It’s here, New Years Day; the day when we all return to work and the children all return to school. Right? I thought this to myself as I walked the dog this morning – she has to get a walk in the off season, no freedom of camp to enjoy – and corrected that thought as I remembered that, for most, the work year does not end in May nor begin again in September.
But anyhow, I digress. Happy New School Year Day! No streamers to clean up and no party in Times Square the night before but still a day full of excitement and I am sure some uncertainty in households throughout the land. Some children have been back in school for days or weeks already but today probably marks the day when EVERYBODY is back. New hair, new shoes, new backpack? Perhaps. New attitude? Hopefully! New approach after a fun time at camp, walking a little taller and more assured? Again, hopefully.
Send the camper in your household my very best for the start of this school year, and the best from everybody here at Camp Twin Creeks. Today, we begin planning for the 2016 summer here in our winter offices and that is great news for all concerned!
Amy and I are home now, a few days and a few miles away from our wonderful summer home in West Virginia and we’ve reached the moment when we are often asked by friends, the question; you know, the question…”how was the summer?” We look at each other, smile and tell them that the summer was great. We tell them the summer was without serious incident and we survived! That really does not do our summer justice though, but it’s a concise reply and will usually suffice.
What we should explain to our friends is that each summer we witness wonderful people, both campers and counselors. We see growth and happiness and true comfort that I believe can be seen best in a residential camp setting. Campers return relieved to be in their summer home and happy place. We get to see this on a daily basis and we are so lucky.
Amy and I, along with many of our head staff, also meet and get to know many wonderful families. No matter if this was summer #1 for your family or summer #15 it is always a true pleasure to meet, talk and work together with the goal of giving your child a truly amazing summer camp experience. Whether your camper traveled 30 miles or 5,000+ miles to be at Camp Twin Creeks, thank you for allowing them the opportunity, for making the investment in their childhood and for trusting Amy and I to look after them. This is a responsibility we will never take lightly. Thank you so much!
Finally, in summary, we soon start planning for the next 9 months of winter and of course the 2016 summer. We will host reunions in different regions and countries, stay in touch with emails and newsletters and also maintain our social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and beyond. Look out for news of program and facility improvements, staff returning and much more. We also have a few surprises planned from our multimedia team this summer.
Finally, for real this time, our 2016 rates and dates will be officially announced in the next couple of weeks along with your first re-enrollment opportunity. Until then enjoy the last few days of summer, or the first few days of the school year and remember what I tried to end each session requesting; “make the rest of your world and lives a little more like summer camp.”
Best wishes, Iain and Amy
Summer is upon us, what do you have planned? Family vacations, spend time with friends, relax at home, sports, so many options! With such busy schedules how do you choose to send your child to camp for 2 weeks!?
You know we can think of a million reasons to send your child to camp. We truly believe in the power of summer camp, but this blog post has been sparked by you, the parents of our campers! Instead of us listing the million benefits your child will get from camp, we think it would be nice to see what current camp families have to say about their hopes and expectations for sending their children off for 2 weeks this summer.
During our enrollment process we ask parents, “What are you as a parent looking forward to most about camp?” We get a variety of responses, all which we enjoy reading. As a camp it helps give insight into parents’ minds and really see what they expect to get out of Camp Twin Creeks. Here are a few real answers from parents who have already enrolled their children at Camp Twin Creeks.
“I am looking forward to my children developing self reliance and helping to find out who they are as individuals.”
In this article, Summer Camp: Great for kids, Even Better for Parents, a mom talks about sending her 7 year old daughter to camp and how camp not only benefited her daughter but her as well. Camp allowed her daughter to have ownership of life and gain independence in a safe, fun environment.
Do you have a 4th grader in your family!? If so, get ready for a year of free admission to National Parks for the 2015-2016 school year with the goal to get children outside, exploring America’s great outdoors!
This Fall, President Obama will launch the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative. The effort is to encourage children and families to get out and explore our public waters and land. You can read more about the initiative here and the intended goals.
Get Outside, Get Active, Come To Camp!
Our philosophy at Camp Twin Creeks is to provide children with a fun, safe and happy summer home. Campers will try new activities, learn new skills and make new friend…all while enjoying the great outdoors!
Camp Twin Creeks allows your child to appreciate the abundance of trees and open space, crisp mountain air, the delicious spring water, and so much more. It’s a time to put the electronics down and just be in nature having fun! Check out the National Park Foundation page to find parks in your area!
Have you heard in the news about the mom who let her 9-year-old son ride the Subway alone in New York? These stories have brought up discussion about finding the balance between allowing children to grow and experience life on their own but still protecting them. It’s not an easy balance to find!
This is an interesting article about finding that balance and how important it is to allow children to play (without your constant supervision) in order to raise self-reliant, safe children. Children don’t get as much opportunity to play outside like they did when our parents were children. This is why summer camp can be so important for your child’s social growth.
The article states, “If children are not allowed to take routine risks, they’ll be less likely to be able to handle real risks when they do occur.” The camp environment is perfect for taking small risks like meeting new people, trying different activities for the first time, getting outside of their comfort zone, dealing with being away from home, and more. But our counselors are still there with them every step of the way to give them support and supervision.
We will end with this quote from Dr.Gray because I think it sums up camp perfectly, “Childhood should be a time of freedom and play, not building a résumé for college”!
Happy Reading! Find the full article here.
Watch the video 
Take the tour 
