Winter vacay, festive Holidays, a break in your routine and cherished time with family and friends, yet one thing may remain constant; your teen’s grip on their phone. No matter the season, when you glance in your teen’s direction, are they mid-scroll on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, or Spotify?
With valid concern about our kids’ screen time, why not suggest putting social media to good use over winter break? Instead of just using social media to pass the time, make the most of downtime by proposing your teen take the lead in planning for an amazing summer! Exploring summer opportunities on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok will create feelings of excitement as well as empowerment. On social, your teen will see peers having fun engaging in outdoor activities and hands-on exploring potential career fields together with new friends and old.
Here’s how to blend social media with summer camp planning as the seasons change:
WINTER BREAK:Start by reaching out to a Tips on Trips and Camps Advisor to discuss your teen’s interests and your goals for their summer. We’ll help you create a personalized, carefully curated list of summer options that suit both their passions and your family’s needs. Encourage your teen to check out social media– Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok–for a sneak peek into camp life. They’ll get to see like-minded teens enjoying everything from outdoor adventures to hands-on experiences in potential career fields, all while building lasting friendships. The more they explore, the more they’ll feel empowered to take charge of their summer plans! And don’t forget to compile any questions for your Tips Advisor; we’re here to guide you through every step of the process.
SPRING:Once your teen has made their choice and signed up, it’s time to keep the excitement going! Encourage them to follow their camp on social. This is the perfect way to stay in the loop about pre-program info, traditions, fun facts, and even tips from other participants. Engaging with their future camp community online will help your teen get even more excited for their summer!
SUMMER:Tech-Free time has finally arrived! According to parents, this is one of the best parts about camp! It allows your teen to focus on being present, delving into learning new skills while forming real-life connections and friendships that make camp so special. (Note: Some teen programs may have limited phone time; do check with your Tips Advisor for specific policies.)
FALL:On Spotify, find favorite camp songs that can be belted out and taught to family and friends. Staying connected on social and reliving some of the best moments of summer is the perfect way to wrap up a wonderful and purposeful camp experience!
Wishing all of our families a Healthy & Happy Holiday season! And, Happy camp planning!
Secondly, there is a level of comfort in a brother/sister camp that makes for a great benefit. Sometimes one sibling is more hesitant to venture off to camp, while the other is counting down the days. In this situation, it is comforting to know siblings have each other. If there is a bit of typical homesickness in the beginning, the directors can arrange for siblings to see each other. This situation was what my daughter experienced at camp during her second year. Even though she attended camp the previous summer, she was bit homesick at the beginning of her second summer. Luckily, my daughter was able to connect with her younger brother after dinners. This small moment of togetherness helped her quickly overcome her homesickness and instead became immersed in her side of camp. Furthermore, there is a deeper connection and bond that can occur between siblings when at a brother/sister camp. Although each child will inevitably have their own unique experience, they also will bond over shared specialty counselors and evening events. My son and daughter each came home rattling off their favorite meals, comparing favorite counselors, and competing over who swam the most laps for SCOPE, their camp charity event.
There is a sign that hangs in our summer cottage that reads, “If you get lost, come straight back to camp.” The quote is attributed to L.L. Bean, who posted this directive on the wall of his own hunting camp in Northern Maine in the early 1900s. I am reminded of it as the kids go back to school and the memories of camp slowly begin to be replaced by classes, sports commitments, and the rhythms of the fall schedule.
My 14-year old loves creating “countdowns” on her phone: the countdown to spring break, her birthday, the release of the new Taylor Swift album, etc. But the longest countdown by far, the one she begins months and months ahead of time, is her countdown to sleepaway camp. Though the countdown technically starts the day she comes home from camp each summer, it really begins in earnest on New Year’s Day. At that point, there are nearly 200 days until the start of camp, and cold days with little light don’t feel much like a beautiful summer day on the lake. But weekly check-ins with camp friends, mementos from last summer on her bulletin board, and the friendship bracelets that are still on her wrist remind her that camp is never really that far away.
In his latest book “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” Jonathan Haidt explores the rise of anxiety in children and teens. Haidt details many factors contributing to increased anxiety and a decline in youth mental health, and points to two key issues: 1. a lack of unstructured play and appropriate risk-taking, and 2. the rise of technology and widespread use of smart phones. As parents, we know his observations are true. Kids are on their phones too much and missing out on real connections with their peers. As a result, we are raising more anxious, lonely, and depressed kids. Despite these disturbing trends, Haidt is hopeful and prescribes four key solutions we can implement as a community:
