Kevin Gordon

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Posts by Kevin Gordon:

5 Rituals That Will Make You An Awesome Parent

Camp Kupugani is our Midwest summer camp offering two-week sessions for children ages 7-15. Realizing that campers will often do for magical counselors so much more than they will for even the most connected parents, we found this article from the folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree describing 5 rituals that will make you an awesome parent. You can read the whole piece here or check out the summary below. Here are the 5 rituals that will make you an awesome parent. Remember to SERVE: Self-Care: Happy parents make […]

5 Ways to Live a Long, Healthy Life

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp, we definitely enjoy being active and social in the outdoors. Here is an article on how to live a long, awesome life by emphasizing health, positivity and exercise. Check out the article by Barking Up the Wrong Tree here (https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2021/04/exercise/) and see a quick summary below. Exercise is not natural. Neither is being sedentary. We did not evolve to move for no reason but we have been excellent at eliminating reasons. Not moving turns twenty-year-olds in forty-year-olds faster than… well, a lot faster than […]

6 Ways to Make Emotionally Intelligent Friendships

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp, a main goal of the experience is to empower our campers to cultivate new friendships. Here is an article on how to make emotionally intelligent friendships. Check out the article by Barking Up the Wrong Tree here (https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2021/03/friendships/) and see a quick summary below. Stay in touch: Friendship is not an arena where you want to play hard to get. What are you, a carnival prize? Gratitude: If we’re more kind to strangers than to friends, we are definitely doing something wrong. Quality > Quantity: […]

How to Be Happy Without Trying Too Hard

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp, we appreciate that happiness can be a challenging space in which to live consistently. Here is an article to help be happier without having to try too hard. Check out the article by Barking Up the Wrong Tree here (https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2021/03/happier-without-really-trying/) and see a quick summary below. Your brain is a time traveler It projects into the past and future constantly and this can be an express ticket to regret and anxiety. Counteract it with mental distance to regain control. Say your name “I” […]

4 Secrets That Will Make You Emotionally Intelligent

At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp, we strive to help our community maximize emotional intelligence. No matter how one feels about oneself, we can always get even better! Here is an article to help become even more emotionally intelligent. Check out the article by Barking Up the Wrong Tree here and see a quick summary below of the “four R’s” regarding how to do it. Realize Self-awareness can stem from others’ thoughts. Recognize and label Ask yourself how you’re feeling. Label the emotion specifically. Refine Broaden your emotional vocabulary. […]

Some insights from Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

Kevin Gordon, Director of Camp Kupugani in Leaf River, IL–located two hours west of Chicago–recently read Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. According to Wilkerson, “caste is the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy.” Racism and casteism overlap; “what some people call racism could be seen as merely one manifestation of the degree to which we have internalized the larger American caste system.” […]

5 Best Overnight Sleepaway Summer Camps In 2021

Your favorite summer camp has again being recognized for excellence. Check out why Camp Kupugani has been honored as one of the best 5 overnight sleepaway summer camps for 2021! 10 Best Overnight Sleepaway Summer Camps In 2023

4 Steps To Increase Happiness, According To A New Study

Especially over the past year, it has been challenging for many to stay well, given added isolation and stress. At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp, we recognize that even the strongest human can struggle. A recent research paper offers a mental training plan on the “how” of well-being. With four key behaviors that tend to contribute most to overall satisfaction, the plan helps folks cultivate mental wellness. The full article originally from HuffPost is at this link, or check out our summary below. Cultivate Awareness — And ‘Meta-awareness’ Awareness […]

How to Solve the Top 10 Parenting Problems

Camp Kupugani is our Midwest summer camp offering two-week sessions for children ages 7-15. We recognize that even the best of parents and families can struggle sometimes. We found this article from Mom Junction describing the top 10 parenting problems and solutions. You can read the whole piece here or check out our summary below. Frequent Tantrums? When they are in this mode, they don’t see clearly. Don’t lose your cool. Allow your child time. Children Who Do Not “Obey” This can often be your children trying to assert their […]

6 Ways to Engage Shy People (or for Shy People to Be Engaging)

Lots of people, like this current blog writer for instance, are either shy or formerly shy people. At Camp Kupugani–our overnight Midwest summer camp pretty close to Chicago, IL and Madison, WI, we recognize this. We want each child to be the best version of themselves, sometimes stretching to do so. Because not every person has the same level of comfort in dealing with others, we found this article from Learning Mind about how to engage an introvert. (Also useful for just any social interaction…) Read our brief takeaways below […]

How to Make Your Kids Amazing

Camp Kupugani is our Midwest summer camp located in the beautiful wilderness of Northwest Illinois. We know your children are already pretty great; here is an article to help your children be even a bit more amazinger (that is totally a word…okay, it is now?). Check out the article by Barking Up the Wrong Tree here and see a quick summary below. Help Your Kiddos with Balance Green zone? All is well, happy, peaceful Red zone? Losing control, acting out Blue zone? Kids shut down or withdraw How to get […]

3 Ways to Maximize Your Resilience

These days, it is especially important to continue hanging in there, especially given many life challenges. At our Midwest summer camp, we emphasize the importance of resilience in character building. The good folks at Barking Up the Wrong Tree have a recent post regarding fostering resilience. Check out the full article at this link, or the excerpt below. These are the 3 things the most resilient people do every day: Goals: Have some. Think about the key areas of your life and finish the sentence, “I want…” Then get specific. Oh, […]