Jewish culture with respect, while back home in Northern Ireland Christians struggle to tolerate the cultures of other Christians.
Camp was about the basics. Mobile phones were banned; Internet access was limited — even electric fans were banned (as kids didn't have their own personal fans in the interest of fairness, counselors couldn't either). A strong emphasis was put on keeping camp tidy. If you saw litter on the ground, you picked it up and put it in the bin. Kids were banned from watching television except for special "movie nights." The surprising thing was that the kids didn't seem to miss it. Bringing down the veil of technology led to more open conversation between friends, better networking, and unlikely friendships.
During rest periods, I was amazed to see the main campus was absolutely heaving with games of stickball, basketball, tennis, or catch. Older kids played with younger kids; brothers played together; twenty-one-year-olds challenged eight-year-olds to games of chess . . . and lost. Kids were able to play outside in a safe environment the way they used to. Today, with so many concerns about crime, it's very hard for parents to let their kids go outside to play after breakfast and for them to return after dinner. But, at camp kids are safe.
Everybody knows and trusts each other. At camp there are no locks on the doors. Kids and counselors leave iPods®, PSPs, books, and toys in their empty bunks all day and know those things will still be there, exactly where they were left.
It is this sense of community that made me fall in love with camp. At camp, you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together in your division, otherwise known as your family for two months. Camp meal times are a place for conversation, joking around, dares, games, and occasionally songs. Campers and staff feel completely relaxed, and there is no shame in doing embarrassing things for other people's entertainment.
So what can the world learn from camp? In short, to let kids be kids. We should be sending children to camp, allowing kids to get the exercise and the fresh air that is so vital to growing up. Camp allows children to spend time with their friends and develop the social skills that are so vital, instead of sitting inside in front of a television set. Adults can also learn that work doesn't have to be work, it can also be fun. Camp taught me that even though modern technology has opened up so many opportunities for us it can also trap us.
Anyone who has worked at a camp will agree that you won't understand camp without trying it. Without trying it I wouldn't have learned as much as I have.
Matthew Carroll is twenty-three-years-old and is originally from Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast with a degree in French and German. He has previously worked and studied in France, Germany, and the USA. He most recently worked as a division leader at Camp Scatico in Elizaville, New York.
Showing posts with label aca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aca. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Camp is not just fun...your child needs it!
I was thinking about the positive impact that Kanata has on thousands of children every summer, and I wanted to share some of those stories with you when I came across this great article from the American Camp Association (www.acacamps.org) . Camp is not just a fun place for your child to spend some time every once in a while, it gives your child necessary tools for their development. Enjoy this article on "5 Reasons Your Child Needs Camp":
Five Reasons Your Child Needs Camp
There's no doubt that summer camp is fun. Kids get to sing silly songs, play funny games, swim in lakes, and tell spooky stories around a campfire. This is the image of camp that has been captured and memorialized in films, books, and television programs for the past fifty years. But there's much more to camp than just a good time. In addition to fun, parents should be aware of these five reasons their child needs camp.
1. Camp forever changes your child… for the better – American Camp Association® (ACA) research has confirmed that camps build skills necessary to prepare campers to assume roles as successful adults. Campers said that camp helped them make new friends (96%), get to know kids who are different from them (93%), feel good about themselves (92%), and try things they were afraid to do at first (74%).
2. Camp teaches your child to "move it, move it" – Camp provides children the opportunity to try new things and participate in human powered activities. According to surveys by both the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an American child is six times more likely to play a videogame on any given day than to ride a bike. An estimated 22 million of the world's children under the age of five are already considered obese. According to research conducted by ACA, 63 percent of children who learn new activities at camp tend to continue engaging in these activities after they return home. This leads to continued physical exercise that lasts a lifetime.
3. Camp keeps all that hard work from going to waste - Camps understand the critical role they play in helping young people learn and grow. Many offer programs that help reduce summer learning loss, bolster academic enrichment and socialization, provide opportunities for leadership development, and ensure that campers achieve their full potential.
4. Camp allows kids to take a deep breath and feel the nature – Camp is a great way for your child to unplug from the iPod® and plug into the world around them. According to a study by two Cornell University environmental psychologists, being close to nature can help boost a child's attention span. Additionally, a study conducted by the University of Essex in England concluded that nature can help people recover from pre-existing stresses or problems, has an immunizing effect that can protect from future stresses, and helps people to concentrate and think more clearly. In some instances, camp may be the only time a child is in contact with the natural world.
5. Camp is fun – It's true; kids do sing silly songs and play funny games at camp. Children are allowed to play in a safe and nurturing environment, and are allowed to just be kids. Play is a powerful form of learning that contributes mightily to the child's healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, creative free play protects a child's emotional development and reduces a child's risk of stress, anxiety, and depression.
We look forward to seeing you this summer at Kanata!
Your Camp Director,
Dave
Five Reasons Your Child Needs Camp
There's no doubt that summer camp is fun. Kids get to sing silly songs, play funny games, swim in lakes, and tell spooky stories around a campfire. This is the image of camp that has been captured and memorialized in films, books, and television programs for the past fifty years. But there's much more to camp than just a good time. In addition to fun, parents should be aware of these five reasons their child needs camp.
1. Camp forever changes your child… for the better – American Camp Association® (ACA) research has confirmed that camps build skills necessary to prepare campers to assume roles as successful adults. Campers said that camp helped them make new friends (96%), get to know kids who are different from them (93%), feel good about themselves (92%), and try things they were afraid to do at first (74%).
2. Camp teaches your child to "move it, move it" – Camp provides children the opportunity to try new things and participate in human powered activities. According to surveys by both the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an American child is six times more likely to play a videogame on any given day than to ride a bike. An estimated 22 million of the world's children under the age of five are already considered obese. According to research conducted by ACA, 63 percent of children who learn new activities at camp tend to continue engaging in these activities after they return home. This leads to continued physical exercise that lasts a lifetime.
3. Camp keeps all that hard work from going to waste - Camps understand the critical role they play in helping young people learn and grow. Many offer programs that help reduce summer learning loss, bolster academic enrichment and socialization, provide opportunities for leadership development, and ensure that campers achieve their full potential.
4. Camp allows kids to take a deep breath and feel the nature – Camp is a great way for your child to unplug from the iPod® and plug into the world around them. According to a study by two Cornell University environmental psychologists, being close to nature can help boost a child's attention span. Additionally, a study conducted by the University of Essex in England concluded that nature can help people recover from pre-existing stresses or problems, has an immunizing effect that can protect from future stresses, and helps people to concentrate and think more clearly. In some instances, camp may be the only time a child is in contact with the natural world.
5. Camp is fun – It's true; kids do sing silly songs and play funny games at camp. Children are allowed to play in a safe and nurturing environment, and are allowed to just be kids. Play is a powerful form of learning that contributes mightily to the child's healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, creative free play protects a child's emotional development and reduces a child's risk of stress, anxiety, and depression.
We look forward to seeing you this summer at Kanata!
Your Camp Director,
Dave
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