As a former camper, and a former camp counselor at the same camp, I can attest to the importance of children playing outside and making friends with nature.
In a world where technology has taken over, it is time to take a stand and make a change. Our children, and our future children need to get their heads out of their phones, tablets and or devices and see the world around them. They need to realize that there is more to life than technological devices and social media. The youth need to start caring about our Earth and what they can contribute to keep our planet safe. Summer camp may just sound like a place where parents drop their kids off to keep them out of their way while they work, but a summer camp experience is so much more than that.
At summer camp, children have the opportunity to learn all about nature, as you can see from the photo above. They learn about different kinds of bugs, and what they eat. Kids practice how to create a safer environment for these bugs, because all of us campers know how important they are to the ecosystem. They learn how to catch fish the right way, and how to safely put the fish back in the water. Summer camp allows these children to be curious about things they never knew before, and to then gain knowledge about the importance of mother nature.
One of the most important things taught at summer camp is team building. Camp counselors create projects and games for their campers to work together on. Team building is a vital concept for these children to be learning, because as they grow older team building and working together with coworkers is imperative. In the photo above, young campers are intently focused on creating their project together. They are being taught how to do things for themselves. Not one of these kids is mesmerized by a cellphone or a game-boy, and that is why I truly believe that summer camp is significant.
One of my most memorable camp traditions was making our very own ice cream from scratch. It was something I never thought could be done before I attended and then worked at camp. When I was a camper I remember feeling so empowered because I, at the age of 6, made my own ice cream. Granted it did not taste as good as Ben & Jerry's, but the knowing fact that I did it myself was enough. When I was a counselor, I remember the joy in the faces of my young campers when they realized the same thing I did when I was in their shoes only a decade prior. They realized they could do something all on their own. They realized they did not need Snapchat filters to have fun or make them smile. They were getting their hands dirty and they were gaining important knowledge.
Whenever I am out in public, I always tend to see children ignoring their parents because they are so engulfed in their technological devices. I become angry, but I never say anything. Sometimes I wish I could rip the devices out of the hands of these children and explain to them how they should be watching the world around them, or at least having a conversation with their parents. What are they, or even us adults, going to do when one day technology and electricity are no more? Everyone is going to be standing around like mindless robots. So, parents and future parents, I plead with you to end the technology robot era and bring your kids outside. Take your children to a park. Take your children to a museum. Show them that there are cooler things to life than technology. Be the change. Sign them up for summer camp!
Lastly, I want to give a huge shout out and thank you to my old camp director Leland Boutilier for all of the wonderful photos inserted above, and to our incredible camp sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of Lynn, Massachusetts. Camp Creighton Pond will always hold my fondest memories and be the place where I learned some of life's most important lessons. Camp will always be a safe haven for me, where I can always go back to visit years later and still feel right at home.
