Summer break for some means endless days of swimming, bike riding and playing ball in the street.
For others, though, it means simply finding something to do. The boredom can be hard to beat.
For generations, summer camp — a way for kids to get outdoors and experience nature — has been the answer.
The traditional camping experience is still alive and well, despite the popularity of camps specializing in everything from volleyball to animal care.
Traditional summer camp often means leaving home for a week or two to face new challenges and learn new skills alongside a new set of peers. It can be a young person’s chance at adventure.
Many summer camps are open to 6- to 17-year-olds. For some, the first day away from home is painful. It can be difficult saying goodbye to Mom and Dad, choosing a bunk, unpacking and hoping to make it on their own.
Fortunately, those fears often don’t last long.
“It’s amazing how quickly they get over it,” said Pastor Brad E. Meyer, an employee at Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, Neb. “If you look at a pair of kids on day two, they act like they’ve known each other for a lifetime.”
Over the years, the traditional summer camp experience has remained much the same. Bonfires, flag ceremonies, canoeing and horseback riding are still staples at many camps. But new activities such as zip lines, high ropes and rock climbing walls have joined the summer camp experience, too.
It’s one way camps have adapted to kids’ interests. The youngsters, for their part, leave their cell phones, iPods and video games at home. There’s no place for texting at summer camp.
Without the technology, campers often become close. On blazing afternoons in the heart of summer, they cool off together with a cold treat. They team up to paddle canoes in a lake. They share s’mores and ghost stories around a campfire. And when the going gets tough — during those long hikes or taxing obstacle courses — they cheer on one another.
Together, they discover the wonder of camp and make memories that last a lifetime.
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