When my son turned 10 I knew summer should be more than trips to the park and television. And so I entered the world of SUMMER CAMP.
Today, my son is 15 and has attended Swift Nature Camp for, four years and he will return for as long as we can. He loves it. His ADHD seems to be little trouble at camp.
The counselors and directors at SNC have a great, hands-on approach to leadership, social skills development and confidence-building.
Jeff and Lonnie, along with enthusiastic counselors, provide an atmosphere that encourages positive life skills to be developed. My son has greater peer understanding and empathy, better self-confidence and trust, his leadership skills increased, an understanding of group dynamics and fair process and many other valuable relational skills.
As a parent I was nervous sending him to a place I had not been, but it was worth it! After talking to Jeff and Lonnie *the Directors) over the phone before I decided the Discovery Camp was best . A special program for the First Time Going to Camp
The Directors willingness to discuss any and all question, made it easy to calm my fears then making the decision easy. So off my son went taking the bus to camp, Yet, I picked him up when camp was over so I could see first-hand all what Swift nature camp was all about.
During the 8-hour journey home, he was so excited about Swift that I'm not sure he took a breath between stories.
The SNC website tells you everything you need to know and I love how the camp is set up. The cabins are by gender and age and do activities together, including laundry (!)
In the afternoons the campers can choose a variety of typical camp activities (arts & crafts, archery, swimming, horses and much more).
On top of this, the camp is dedicated to environmental awareness and nature preservation. They have a nature center with microscopes and frogs and tadpoles and lots of hands on activities. There is also a small petting zoo of well-adored animals.
Laughter, games, campfires, food, sports, fun, drama, singing,are all what makes this overnight camp experience one my son will remembers for his entire life.
As a parent, I appreciate that this isn't a "sports camp" or "math camp" or something ultra specific. Kids at SNC get to be kids and by experiencing all sorts of different activities and a diverse set of campers and counselors, learn more about themselves than at a specialized camp.
My son has learned so much from SNC. We have noticed a big difference in his attitude, manners and abilities. He is more mature, pleasant and competent. These experiences and social education are worth any price.
We used to joke that you can find math, reading, or science tutors but no tutors in social skills. Well we were wrong! This is exactly what my son needed at exactly the right time in his life.
Should you be thinking about overnight summer camp for your kid, consider Swift. I think it is so successful because it is a non-competitive, confidence-building camp where kids get to be kids. I know it is the best thing we ever did for our son.
Thanks Jeff, Lonnie and all the fabulous counselors, cooks, nurses, etc. We hope our son will join your camp as a counselor when he is older (it is a new goal of his)!
You can also find more information on how to pick a summer camp at this website FINDING a CAMP
No related posts.
Comments on this entry are closed.