We’re back from the American Camp Association national conference in Austin, Texas where we enjoyed hearing Dr. David Elkind talk about the power of play (free and unstructured play) in children’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. He was invited to address the conference of sleep away camps because he understands traditional summer camps as excellent contexts where this kind of play is encouraged. Dr. Elkind explains in his new book entitled, The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier and Healthier Children.
Here’s a quote that jumped out at me. He writes,
Not only does summer camp provide children relief from the pressures to achieve, it reacquaints children with the natural world, with the importance of friendship, cooperation, and the fragility of the environment in which we live.
The book, of course, goes into lots more detail and provides specific advice about how to encourage this kind of beneficial play, but here are a couple of the main points.
- Cut TV time to allow for playtime.
- Get children together so they can initiate play.
- Avoid providing too many toys too often.
- Keep free time on the schedule.
- Spend time outside.
There is much to say about each of these, but it’s neat to see how summer camp, and particularly a sleep away camp like Rockbrook, can really encourage them. Camp is just one of those places where kids can be kids.
If you have never been to Rockbrrok, youare issing out! I literally WAIT all year until camp. Every year I write myself a packing list with over a hundered items on it. I would never want to forget anything.(in this time I should be studying) I the skits at night, milk and cookies, new friends, banquet, riflery, archery, and I could go on for pages and pages about everything I love. This is the first year I have kept in touch with my frinds from camp, and I talked to Chloe Post for an hour last night, and she was just as excited as I am! The dance is the best part! You get to dance with a bunch of ghuys you don’r know. The second best part is definitely the counselors. Last year I had the BEST counselor EVER!!!!!! Caroline. she was sooo cool. I also love signing at the table. My parents always get mad at me for signing camp songs at the table when I get. home. My favorite Rockbrook Durprise, other than the dance, is granny bingo night. everyone dresses up as grandmas and we play bingo! I also like auction night. the best part is that you dont know what you are bidding for. You just bid and hope for the best! Having cabin mates is so cool. I mean, everybody has their cabin fights, I mean it wouldn’t be camp without them. But, you get so close to them. Last year, our whole cabin had sooooo many inside jokes we couldn’t even remeber them all. I definitely remember the rafting trip. It was SUCH a long bus ride, but the rafting was fun and left me with lots of memories. Lastly, I am acually making a photo album of all my years at camp. I always take soooooooo many pictures. It helps me remember the GREAT memories. I am counting down the days until I can pack, hit the road, and have some fun!
Do you do gymnastics at RBC??