If you’re a summer camp alum, and you had some extra wishes lying around, would you use one to go back to camp? If you could go back today, what would you do? We asked and you answered, on Facebook and on Twitter. Here’s some of what your fellow camp alums had to say. We challenged them to finish this sentence:
If I could go back to Camp Laurel South, I would:
…not even know where to start… or what to do with myself!
…stay.
…ask for chicken patties.
…veg out on the docks with my feet in the water and watch the sunset with my favorite LS friends!
…challenge Agawam to a staff basketball game at Rest Hour and Win!
…sit in Sail Chair and soak it all in.
…ask for “chick p” for lunch, but only with chipotle mayo!
…I would probably start screaming CITS CITS CITS!
…never want to leave again!
What would you do if you could go back to camp today? Use the comments section to let us know!
Summer Camp is a time of firsts. The first time you try to catch a ball with a lacrosse stick (and realize you can!). The first time you get on on water-skis. The first time you serve an ace in tennis. The first time you get up on stage in front of hundreds of kids your age. The first time you scale the climbing tower…trot with your very own horse…..Now that camp has ended for the summer and everyone is getting ready for the school year, we thought we’d share some tales from camp. What have the kids taken home with them to last the next 9 months, until camp starts again?
Many families are surprised at the sheer amount of first-time experiences their kids have at summer camp. When Justin, a 12 year old who attended camp this year, was asked to list things he did for the first time at camp, he had quite the list. “I learned how to play guitar, archery, and golf,” he said. During our conversation, it also came out that he also learned new baseball skills and got to play tennis. He also experienced the camp evening programs for the first time, which he raved about as being “fun and creative.” Justin’s going to be talking to a lot of people about camp when he goes back to school. And what is he going to tell them? “I made a lot of new friends and tried a lot of new things. I had the best time!”
My own summer camp experiences – way back in the 80s – were largely defined by a feeling of the summer camp community breaking apart at the end of the summer. We would often promise to write letters we never sent or make long distance calls our parents wouldn’t pay for, but when summer was over, camp was tucked firmly behind us for another year.
With today’s technology, however, the summer camp community can stay together all year, even when they return to the home cities, states and countries. Camp Laurel South has an active Facebook community where current campers, families and alumni can connect, share stories and keep up to date with the staff and the current session. In these early days of October, much of the chatter is about how much everyone misses camp and wishes they were back on the lake, riding the horses, singing in the dining hall, etc.
For those who’ve connected to Laurel South through Facebook and other new social networks (Twitter anyone?) the camp experience doesn’t end with teary good-byes in August. So when will we meet again?
I don’t know about you, but my kids are constantly plugged into something, whether they are texting their friends (does anyone talk anymore?), bopping along to Lady Gaga’s latest, updating their Facebook status, researching a school project online and creating a multi-media presentation, or playing games on my iPhone while I desperately try to finish a conversation at the vet’s office.
Some days I can win a battle or two (no texting at dinner!) but the war is ongoing. And honestly, I’m not the best example. That iPhone I mentioned is never far from reach, and right now I’m surfing online, listening to my own brand of pop music, answering text messages as they come in and writing this blog.
Don’t you wish there was a place where we could all live life unplugged? We adults may not be so lucky; but for our kids, that place is summer camp.
Knowing that someone out there is cultivating a culture of back-to-basics, low-tech life is an irresistible draw for me as a parent. My husband and I love the outdoors and frequently take our kids on short camping trips, but these offer only a short break from the world of “screen time”. Monday morning comes and before the sleeping bags air out, we’re all rushing to see what awaits us in our email inboxes.
As a mom, I worry about the long-term effects of all of these tech ways of communicating. I’m not alone. Several studies have suggested that kids who spend too much time plugged in lose some skills for interpersonal interaction. Let’s fight back.
At camp, social interaction is done the old fashioned way – face-to-face. Campers and counselors alike leave their cell phones at home and get back to a simpler life, when there is an art to conversation. If you were a camper, think back to your best memories. All of mine involve revolve around interpersonal interactions you just can’t get through an email: telling stories around a camp fire; sharing hushed secrets late into the night; telling the worst jokes you ever heard; huddling together to decide the best capture-the-flag strategy.
Friendship doesn’t need a high-tech interface. Don’t think your kids will get with the program? In a recent Seventeen article, teen girls shared their favorite summer camp memories. Guess what? Not one involves a cell phone!
How fast time passes when you’re having an amazing time! Wednesday evening, we were all captivated by the sensational performance of Grease! It was unbelievable! We can’t wait to watch our campers in Beauty and the Beast tonight!! Yesterday was our final “S” Day of the session and everyone had an awesome day at Funtown. Today and tomorrow are our final program days of the session and we have some incredible culminating activities planned: our 5th Graders day trip…Dance and Gymnastics shows…the Zip Line and Giant Swing at Adventure…the action goes on and on. Soon we’ll have our Final Banquet and Council Fire before Monday’s departure. We look forward to the next few days together…and the beginning of the countdown to Laurel South 2011!
We have so much going on…it’s hard to believe there’s only a week left of camp!! What an incredible summer it’s been…the weather has been nearly perfect and everywhere we look, from the ballfields to the waterfront, the stables to adventure, the theater to the arts, this has truly been a magical summer! What’s ahead? Our amazing theater performances…intercamp games and tournaments…exciting dance and gymnastics shows…and let’s not forget Funtown!! With one week left, we’re starting to reflect on the wonderful memories we’ve made so far… Still lots to do…and the beat goes on!
It’s hard to believe we’ve passed the mid-way point of the 2010 summer! We have so many amazing memories of the first half, and sooooo much more to look forward to in the next 12 days!! Our 8th graders had an amazing time yesterday at Six Flags New England…and our 6th Grade girls are hiking and climbing on their camping trip. Activities and intercamps continue to be tremendous…everyone is psyched for Movie Morning and Carnival coming soon as well as Drive-In movie night, and Funtown. There is no slowing down the fun that has made the 2010 summer one of our best yet!
It seemed like any other Friday lunch…campers were intermingling with friends, siblings and counselors when all of a sudden came a thunderous roar of cheers and songs as our incredible CIT group kicked of Spirit Days 2010. For the next day and a half, the Blue Wizards and Green Dragons competed on the ball fields and in the lake, with athletic prowess and an unending supply of team spirit. Just before lunch on Saturday, our CIT’s competed in the Chaos obstacle course while the entire camp cheered them on. After lunch was the Great Moose Relay as every camper competed in a single event. At our closing ceremony, the judges, known as Yellow Jackets, were amazed at the cheers, songs and plaques presented by each squad. At the end of the day, the final score didn’t matter as we once again united as one Laurel South family. Sunday morning, we received a well deserved rest, as we rose a little later and had an elective morning with bumper tubing, tennis, nature, climbing and more all available for our campers before our regular “B” day afternoon. Yesterday the entire camp took off for a spectacular day at Canobie Lake, where we enjoyed the rides, food, and, most importantly, time with our friends. It’s always action-packed at Laurel South. What a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!!
