Why Camp is the Answer
Do you ever look around at the world today and wonder how we got here? It seems to me that as a society, we are struggling. I think it is to easy to point a finger at today’s youth without looking in the mirror at how we raised them. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that four out of 10 adults don’t feel like they have a satisfying life and experts estimate that adults are spending as much as eight hours per day, outside of work, looking at a phone or computer screen. I recently heard psychologist Wendy[...]
Encouraging Risky Play
As a mom of an almost 4-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl, I have found myself saying the words “Be Careful” more and more often. And I know that I can do better.Careful isn’t the way that I want my children to approach the world. I want them to approach it boldly – with intrigue and interest. I want them to try new things, set off on adventures and be fascinated with all the facets of the world around them.I’ve read the research that repeatedly shows that play is how children learn about the world around them, and that[...]
The Importance of Not Listening to Your Kids (sometimes)
When my mother asked me to contribute to this blog, a sense of dread overtook me. What do I have to add about the Camp Fire and Camp El Tesoro experience that hasn’t been said before? My family history extolling how generations of us have been involved in various Camp Fire programs has already been told here. What am I left with? As an adult, I have quite a different view of Camp Fire now than when I was immersed in it from my early Blue Bird days up until tenth grade or so. I started out in a[...]
Summer Spotlight: Meet the Henry’s
When a youth comes to summer camp they meet new friends, have new experiences, and have fun while learning and growing. It is wonderous thing to see how the experience of camp can pull two friends together. Fewer friendships form as quickly as Henry and Henry’s friendship.When they first introduced themselves on day one, they made an incredible discovery.“Hi, I’m Henry,” Henry H. said.“I’m Henry, too!” Henry T. said back.The two immediately became friends. During outside time the two will play tag, and four-square with each other and other friends they have made at Camp Fire Westcliff Day Camp. Henry[...]
Let’s Get Packing
Oh no – it’s a week before your child is off to summer camp. There are lots of items marked off your checklist – doctor’s physical, completing the paperwork, planning a date with your spouse. The last item left is packing. Don’t let this be an overwhelming task. Here are 15 tips on successfully packing for camp: Review your camp’s packing list. They know exactly what your child needs and the extras that they don’t. Follow this list closely (but add in a few fun surprises – see number 15). Have your child help you pack so they will[...]
Cheese! Let’s Talk About Those Camp Photos.
Your child is going to camp.Whether you’re a first-time camp parent who’s nervous about their child making friends, or a long-time camp parent who’s excited for a week without children, you all have one thing in common – you can’t wait to look for your child in the camp photos shared during the week. While we see it most often with new camp parents, returning parents are just as guilty. You drop them off on Sunday afternoon, and by 7 a.m. Monday morning you’re checking the camp system or Facebook for photo uploads. Instead of worrying yourself sick while[...]
Camp of Bravery
Brave. I know that when most people think of this word, they might think of saving people from burning houses, leaping off one building to the next, fighting off a super villain, or even posting a picture #nofilter. Maybe that last one is a stretch, but most people do not think of summer camp as being a place full of braveness. It’s just a mini-vacation for kids from their parents in which they can eat and do anything they want to for an entire week. Right? Last summer I had the absolute honor of being Day Camp Director[...]
How to Be Ready for Summer Camp Packing Year-Round
Every year it happens. It’s the day before camp and you can’t find anything. “Where did I leave the flashlight?” “Does her one-piece swimsuit from last summer still fit?” “Where can I find water shoes at 10 p.m.?” “Why are we always out of batteries when I need them?” It may seem soon, but setting aside a few items at a time for this summer’s camp excursion can save your sanity – regardless of the session your camper is attending. This year's packing list is available to help you get started. But to help you avoid being that[...]
Camp: My Second Home
When I was a kid, I liked school. But in late spring, I was ready for it to be over. I taped a paper link chain to my bedroom door and tore off one link every evening to count down the days. The main reason was that I could hardly wait to go to camp – Camp El Tesoro. On Sunday, the drive to camp used to seem so long – an eternity. Back then, for Sunday arrival, we wore white shirts and white shorts (that never stayed clean) … in addition to terribly embarrassing sunhats! But as[...]
Lift Your Voice
I see myself in the teens I work with; there is a little bit of me in each one of them. I understand their struggles, their fears, their barriers because I’ve lived through them. Growing up, it was hard for me to find my spark and lift my voice. Low income, first generation Mexican-American, parents spoke little to no English, where trying to make ends meet on a day-to-day basis was how we lived. I didn’t find myself speaking up a lot of times. Very similar to some of the teens we work with in our Step Up[...]
Having Fear Doesn’t Make You Weak
I was nine when I got my first taste of climbing at a local summer camp. It was one of those magical, ‘love at first sight’, cue brilliant fireworks as time stands still kind of moments. Over the past 26 years, climbing has become my best friend, my confidant, my stress reliever, my destroyer, my enemy, my encourager and, ultimately, my healer. I know climbing isn’t a person - it can’t have personality characteristics, so it can’t be the things that I have mentioned – or can it?There are days when climbing is that gentle friend that allows you[...]
Building a Camp
When I was growing up in the 1970s I was fortunate to be a frequent traveler - trips in the summer to visit family in other states, trips abroad with my grandmother, and long road trips across the country with my Mom and Dad. I was aware, even at a young age, that I was having experiences that none of my friends were having. And I am so grateful. It was those road trips across the country that led me to my career path and the desire to see youth learn about and experience the outdoors. I just[...]
