There is a lot of magic at summer camp. Doesn’t matter if its day camp or overnight, a few days or seven weeks, summer camp provides our kids a chance to unplug, drop their defenses, and truly be themselves.
If you’ve ever seen a camper arrive home, you’ll notice they are glowing, exhausted, and thrilled. (If summer camp went really well, you’ll start dealing with camp-sickness, the very opposite of homesickness, very soon.)
At summer camp, our kids get to laugh and learn. They connect with friends new and old for moments that can’t be created back home. They develop their courage, empathy, and independence.
Then, not long after they return home, the ‘real world’ comes back into focus. School’s academic and social demands. After school activities, many too close together, jostle with homework, dinner, and a sliver of family time. Work schedules, drop-offs, pick-ups, appointments, grocery runs….
Life become full and busy back home in a hurry. At camp, life is full… and calm.
The idea behind the Campfire Conversation podcast is a simple one - let’s figure out ways to bring the magic of summer camp back to our homes, classrooms, offices, and playgrounds.
Summer camp professionals and thinkers have a unique vantage point on the lives and growth of children and young adults. They spend months preparing to create a community which brings out the best in each child, young adult, and staff person. They’ve got stories and insights aplenty and just about all can be applied to our lives back home.
We hope you’ll pull up a log and join the digital campfire. If you are a parent, we hope to give you a better idea on why the kids are so crazy about summer camp. If you are a teacher, coach or mentor, we hope to give you a few ideas that you can apply for your students, team, and mentees.
The Campfire Conversation podcast will drop each Friday evening until late May. The conversations will last around thirty minutes and we hope to offer a few surprises, too…. Hey, it’s camp!
We hope you’ll join the conversation in our facebook group and in the comments in the blog. Our campfire is open to one and all and we look forward to speaking with you soon.
Pull up a log, grab a marshmallow and join us.