| Has your Child Lost Their Electronic Connection?

Has your Child Lost Their Electronic Connection?

Summer camp has been a wonderful experience for generations of Americans. For many it is a time of increased independence, sleeping away from home and making new friends. For others who did not get the opportunity to go to Outdoor Camp just don’t get it.

Summer camp has long been the back drop for many a book and movie alike. The Parent Trap and Indian Summer just to name a few. However, the Documentary “Summercamp!” is one of the most realistic true stories about summer camp. It is filmed at Swift Nature Camp in Wisconsin. During the filming over 300 hours of film was used to make this charming 90 minute feature.

These days parents heavily schedule their children making it more difficult to plan for summer camp. In addition, we parents, have given much more importance to technology than nature. After all the boogie man outside rarely comes in to harm your child. Thus making the world of mature unsafe. It is estimated that most children spend nearly 6 hours a day in front of some sort of screen.

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: finds this untouching of nature a sad situation in child development. Nature-deficit disorder, he feels, is linked to some of the most alarming trends for our children. Including rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

Summer Camp is a place that can help children grow to love nature as well as teach all children independence and friendship. This connection with others and nature is imperative to raise a generation that is in tune to preserving and protecting earth. With so many specialized camps how do we find a camp that has traditional values and a nature focus?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about your summer camp Are electronics allowed? Ipod, computers and cell phones take away from the camp experience. Often these electronics allow some children to hide in their electronics and not participate. Louv feels child could be easily distracted if his or her tent mates spent all day playing the latest hand-held video games or text messaging their family back home. Plus it does not help children get into the camp mindset.

Does the camp have an Outdoor Focus? Louv suggests some camps are trying to be all things to all people. No longer are camps seen as a traditional time in the woods. Historically, summer camps used their natural settings, and encouraged chidren to to play in a outdoor environment. Today this is no longer true, many camps take place on college campuses.

Can children play without direction in Nature? Nature-deficit disorder is nearly always due to parents overscheduling kids. Louv suggests this gives kids less time and energy to explore their natural world on their own. Summer camps have figured this out and design structured and nonstructured play. When children play on their own, they have to figure it out and work together, what a wonderful learning experience.

Is there Environmental Education? Does camp schedule time where nature can be explored and discovered? These times should be hands on and not like school. Does a theme of the outdoors run within all activities? Are “WOW” moments created that hightlight the wonders of nature? Does the summer camp try to reduce its environmental footprint? Does it compost and recycle?

The food can say a lot. Camps for years have been known for lousy food. Yet, over the years this has changed. More kids and staff are vegetarians. What about fried foods? Do they have a salad bar with fruits and yogurt? Despite all this, it must taste good and be kid friendly.

If any of this sounds like something of interest to your child, try looking at Swift Nature Camp. This is a small coed camp for children 6-15. It has a very strong emphasis not only on developing a desire to learn more about nature but also undrestanding why we need to respect it. This Outdoors Camp engage kids in hands on, fun-filled learning. A child’s natural curiosity and self-discovery make this program work… This Environmental Camp is NOT School.

Campers can bring their own small critters from home and let them live in the Nature Center for all to see and learn about. Combined this learning with the beautiful natural surrounding and canoe and backpack trips, children cannot help but form an appreciation for the nature.

A wonderful community is born each summer when kids from all over the world come together to learn more and appreciate nature . This community helps a child mature by providing support and encouragement. SNC encourages campers to be more self-reliant and in-tune to others. Thus creating more sensitive and understanding children. Do you feel Earth might just need a little more understanding of its inhabitants while needing to understand and respect nature? Swift Nature Camp mightbe the place for your child this summer.

If you are just starting to look at summer camps and would like more information, please see Summer Camp Advice Camp Guide.

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