Carpe diem. Lauren and I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a happy spring…finally. I then want to offer the words of Henry David Thoreau who wrote in Walden to “Simplify, Simplify.” One word, repeated twice. What a useful reminder! Reading a section of another book recently, I stumbled upon Thoreau’s words. With this message of simplifying in mind, I want to highlight two healthful updates for this summer toward that end and our thinking behind them.
Unplugged…Our evolving approach to tech on camp. Camp provides the space for the unique opportunity of an “unplugged” experience. The focus gets to be on connecting with camp friends, staff, and the beautiful natural surroundings. Items that interfere with the goals of our camp community simply do not belong in the camp setting. To be clear, all cell phones (regardless of what their intended use may be and including “back-up” cell phones) are not allowed at camp. Laptops, I-Pads with Cellular, Kindle Fires and portable DVD players are also NOT allowed. Bringing a basic I-Pad or I-pod touch to camp is strongly discouraged. We do acknowledge that there are some items that campers may wish to bring with them for use in the cabin during “downtime.” Unfortunately, many items campers may bring for “downtime” (hand-held games, e-readers, I-pods, basic I-pads or I-touches) are now almost always internet connectable. Since we do not want to ban the use of items like these when they are for camp appropriate activities like reading a book or listening to music, we do reluctantly allow their use during quiet time in the cabin. Internet that is available at camp in order to assist various areas or camp offices in running effectively is locked and cannot be accessed by campers. We hope this helps to clarify both our reasoning behind the nuanced policy AND the actual policy (which will be enforced). To delve deeper into this hot button issue, check out the following npr interview with Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. We have found it illuminating.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665933
Healthy Choices…What’s new at Granny’s. In addition to trying to create a more healthful space where our campers and staff can be freed up to really explore and more deeply connect, we have put a lot of energy into what we offer at our famous Granny Sara’s Store. Part of the balance we are looking to strike in this realm is with allowing our campers to make their own choices AND with providing more healthy options from which to choose. With that, we are happy to announce that we will offer bottled water, Vitamin Water, less soda, and even more nutritious (and still delish) options. We feel strongly that what we feed our bodies is just as important as what we feed our minds. Camp provides endless opportunities for being active and being outside. Being healthful also demands that we give ourselves more of the “right stuff” to help us re-fuel.
Lauren and I welcome the opportunity to talk in more depth with any of our camp families about these two areas.