FOUR . . . FIVE . . . SIX! The counselor seemed pleased with the new troop record as he flicked the last leech off my soaked oversized camp T-shirt. My intention wasn’t to fall out of the canoe, mind you, but my oar skills were as bad as my balance, and gravity took over. Literal bloodsuckers, the highlight of my harrowing trips to the camp lagoon each summer. I sloshed back to the lodge, looking forward to more blistering sun, munching black flies, and dodgeballs to the face.
My early experience at summer camp left a lot to be desired. In my formative years, I excelled at being an only child, a loner who could find camaraderie in a lot of inanimate objects. Human friends weren’t as prevalent, as they tend to touch your toys a lot. But options were more limited then, my parents worked, and I just couldn’t be trusted alone in the house. Let’s just say I loved to take things apart but grew bored of putting them back together.
So naturally, every summer they enrolled me—a kid you wouldn’t necessarily label outdoorsy—into a nature activity day camp. All day. Outside. New England humidity. Mosquitoes the size of your head. Tree stuff, dirt and sometimes mud, and poison ivy that mandated sweatpants and crew socks for this guy every day in July. But other than that, it was great.
Fortunately, in the present-day universe with my own kids, the stories are far different. This summer, my girls can explore Adventures in Writing. They can snorkel in one of the world’s most beautiful marine habitats. They might rock their sax off learning from musicians at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the legendary annual event that has helped define the genre for nearly 70 years. Not bad. For June.
In our little community alone, the choices read like the menu of The Cheesecake Factory, from all-day athletics at All Saints Day School to the (Monterey) Zoo, plus air (at Rising Star Gymnastics), anything you could imagine on land, and of course, SEA(Lab). Granted, we live in a special place featuring world-class places, people, and natural wonders. But all that aside, there are camp options for every interest and every kid, and most have scholarship opportunities.
If school is the foundation of learning, camps are the windows to the world, chances to learn new skills and connect with new people (or creatures, in my case). But what may be the most special thing about camp is leaving your comfort zone. School days are built on routine and systemic success, but sharing the balance of chaos in unfamiliar settings tests our boundaries and hopefully creates growth. Like so many of the sessions listed in this month’s issue, great camps achieve this goal while maintaining safe and supportive environments. Every. Single. Day.
While my own time at camp wasn’t ideal, I’d be lying if I said the experience didn’t teach me valuable life lessons. Hydrate regularly. Wear sunscreen and bug spray. Don’t stand up in a canoe. It also helped me figure out what I enjoy—and what I don’t. I try to share this with my girls whenever we try something new—from arts and music to sports and STEM—and this summer will be no different. But hopefully with far less leeches.
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