More Kidsickness

Oy...here.

“But what do they really want?” Mr. Konigsberg asked. “I think they want to know that their child is being taken care of. That their child isn’t sick. Or homesick. Or lonely.”

“Well, in this situation by definition you are dealing with emotionally needy people,” I said.

“Homesick kids?” he asked.

“No, kid-sick parents,” I said.

Childsickness

Here's an interesting report that follows up on what we mentioned last week about camp and catered parents.

It's not that parents never moped for their mosquito-bound moppets before. But parents today — some of them, anyway — have become so accustomed to constant contact with their children (thank you, Verizon) that a summer hiatus feels less like a break and more like a breakdown.

"I cry for the next three weeks," a father named Syd said as he prepared to put his daughter Jackie on the bus.

"He doesn't," the daughter, 11, reassured me.

"You don't know!" the dad said. "I walk into your empty room. I'm lonely all summer."

More comments in the Times.

Parents

Parent Day at Camp

A contributor to nature deficit is the fact that parents are far more protective of their kids. We simply see too many hazards nowadays to just let the kids roam outdoors. We're all guilty of this, although at different levels.

I still hold my breath when my 15 year old heads out for a run--she's training for cross country next fall--but we let her go, with an agreed upon time for return.

Summer camps, generally very safe environments are dealing with this parental concern more nowadays, and some are hiring counselors, not to deal with kids, but to deal with the kid's parents.

One camp psychologist said she used to spend half her time on parental issues; now it’s 80 percent. Dan Kagan, co-director of Bryn Mawr, has started visiting every new family’s home in the spring and calling those parents on the first or second day of camp to reassure them.

When I went to camp, my parents dropped us and fled the scene. We did not see them or hear from them until pickup day. Not that we had time to think about home, there was too much to do. In this new information age, there are far more ways to communicate, and camps like some of the techniques and reject others.

Cell phones, for example, tend to be forbidden. But parents are sending kids with two cell phones to camp, so if one of the outlawed devices is confiscated, the other can still be used.

Camps have reacted to parent's worries by using the internet to post photos of the kids, so parents can log in and check out the latest activities. My friend Rob's camp does this, along with an ongoing narrative from his Dad, the Camp Director.


"Yes, mom and dad are gone and now real camp may commence. Hurray!"

More here from the NY Times, and a slide show that tells the whole story.

Camp Years

I spent several summers at Camp Woodstock in northeast Connecticut when I was 10-12 years old. I still remember swimming across the lake, sleeping out in the woods under the stars, and endless tetherball games.



My sister was a counselor there, and my niece is there right now, so the tradition continues.

Woodstock has a website and some scant alumni pages that include the two camp songs. Damned if I don't still remember every word 35 years later.

OK, it is a little corny, but the place really had impact:

Camping in the pines of Woodstock
Down by the lake
Happy hours we've spent together
Down by the lake
Everybody's happy always, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, all the weekdays and on Sundays
Down by the lake
Camping in the Pines of Woodstock
Down by the lake
Lifelong friendships in the making
Down by the lake
Over woodland paths we wonder, these happy memories we'll always ponder, of Camp Woodstock we're growing fonder
Down by the lake

Good Advice

from Florida.

At a parent meeting to prepare us for our son’s week at Cub Scout camp, we were told that the biggest change for our boys would be the amount of time they spent outside.

At camp, the boys would be playing out of doors most of the day.

There would be plenty of shade and water to keep them healthy, but so many hours out of doors might be an unpleasant surprise to youngsters who weren’t accustomed to it.

Camp Season 2008

Summer camps are up and running.

Here's a shot taken a few days ago at my friend Rob's camp, up in the White Mountains.

A bonfire like this beats the tube every time.

Wish I was there.

Camp Food

In 1976 I worked at a camp in Bozrah, CT called Camp Tadma. It was an amazing summer as I worked on the waterfront and the nature center. A contributing factor to the great times was our chef, Joe Grillo. His cooking was masterful, and we ate like kings the whole summer. Joe made cooking good food fun. I won't even go into some of the mischief we got into as we lived outside the whole summer, but savored every meal and unfortunately we only got to benefit from Joe's cooking for one season.

Here's a different take on camp food from the NY Times.

“Camp food is terrible,” said Susan B. Roberts, director of the energy metabolism laboratory at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “The problem is that they are doing what is easiest — the lowest common denominator for what kids like, and on top of that usually it has to be not something that goes bad and is no work to prepare.”

A postscript, Joe later went on to become Joe "Gypsy" Grillo, the famous PGA Caddy, and we never knew he golfed.

Camp Vision is 20/20

The American Camp Association has a vision.

The time is now to create a 20/20 vision–a vision of commitment to serve 20 million by the year 2020. Today, 10 million children and youth go to camp annually. Yet, we only directly impact 3 million of those experiences. By 2020, we want no fewer than 20 million children going to camp annually with the ACA camp community directly impacting the lives of those 20 million children.

Check out more at their website and their blog.

The more kids that head to camp, the better our future will be.

Summer Camp

I'm told that the cable channels have been blitzing the film Meatballs recently.  I always liked that film, it reminded me of my camp experiences, at least a little.  

Here's an article about choosing a summer camp for your kids.  While it's probably a little late to be choosing a camp for this summer, it's still worth a look.  

By the way, I support the camps that ban personal electronic devices (although a group cd player might not be a bad thing in the cabin...).

Earth Day and Beyond in Nebraska

The Fontenelle Nature Association in Nebraska has a lot going on to get kids outdoors. Here's a summary.

For years, Fontenelle Forest has operated numerous summer day camps spanning from two days to an entire week for toddlers to sixth-graders and are limited to 16 campers in an attempt to keep the student-to-teacher ratio low and provide a better experience. Although the camps can accommodate up to 600 children each summer, on average, only 400 attend.

Camp

Start thinking summer camps. Begin here.

“The outdoor setting of a summer camp is magical for the children,” Bass said. “It gives them a feeling of freedom that they don’t have in this day and age with iPods, computers, the Wii and school. The mountain air, tall pine trees and lush fields draw the campers back to the basics of being free. All outdoor camps give children an appreciation for nature that they do not get from anything else they do.”

NH Wilds

The Appalachian Mountain Club sends out the word about their summer programs in the White Mountains. I credit a program similar to this building my excitement for things like backpacking and rock climbing when I was 13 or so.

It’s important for children to get into the outdoors, and the Appalachian Mountain Club has long been committed to helping young people do that. Nearly 10,000 youth each year are directly involved in outdoor activities through AMC’s a Mountain Classroom and Youth Opportunities Program. Another offering that’s especially popular with young people seeking to develop outdoor skills while spending time with their peers is Teen Wilderness Adventures.

The program provides teenagers with instruction in such outdoor skills as backpacking, rock-climbing and paddling as they also gain appreciation for the natural environment, build self-esteem and learn the value of teamwork.

I worked for the RMC rather than the AMC in the Whites, and used to have a little fun at the AMC's expense, but despite that, we think the AMC does a great job...

Camp Conference

The American Camp Association is a major link the the national movement of connecting kids to nature. The hold their National Conference in Nashville in February.

This year's theme will explore a number of variations on how we can change the lives of children through the strength of many voices. Possibilities include claiming a more significant presence in the complementary learning community, partnering with community organizations to share the message of camp, increasing public awareness about the benefits of camp, strengthening the teams within our camps, helping our counselors and campers find their voices and be included in decision-making at camp, effectively working with our boards, strengthening our legislative voice, and drawing from our shared strength to provide greater opportunities for children to experience camp.

Movie News

Saturday night we screened Summercamp! at the American Conservation Film Festival. Definitely a crowd pleaser, with a long ovation. Check it out when you can.