A note from the Directors:
|
Apr 1st, 2007
|
| The Power of Camp |
| In the January-February 2007 issue of Camping Magazine, David Elkind talks about the value of traditional camps like Killooleet. He laments that, "Over the last two decades alone, children have lost twelve hours a week of time to engage in self initiated activity." Children's unstructured play time has been replaced with academics, organized sports and passive leisure activities (television, computer games). Schools are cutting back on recess and parents are leaning towards structuring more of their childs time with academics, sports, language and computer skills. "At least one rationale for cutting back on play is that it is a luxury we cannot afford in our competitive high-tech, global economy. Yet this negative attitude toward play reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what children need for healthy mental, physical and social/emotional growth." Elkind links three fundamental human drives: the need for work (adapting to the demands of the physical and social environment), the need for love (expressing our desires, feelings and emotions), and the need for play (expressing our individuality imagination, and transforming the world). While the intensity and prominence of these drives vary throughout our lives, he observes that the most powerful learning, and the greatest happiness, occur when we are able to engage all three of these needs. Particularly in the camp aged years, teachers, parents, and others who can provide children the opportunities for unstructured time, for choice, for exploration, and for support from peers are most successful in encouraging learning of all kinds--social and emotional as well as academic. Programs that focus on structured preparation experiences may provide useful skills, but at the risk of missing the more valuable experiences of social learning and developing the skills for self expression and group interaction that are so critical in modern workplaces. In addition, he notes that just as we remember the powerful bad experiences of our lives (disasters, loss of loved ones), we also remember powerfully good moments, which we often call upon for strength in times of difficulty, grief, or mourning. Elkind observes that camps designed the way Killooleet is are especially well suited to providing opportunities for creating these good memories. His conclusion is worth quoting at length: "It is sad to realize that so many children who could go to a traditional camp miss out on so many of these experiencesbecause their summer experience is devoted to instructional programming and skill building. I believe children in those camps lose much more than they gain because they are not exposed to the play, love, and work trilogy. But most of all, they are deprived of those powerfully happy moments that stay with us for a lifetime, and provide a reservoir of strength for those times when we need it most." Quotes from David Elkind, Play, Love, Work The Values of the Traditional Camp Experience, Camping Magazine Jan/Feb 2007, pp. 21-24 David Elkind is a professor of child development at Tufts University. His books include, The Power of Play, The Hurried Child, and All Grown Up and No Place To Go. |
Home ~ Arts ~ Sports ~ Camping and Exploration ~ The Details
Inquiries ~ Counselor Opportunities ~ Alumni Update ~ Photo Gallery
|
Site photos by Kate Seeger, Dean Spencer, Elissa Seeger Website design ~ CarterSpace |
 |