GOAL #3: GAIN INDEPENDENCE
When kids achieve Goal #2, you can see it right away. Skills are things kids can demonstrate. They can show you how they can hit a ball farther, dance more gracefully, shoot more accurately, or paint more artistically. However, newfound independence often shows itself in subtle ways. When kids
meet Goal #3, they become more outgoing and, in certain ways, less dependent on their parents. They become more interested in exploring new things on their own. They also become more confident that they can set and achieve important goals, as well as solve problems on their own. Being away from home is empowering.
Sometimes, your child’s newfound independence will be obvious. Parents we know love to tell the story about how, when their child returned from his first two weeks at overnight camp, he had learned to keep his elbows off the dinner table. He even started making his bed every morning! Discoveries like this amaze parents, especially those who have given up trying to get their child to perform chores spontaneously. Of course, such increased responsibility and politeness may not last all year. Kids are kids, and camp won’t change that (thank goodness!). However, camp does help kids take steps in the right direction. The responsibility they’re given at camp cultivates an awareness of what needs to be done, without being told. Independence slowly evolves.
One of the nice things about overnight camp is that it gives parents and kids a break from one another. Every family can use a change of pace now and then. In fact, time away from home is the most powerful force behind gaining independence. Parents tell us all the time that camp has made their children more mature and independent. Like these parents, we get a wonderful feeling when we witness children growing. We see it every summer. Being part of that process of positive change is what motivates us to return to camp each year. Recently, one of us got this beautiful letter from a parent:
I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for all the time, energy, and support that you have given Ben over the past eleven years. As you probably know, Ben thinks the world of you. From what he has shared with his mother and me, you were a wonderful resource, a mentor, and an important guide in his development. From both of us, thank you very much.
This is the sort of letter that parents send to staff members at high quality camps every year. The letters are testimony to the deep, enduring independence and maturity that children gain at overnight camp.
When kids achieve Goal #2, you can see it right away. Skills are things kids can demonstrate. They can show you how they can hit a ball farther, dance more gracefully, shoot more accurately, or paint more artistically. However, newfound independence often shows itself in subtle ways. When kids
Sometimes, your child’s newfound independence will be obvious. Parents we know love to tell the story about how, when their child returned from his first two weeks at overnight camp, he had learned to keep his elbows off the dinner table. He even started making his bed every morning! Discoveries like this amaze parents, especially those who have given up trying to get their child to perform chores spontaneously. Of course, such increased responsibility and politeness may not last all year. Kids are kids, and camp won’t change that (thank goodness!). However, camp does help kids take steps in the right direction. The responsibility they’re given at camp cultivates an awareness of what needs to be done, without being told. Independence slowly evolves.
One of the nice things about overnight camp is that it gives parents and kids a break from one another. Every family can use a change of pace now and then. In fact, time away from home is the most powerful force behind gaining independence. Parents tell us all the time that camp has made their children more mature and independent. Like these parents, we get a wonderful feeling when we witness children growing. We see it every summer. Being part of that process of positive change is what motivates us to return to camp each year. Recently, one of us got this beautiful letter from a parent:
I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for all the time, energy, and support that you have given Ben over the past eleven years. As you probably know, Ben thinks the world of you. From what he has shared with his mother and me, you were a wonderful resource, a mentor, and an important guide in his development. From both of us, thank you very much.
This is the sort of letter that parents send to staff members at high quality camps every year. The letters are testimony to the deep, enduring independence and maturity that children gain at overnight camp.
GOAL #4: MAKE FRIENDS AND DEVELOP SOCIAL SKILLS
Camp brochures are full of mission statements that emphasize the development of friendships and social skills. Most also emphasize the cultivation of spirituality and independence. Although these mission statements may sound grand or trite, they are true of many overnight camps. Living away from home with other kids in a rural setting does indeed promote a unique sort of personal growth. The experience is unparalleled. Kids learn to get along better with others, and they gain confidence in their ability to negotiate new social problems and challenges on their own. These are critical skills. No individual can accomplish much without knowing how to get along with others.
Years after he was a camper, a friend captured the essence of Goal #4:
Camp brochures are full of mission statements that emphasize the development of friendships and social skills. Most also emphasize the cultivation of spirituality and independence. Although these mission statements may sound grand or trite, they are true of many overnight camps. Living away from home with other kids in a rural setting does indeed promote a unique sort of personal growth. The experience is unparalleled. Kids learn to get along better with others, and they gain confidence in their ability to negotiate new social problems and challenges on their own. These are critical skills. No individual can accomplish much without knowing how to get along with others.
Years after he was a camper, a friend captured the essence of Goal #4:
One of the best parts about my camp experience was the opportunity to establish myself among peers with a clean slate. None of the kids who knew me from school were there, and the authority figures had no history with me. I felt very free to be myself, and not to be part of an ingrained social order.
GOAL #5: EXPERIENCE A NEW ENVIRONMENT
Despite many changes in the camping world in the last 140 years, most camps still embrace the natural environment as a vital aspect of their programs. In fact, one of the reasons that overnight camps became so popular was that parents in the city wanted their children to get a taste of wholesome country living. If you look through Camping Magazine or a selection of camp brochures, you’re sure to see photographs of smiling kids in front of pristine lakes, tall trees, or majestic mountains. One reason these settings have remained popular spots for overnight camps is because of kids’ dwindling contact with beautiful natural environments.
At a good overnight camp, your child can gain respect for and curiosity about nature. Roughly half of all overnight camps report that they include some sort of environmental education in their daily program. The belief in nature as vital to overnight camping is evident in the American Camping Association’s definition of camping: “...a creative recreational and educational opportunity in group living in the outdoors. It utilizes...the resources of the natural surroundings to contribute to each camper’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual growth” [emphasis mine].
Our research suggests that the camp environment means different things to different children. That’s why we feel that finding a camp in a beautiful natural setting is the first step toward achieving the five goals of overnight camping.
In one of our studies, we found that 8-10-year-olds prefer places in camp because of their physical properties or because of the activity that happens at that place. For example, a 9-year-old might say that her favorite place in camp is the waterfront because she loves swimming. However, older children prefer places because of their aesthetic qualities. For example, a 14-year-old might say that her favorite place in camp is the rowboat dock because it’s the best place to see the spectacular sunsets. Given the choice, young people prefer camps with pleasant, varied landscapes.
Some camps, such as those on college campuses, have few natural landscapes. Although this is not ideal, keep in mind that your child’s experience with a new, mostly artificial environment can still be beneficial. Research on something called “wayfinding” suggests that when children learn their way around one new environment, they are better at finding their way around the next new environment. Developmental psychologists and geographers call this skill “mental mapping.”
Despite many changes in the camping world in the last 140 years, most camps still embrace the natural environment as a vital aspect of their programs. In fact, one of the reasons that overnight camps became so popular was that parents in the city wanted their children to get a taste of wholesome country living. If you look through Camping Magazine or a selection of camp brochures, you’re sure to see photographs of smiling kids in front of pristine lakes, tall trees, or majestic mountains. One reason these settings have remained popular spots for overnight camps is because of kids’ dwindling contact with beautiful natural environments.
At a good overnight camp, your child can gain respect for and curiosity about nature. Roughly half of all overnight camps report that they include some sort of environmental education in their daily program. The belief in nature as vital to overnight camping is evident in the American Camping Association’s definition of camping: “...a creative recreational and educational opportunity in group living in the outdoors. It utilizes...the resources of the natural surroundings to contribute to each camper’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual growth” [emphasis mine].
Our research suggests that the camp environment means different things to different children. That’s why we feel that finding a camp in a beautiful natural setting is the first step toward achieving the five goals of overnight camping.
In one of our studies, we found that 8-10-year-olds prefer places in camp because of their physical properties or because of the activity that happens at that place. For example, a 9-year-old might say that her favorite place in camp is the waterfront because she loves swimming. However, older children prefer places because of their aesthetic qualities. For example, a 14-year-old might say that her favorite place in camp is the rowboat dock because it’s the best place to see the spectacular sunsets. Given the choice, young people prefer camps with pleasant, varied landscapes.
Some camps, such as those on college campuses, have few natural landscapes. Although this is not ideal, keep in mind that your child’s experience with a new, mostly artificial environment can still be beneficial. Research on something called “wayfinding” suggests that when children learn their way around one new environment, they are better at finding their way around the next new environment. Developmental psychologists and geographers call this skill “mental mapping.”
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