The start of our Camp season is only a little more than a month away, so to help our newest campers get even more excited for the summer we recently hosted two new camper parties. On Sunday, May 3 campers from all over New England gathered at the Boston Rock Gym for a morning of making new friends, meeting our amazing counselors, and learning more about the Kenwood & Evergreen experience. Our new campers learned some of our favorite camp songs and cheers, and had a chance to ask our many staff who were once K&E campers all about what it is like to spend a first summer in NH away from home.

Just yesterday we brought the Camps Kenwood & Evergreen team south to the NJ Rock Gym in Fairfield, NJ for our second New Camper Party of the year. By 11 am almost 60 boys and girls from around the NY, NJ and CT area were forging new bonds with their peers, laughing with their counselors and saying goodbye to any lingering doubts they might have had about trying out this overnight camp experience. Over 3 dozen of our staff took time out of their busy lives to be there, and help our new campers get even more excited for the summer!

At both events, while our newest campers were having a great time playing with their peers and counselors, Scott and Phyllis held an information orientation for our new camp parents. Our campers’ parents are an important part of our community, and as camp directors we value our partnership with them.

With our new camper parties completed the Camp Office will now turn its full attention to preparing for the 2 weeks of staff training that will begin on June 16. Quite simply, we cannot wait. We cannot wait to see the return of so many familiar faces, along with the many new ones we are just getting to know.

"Should I Be Sending My Children To Camp?" It's the question that so many parents are asking themselves right now. Thankfully, we have one of the most revered child development experts in America to help answer this question. We invite you to read this exerpt from a very insightful blog posting that famed child psychologist Dr. Michael Thompson wrote for the Huffington Post. Dr. Thompson is the author of many best-selling books on children and child development, including "Raising Cain" and "Homesick and Happy". Thankfully, he is also a consulting psychologist for Camps Kenwood & Evergreen!

(this article was originally published in the Huffington Post)

Some six million children in the United States are preparing psychologically to go away to sleepaway camp. Whether these departing children are camp veterans or nervous rookies, they are mentally rehearsing being away from mom and dad, their comfortable beds, their pets, favorite meals and, of course, their beloved iPhones, Facebook and video games.

During the winter their parents made the decision -- and found the money -- to make it possible for their kids to leave their families and their comfortable homes so that they could spend a week or two or four in a rustic, more-or-less uncomfortable cabin getting bitten by mosquitoes. They will live with a bunch of other kids, some of whom are fantastic, others quite annoying. They will eat a balanced diet of grilled cheese sandwiches and Fudgesicles with the occasional corn dog for good measure. They will play fun but aimless games like "Capture the Flag" and sit around campfires watching hilarious, dumb skits that almost no one remembers two days later (except the authors, of course). They will master skills such as archery and kayaking, horseback riding and waterskiing, none of which will impress their varsity coach or their AP Bio teacher when they return to school.

While the campers are messing about in the woods, many of their peers will be attending summer school or specialized skills programs. Their responsible, if sometimes Tiger-ish, moms and dads will be investing their money in their children's future differently, sending them to one-week soccer and lacrosse programs, SAT prep courses and unpaid internships designed to polish skills, boost scores and impress college admissions officers. Instead of spending three weeks at an all-around camp, these children will be focused on skill-building, sometimes in three different specialized programs to which their parents drive them every day (allowing time for that all-important debrief in the car going home).

Which set of parents has it right? Or more to the point: Does an overnight camp experience still make sense in this competitive, resume-building world? From this psychologist's point of view, the answer is a resounding YES. I believe that children develop in profound ways when they leave their parents' house and join a camp community.

Learning to sleep away from home is, of course, a critical step on the way to independence. Part of the challenge is beating homesickness, which may be hard for some children, and which, by definition, your parents cannot help you do. Kids know they have to do this sooner or later. As my son once remarked with horror, "If you can't learn to sleep away from home, you have to live with your parents for the rest of your life." But beyond that, there are things that, as a parent, you cannot do for your children, as much as you might wish to. You cannot make them happy (if you try too hard they become whiners); you cannot give them self-esteem and confidence (those come from their own accomplishments); you cannot pick friends for them and micro-manage their social lives, and finally you cannot give them independence. The only way children can grow into independence is to have their parents open the door and let them walk out. That's what makes camp such a life-changing experience for children.

(PLEASE click here to read more of what Dr. Thompson wrote in this recent Huffington Post article)

Last week most of the Kenwood & Evergreen Leadership team had the opportunity to gather in Atlantic City for the 31st annual Tri-State Camp Conference. Tri-State is the largest summer camp conference in the world, and an incredible chance each year for camp professionals to hear speeches by thought leaders and scholars, participate in more than 150 educational sessions with experts on everything from child development to staff management to coaching, learn about the best practices of other camp programs, and view the latest innovations in camp-related equipment and services. It was an incredible event!

Throughout the week the team took part in a wide range of workshops. Some of us participated in leadership training seminars while others studied up on the latest Camp safety standards for the waterfront, ropes course and even the kitchen. There were classes about new techniques for interviewing staff, about learning new and creative activities for rainy days, and about how to help campers who are reticent to participate in activities outside of their comfort zones. There were sessions on food service and maintenance and so much more! I even had a meeting with other camp directors to share our best & most creative Color War break outs with each other -- more on that in the future!

On Wednesday we heard a fascinating speech by educator, researcher, and New York Times best selling author Jonathan Kozol titled "Providing Equal Opportunities to Every Child Regardless of Racial Origin or Economic Level". We were riveted as he discussed the growing racial and socio-economic gap that impacts the lives of so many Americans, and the power that overnight camp has to reshape the life chances of all children. Kozol's speech was provocative and passionate, and left us all with much to think about.

Every evening, after a full day of discovery and professional development, the K&E team joined up with our friends at Everwood Day Camp for some fun and friendship (and to share what we had individually learned). As you can see from these photos we laughed a lot, and even tried out some of the rainy day games that we learned at the conference. A good time was had by all!

Though it was a VERY long drive home on Friday afternoon (for some of us it took over 8 hours!) we were thrilled to have participated in such a fun, thought-provoking conference. We can't wait to show you all that we learned this summer!