Tag: Paul Tough

Campers with Zest

During our conversations with families, we often hear “My child loves to play sports but is not terribly competitive. How will they fit in at Camp Weequahic?” We also hear, “My kid ONLY wants to play team sports” or “My child does not like any team sports. Are they going to like camp?” They are great questions because they allow us to explain the type of camper who thrives at Weequahic.

In a word, children who get the most out of Weequahic are ‘zestful.’  (We used to use the term ‘engaged’ but, having read Paul Tough’s great book on children, we think ‘zestful’ is a much better descriptor!) This describes boys and girls who are into lots of different activities, excited to build friendships, and who love to play.

Most of our girls select a wide range of activities from fashion design and cooking to team sports to waterskiing. Similarly, our boys will choose a wide variety of activities – team sports, woodshop, rocketry, skate park, climbing, cartooning, tennis, and more.  (Just about everyone enjoys tubing and jumping in the lake!)

Some campers choose to focus on a specific area, such as gymnastics, the arts, adventure and nature, or competitive team sports. While we have a large offering of competitive sports and events within the Wayne County Camp Association, being on a team is completely voluntary and open to everyone interested.

We do allow some specialization, we want to make sure our campers try a few things they don’t get to experience much at home (maybe a hike or building something in woodshop or getting up on water skies for the first time).

We are excited to offer our campers the opportunity to build their perfect summer in a setting that encourages a zestful approach to life!