It’s Never too Early to Start Thinking About (Sanborn) Camp!

Yep, the kids are back in school, the decorations have been boxed (almost), and the leftovers have all been consumed. Families have returned from epic “vacations” after which most of us needed an additional vacation. By and large, we are all happily settling back into our pre-holiday routines, going strong with our fitness resolutions, and loving the pseudo-quiet of our everyday households.

And then we wake up and it is February, a particularly grim wintertime month in my opinion.

So it is no surprise that many of us begin to “think summer” during these short, chilly days of winter. Our kids begin to exhibit signs of social and emotional overload—too much school, too much family, too much inside time, “too much EVERYTHING, Mom!” Sigh.

Fortunately, summer IS just around the corner—and summer activities, like summer camp, can be a year-round investment in a child’s social and emotional well-being, and can be a mid-winter motivator for the entire family. Local camp shows, like the 2011 Sanborn Western Camps Road Show in Denver on January 19th at First Plymouth Congregational Church in Englewood, are an excellent opportunity for families to investigate some of the accredited camps in our region.

Many camps also send out informational DVDs these days, so you can plan a “Summer in February” family event for a cold winter night. Instead of battling over which prime-time show to watch, you can light a fire in the fireplace, make some s’mores with your kids, and immerse yourself in the delights of summer by watching your collected camp videos (singing campfire songs around the fireplace afterward is optional).

Beyond creating an excuse to eat marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers in the winter—a summer at camp can be a transformational experience for your children. According to the Peg Smith, CEO of the American Camp Association, summer camp is “an equal opportunity life-changer.” A summer camp experience provides kids with opportunities for:

• Community building
• Critical thinking
• Learning about and respecting the natural world
• Developing lasting life skills
• Gaining leadership
• Practicing resilience
• Promoting independence

These are all characteristics we want to instill in our children. By giving our kids the freedom and opportunity to experience success on their own while at camp, they grow in a unique way. They leave camp with fresh, empowering experiences and new, self-defined skills that will truly motivate and inspire them to BE happier, healthier, and more socially and emotionally balanced individuals.

Because they have had the opportunity to interact with peers and other adults without the constant parental guidance they are accustomed to having, kids return from camp saying:

• I want to come back to camp because it offers a place totally different from home that is the best getaway ever. It’s an inspirational place and it builds self-esteem.
• In nature, I can be myself instead for the stranger the city turns me into.
• What is great about camp is the camaraderie we all share as we live so close together in these special weeks. The memories and friendships we make at camp will last a lifetime.
• The mountains are a place where you can forget about the congestion and commotion of city life and focus on what life really has to offer.
• I am coming back to camp because I have more and better friends here than any other place on earth, each summer is an adventure, and each summer I push myself farther.

Summer camp truly does “give kids a world of good.” So while the winter nights are cold, take a moment to visit CampParents.org with your kids and find an accredited camp in your area—it might not beat the winter blues entirely—but sitting around watching camp videos of horseback riding through green aspens, tubing down rivers under sunny skies, or rock climbing in shorts and t-shirts might just be enough to put a smile back on your face as you dream of the warmer days to come.

Guest blogger Ariella Randle Rogge is an Associate Director/Program Director at Sanborn Western Camps in Florissant, CO. She has spent the last twenty years working as a youth development professional in the camping industry and in the experiential and secondary education fields. She is a passionate advocate and supporter of the Children in Nature movement and utilizes her expertise in social media to emphasize the importance of outdoor and camp experiences for all children. Ariella received a B.A. in English from Colorado College and is a certified secondary English educator and Wilderness EMT. She lives happily in the Colorado woods with her husband and two adventurous young sons.

Author: Mile High Mamas