Tag: benefits of summer camp

Camp Friends

May 15th, 2014

Dictionary.com defines a friend as someone who is a “patron or supporter.” Whether you’re a child or adult, chances are that your friends are a crucial part of your life. Of course, there are different kinds of friends and some are closer than others. They’re all very special. However, there is one type of friend who is the most special — the camp friend. For those who have never experienced summer camp, it’s difficult to grasp the idea of forming a lifelong bond with someone with whom you spend time for weeks each summer. Yet, that is exactly what happens for the millions of campers who attend summer camp each year. There are many reasons why the summer camp environment actually facilitates friendship.

Camp is a 24/7 environment

Children don’t have play dates at camp where they meet someone for a few hours and then return home. Campers play together, eat together and live together. They have constant contact, which psychologists say leads to an open environment, conducive to making friends. The more time campers spend with each other, the more they get to know each other, and the less they feel the need or desire to shield aspects of themselves from each other.

Camp is a common experience

Common experience is another crucial element to friendship bonds, and camp friends are special because they share a very special commonality. The things that happen during those weeks at camp each year are shared by a realtively small circle of campers who attend a respective camp. .

Camp develops shared traditions

By attending summer camp, campers develop shared traditions. Camp traditions bond children to each other. They add a sacred element to friendship. Much like sorority or fraternity membership develops friendships leading to a lifelong network, so to does summer camp.

Camp encourages socialization

Camp encourages interaction. Too often, an inhibitor to those who have trouble making friends is a lack of social maturity. Whether it’s on a sports field or court, sitting at table in arts and crafts, enjoying a meal together, or relaxing in a bunk or cabin, the camp environment is social. Campers are not without adequate time for introspection, but the opportunity for learning how to be with other people is there.

Camp focuses on the positive

Summer camps focus on harnessing moments and making them special and fun, whether or not they are planned. Not only does this teach children to have a great amount of flexibility both individually and with each other, it teaches them to remain positive. Positivity helps children remain in an open and accepting frame of mind.

Camp friends are definitely some of the most special friends.  Friendships made in camp are bound by a commonality of experiences that may very well be cherished for a lifetime.

Yes, You Can

March 27th, 2014

“No” is a word that children hear a lot. No talking in the classroom. No running in the hallways. No playing ball in the house. No to anything that gets clothes dirty. No. No. No. With this in mind, it’s no wonder that “yes” is one of the many reasons that children so eagerly anticipate camp each summer. Of course safety is always a factor, and children also have parameters at camp for that reason. However, those parameters extend much further at summer camp than they do at home and school. At summer camp, campers are encouraged to climb walls, zip down ropes, run, get dirty and play ball. Even when they express doubt in themselves, they are encouraged with, “Yes, you can.” There is no pressure to be the best at something or to even be good at it, simply to try it. With such encouragement, many campers venture into previously unexplored territory and discover that they can, in fact, do things they previously thought they couldn’t.

The benefits of such encouragement extend beyond the development of courage to try new things. Children become more open to possibilities. They develop the skills to venture out of their comfort zone and examine situations from different angles. A refined sense of creativity helps them attack tasks that previously seemed difficult or even impossible. They learn to comprehend the importance of trying, particularly when the time and place is right. With such perspective, “no” and “yes” become words less associated with ability and more associated with restraint. If they’re talking in the classroom, they can’t understand what the teacher is saying. School is not an environment that makes running in the hallways safe. Things tend to break when they play ball in the house. The clothes they wear when they’re not at camp are just a little nicer than the ones they tend to wear at camp. In contrast, camp is a safe environment for them to talk, laugh, run, play, climb and get messy in ways that are productive. In short, it’s an environment with less restraint in mind. Once children are able to understand the symbiotic relationship between “yes” and “no,” they are better able to accept “no” for what it actually means: It’s not in your best interest.

Weequahic의 캠퍼들은 어디에서 오나요?

March 18th, 2014

만약 당신이 겨울 동안 캠퍼들의 지리학적 지역이 궁금하다면, 이번 주 윅에이 캠프의 게스트 블로그가 미국의 가장 훌륭한 여름 캠프를 포함한 많은 캠프들의 꽤 좋은 다양한 캠퍼들의 사진을 제공합니다.

대부분의 가족들은 캠프에 대해 배울때 훌륭한 질문을 합니다: 캠퍼들은 어디에서 오나요?

윅에이의 캠프는 20개의 다른 주와 10개의 나라에서 온 캠퍼들을 가진 축복받은 캠프입니다. 특정한 하나의 우편번호 또는 지역에서 모여 캠프를 온 것이 아닌 저희는 모든 곳에서 온 캠퍼들을 갖고 있습니다 – 캘리포니아, 콜로라도, 오하이오, 텍사스 뿐만 아니라 동부해안의 남북까지. 우리는 또한 작은 인구지만 프랑스, 스위스, 베네수엘라, 영국, 스페인, 러시아, 멕시코, 중국, 브라질, 그리고 칠레에서 온 활기찬  캠퍼들을 가지고 있습니다.

이 다양성은 우리의 지역사회에 훌륭한 혜택들을 제공합니다. 첫째, 이것은 아이들에게 캠프에서 멋진 시간을 가지며 미국 내외의 다른 문화에 대해 알게 합니다. 캠퍼들은 그들의 지역의 친구들 뿐만 아니라 먼 거리에서 온 친구들과 함께 캠프에서의 우정을 쌓기를 즐깁니다.

다양한 인구 구성의 두 번째 주요 장점은 새로운 캠퍼들이 우리 지역사회의 필수 적인 구성원이 되는 데 훨씬 쉬운 시간을 갖게 되는 것입니다. 처음의 며칠은 매우 중요하고 당신의 지역에서 온 사람을 제외한 모든 사람과 침상을 같이 하는 것은 쉽지 않습니다. 처음으로 다른 많은 지역에서 온 친구들과 함께 하는 것은 우정을 쌓는데 있어 처음 며칠을 매우 쉽게 만들어 줍니다.

우리는 모두가 계속해서 우정, 새로운 능력을 향상시키고 우리 인생에 있어 최고의 여름을 가지며 윅에이 캠프에서 우리의 다양성을 계속해서 성장하는데 매우 설렙니다.