Category: New Parent Info
Searching for the Mother Lode….as told by a Camp Dad
Camp is a magical place! Filled with friends!! New experiences!!! Delightful memories, blah, blah blah… Yaaawwwnnnn. Sorry, you were saying something Mr. Boring Camp Guy? I dozed off in the middle of your pontificating. Ah, I do go on, don’t I? But camp really is a cool place for kids to spend a summer. And there is a dark side, but you wouldn’t be interested in hearing about that. No, no, yes I would! I am honor-bound to warn you […]
Please Don’t Pack My Cell Phone When I Head to Camp
Dear Mom, I know you have mixed feelings about me not bringing my cell phone to camp. You are used to communicating with me multiple times a day and getting messages that I forgot my lunch, soccer practice is running late, or that I have a math test tomorrow. I’m sure it will feel strange not texting or calling while I am away. Here are a few reasons why it is good for me to “unplug” while I am camp […]
It’s Easy Being Green at TP
Whenever I think of Kermit the Frog, a certain song, “It’s Not Easy Being Green,”comes to mind. While Kermit is referring to the color green in his song, I am reminded of a state of being. When you are “green” at something, it often means that you are new. There are many times in life that we are put in a new situation, whether it be changing schools, joining a sports team or club, moving to a different location, starting a new job, […]
The Impact of Camp on Social and Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. So, what’s the big deal about SEL, you ask?! Have you ever thought about how kids learn this stuff? Believe it or not, the tenants of SEL do not just happen automatically. […]
Look Ma, No Phone!
Sending yours sons away to camp is a pretty big decision – emotionally, financially, and logistically (“How will we get him there? What about the family reunion?”), etc. No, it’s not an easy choice to make, and it’s natural to question if you are doing the right thing by sending them to Towering Pines for the summer. Let me help you with that. You absolutely are making the right decision. In my unabashedly biased opinion, sending your boys to Towering Pines […]