camp benefits

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 […]

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.

It’s Never Too Early to Think About Camp!

Hopefully, you’re enjoying the end of a fantastic year and the impending approach of an optimistic new one. Although 2013 is still with us, it’s not too early to begin planning for next summer’s camp season. Especially since children have a limited window of opportunity in their lives to benefit from camp, the decision to begin a new camp experience should not be put off. We are already accepting 2014 registrations; because our Illinois girls summer camp near Chicago (or our boys program, like other camps) has limited registrations, if […]

Thoughts on Fostering Child Independence

If you have seen our recently released video of parent testimonials, you’ll notice a theme that ties them all together–fostering independence. Almost every parent mentions that their child comes back more independent than when they first dropped them off at Camp Kupugani. Outside of camp, children are typically seen as somewhat incompetent beings dependent upon adults, with the expectation that children will eventually gain independence during their young adult years. However, at camp we recognize that, at a younger age, independence not only helps children now and later on in life, but also […]

Character Development and Academic Development

I recently communicated with a parent grappling with a decision of not wanting to “reward” her child with summer camp, due to her child’s having to attend summer school. She felt that to reward the child with camp after failing school classes wouldn’t be a good choice. My response was that, while I certainly appreciate the challenging decisions a parent must make, to encourage her to think further whether camp for her child would be an overall benefit, rather than a negative at this point in her child’s development. Camp […]

Psychologist Stresses Benefits of Camp Experiences

Renowned child psychologist Michael Thompson recently wrote an article discussing the positives of attending summer camp as opposed to the narrower opportunities some parents seek to supposedly pad their college resumes, such as attending summer school or specialized skills programs. Thompson’s take is that children develop in profound ways by venturing out to join a camp community. Indeed, having literally drunk the Kool Aid at our multicultural summer camp, we appreciate the reinforcement of an academic in espousing the benefits or camp. Among the many salient points he raises are: […]

Camps Help Make Children Resilient

In a recent article published in the American Camp Association’s Camp Magazine, Dr. Michael Ungar, a professor of social work at Dalhousie University and scientific director of the Resilience Research Centre (go Canada!), discussed how camps, like good schools and loving families, immunize children against adversity by giving them manageable amounts of stress and the supports they need to learn how to cope effectively. Debunking the resilience myth that resilient individuals are those who overcome adversity because of special individual qualities, Dr. Ungar recognizes that studies from fields ranging from child development to […]

Children in Camp Can Be Their Essential Selves

Strategies for Maximizing Childhood Independence

It’s Never Too Early to Think About Camp!

Thoughts on Fostering Child Independence

Character Development and Academic Development

Psychologist Stresses Benefits of Camp Experiences

Camps Help Make Children Resilient

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