August is like the Sunday of months. You’re not in school just yet, but returning to your academic schedule is looming right around the corner. You have only a little more time to savor your freedom and fun before your 8:00am (or earlier) wake up calls begin to signal a new school day. No one ever wants summer to end, however a cold hard fact we all have learned year after year is that it eventually will.
The prospect of the summer finale is a feeling generally met with melancholy, though it doesn’t at all have to! One of the best ways to relive your wonderful summer experiences is by remembering all the great times you had at camp and how you can continue making great memories—only now it will happen in a slightly different setting.
As shocking as this might sound to some of you, while you’re at camp your not only having fun with your friends and counselors, but you are also learning. Crazy, right? You might be originally drawn to a camp because you want to learn how to play a new sport, better your abilities in something you already love doing, or just to get out of the house however, by summer’s end you can be proud of yourself for accomplishing those goals and many more that you hadn’t even considered!
Camp is a wonderful conduit for teaching children their worth, expanding on their capabilities and becoming a well-rounded, successful person. If you take a moment to sit back and reflect on your time at camp I’m sure you will remember a situation where a fellow camper was injured and you quickly rushed to their aid to see if he or she was alright, or when a teammate was upset with their performance in a game or activity and you let them know that sometimes people have off days and that’s totally ok! Or perhaps there was a moment when you doubted yourself or you were scared in a new situation and your counselors and friends were quick to relegate your worth and importance.
These are only a few examples out of probably hundreds you yourself can come up with when remembering your time at camp. And while you might be nervous that one day these memories will fade, I can guarantee you they most certainly won’t. Come school time you’ll revisit situations that you’ve experienced before. As previously mentioned, you might be in a different setting but the solutions will stay the same. A friend might be having a tough time in class and you’ll be able to instill confidence in her. Or you might be out during recess when a classmate rolls his ankle in kickball and you’ll be there with expert knowledge to help him feel better.
It is true that the days of summer and camp are going to soon come to a close, but everything you have learned will persist throughout the year. Camp is a time for individual growth and shared experiences. It’s great that these principles are so broad because that means they’re applicable truly anywhere and you now have the confidence to use them everywhere.
