Kevin Gordon

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20 Things to Say to Your Daughter Before She’s Grown

At our summer camp for girls in Illinois, we exist for girls as they are, so they imagine the women they can become. Below is a digested version of a good blog post from mom Jenna McCarthy, an internationally published writer, TED speaker and author helping to facilitate similar character development, with some wise/fun specific tips. From a very young age our girls are targeted with messed-up media messages (think “Thin is beautiful, and beautiful is everything, and if you want to be happy, you need these shoes!”) and exposed to all […]

Children in Camp Can Be Their Essential Selves

Below are some excerpts from a Slate article entitled “My Daughter Went Away to Camp and Changed,” by John Dickerson. It provides insight into how kids can be their essential selves at camp–not worrying about how their parents might react. You can also check out the entire article here about children being their essential selves. “Some of my best encounters with our children are the ones they don’t know about. At school pickup, I watch them conspiring with friends. When I drive carpool, I stay quiet so I can hear them […]

The 9 Essential Habits Of Mentally Strong People

At our overnight summer camps near Chicago, we strive to be intentionally empowering and intentionally challenging, so that our campers maximize their potential. Carolyn Gregoire posted this Huffington Post article, summarized below, (and in full at this link) describing nine essential habits of mentally strong people: Mental strength is a difficult-to-define psychological concept that encompasses emotional intelligence, grit, resilience, self-control, mental toughness, and mindfulness. …It’s the reason that some people are able to overcome any obstacle, while others crumble at life’s daily challenges and frustrations. The ability to cope with […]

5 Ways to Raise Kinder Kids

At our summer camp for girls-only and boys-only near Chicago, we try to foster a community where it’s cool to be kinder kids (as opposed to sometimes in the larger community outside camp, where sometimes the prevailing culture is that it’s cool to be cruel.) Sociologist Christine Carter posted this article, summarized below, (and in full at this link). Raising Kinder Kids Model kindness yourself. Kindness can be contagious: when we see someone else perform an act of kindness, we are more likely to feel an impulse to help out, too. […]

Reasons Kids Should Speak Another Language

Studies show there are diverse benefits for a child receiving exposure to a second language. Unfortunately, budget cuts to schools have threatened our children’s introduction to learning another language at a young enough age where they can reap the ultimate social, communicative, and cognitive benefits. In a time when children’s options for learning another language are limited under their schools’ curricula, one potential resource–emphasized by some of the parents at our multicutural summper camp–is consituted by local businesses focused on providing immersive, community-building classes for kids. One such business is […]

Make A Positive Impact in Your Home

At our summer camps for girls and summer camps for boys, we try to be intentional about fostering a culturally competent atmosphere that is welcoming to everybody. Here are some good tips, culled from a calendar from the Anti-Defamation League, detailing how you can make a positive impact in your home. Be an ally – speak out against jokes and slurs that target people or groups. Support young children’s curiosity about diversity in our world. Visit ADL’s Question Corner at www.adl.org for ideas on how. Stop e-mail bigotry at your computer. Forward […]

Strategies for Maximizing Childhood Independence

Children need to develop a sense of independence to successfully navigate an increasingly complex world. As intentional parents and seasoned youth professionals, we realize the need to give them space to grow. Psychologist Michael Thompson spoke with CNN about childhood independence. The author of a book about summer camp as a place for childhood self-discovery, Thompson, who is also a school consultant, recommends having minimal contact with your kids at camp. He also emphasizes that today’s kids are stressed and need whimsy in their lives. See the whole article here.

19 Things to Say to Your Son Before He’s Grown

At our summer camp for boys in Illinois, we exist for boys as they are, so they imagine the men they can become. Below is a digested version of a good blog post from mom Holly Pevzner helping to facilitate similar character development, with some wise/fun specific tips. “There are many (many) life lessons that parents should share with their children, like …be kind, floss every day and always send a post-interview thank-you note. But there are some nuggets of knowledge that are exclusively for boys — things to say […]

Challenging Your Own Biases in All Situations

At our summer camps near Chicago, we emphasize challenging ourselves and celebrating and appreciating the identity of self and others, and the importance of challenging your own biases. Below is a verbatim capsule of great tips from the 2013 calendar from the Anti-Defamation League. Everyone, even those who may make sincere efforts to be aware of their use of language, may find themselves inadvertently using language, or making an insensitive comment, that hurts others. While the intent may have been innocent, the impact of the words may deeply affect the […]

6 Ways to Help Empower Your Kids

Empowering children sometimes means doing things that make you as an adult or parent feel uncomfortable. As well-meaning individuals, we often err or on the side of perceived safety to limit our children’s experiences. Unfortunately, that can be detrimental, since we may be unnecessarily preventing their growth. Speaker Gever Tulley, in this TED talk posits that the best way to help kids learn is to stop trying so hard to keep them safe. He makes the valid argument that sheltering and inordinate focus on perceived “safety” leads to cutting children off […]

8 Life Management Tips to Minimize Stress

In trying to empower the children at our girls-only camps and boys-only camps, we help them maximize their personal development. Especially for those of us who prefer summer sunny blue sky days to those of sometimes cloudy winter, it can also be helpful to manage stress during challenging times. A recent article by Diana Rodriguez, medically reviewed by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD, delineates 8 good tips to help minimize stress. Please see below for highlights and this link for the complete article. Managing Stress: When You Experience a Sudden Spike Put […]

4 Tips for Planning a First-Time Camp Experience

Even though it’s winter, it’s not too soon to start considering how to introduce your child to a first-time camp experience. Below are a few easy tips to start the process. If you’re the parent of a prospective first-time camper, consider your goals for your child. Summer is a great time for her (or him) to try new things. Whatever new experience you’d love to introduce, be sure that s/he is involved in choosing a program. That way s/he keeps a sense of control, which helps to ward off any transition […]