The sleep away camp for kids seems to be a right of passage that many of us have embarked on during our childhood, and we often carry magical memories of the experience. In reflecting on our experience, I wonder what role did camp play in developing us into the human beings we are today? Whether it was scout camp, camp Olympia, OSLC, or a school trip, these outings all provide powerful learning experiences that cannot be measured on a report card or by a grade. In the learning language of the Common Ground Collaborative, what concepts, competencies and character traits were learned? This is why I am such an advocate for outdoor education and service learning opportunities in school programs. I love the work the Jump Foundation and others do to make such a difference in kids lives. Students learn a great deal on many levels, and create memories that will last a lifetime. When you ask adults what they remember about their years in school, these experiences come up all the time. I recently blogged about the power of the filed trip, which was in grade 8 for me, (a short 30 plus years ago…) If you ask me what I learned in my other classes, I cannot recall.
Finley and Grace just completed 5 nights and 6 days at RKY Camp, north of Kingston. A friend recommended it, and we could tell it was going to be a great experience when the first two counselors we met excitedly told us it was their 9th and 10th year at RKY, both as camper and now counselor. 
The learning is rich right from the outset, which we could observe, as we shared the packing list with them, and they had to get everything ready while we took care of some other preparations. The process of packing all of the essential items, fitting it all into their duffel bag, and planning on how to keep themselves organized in a cabin of 10 people, builds some wonderful self-management skills. It is clear that they were both thinking about how to keep themselves organized, even before they left, as you can see from our conversation below. They were so excited and could hardly sleep. Here are some snippets from out conversation:
What are you excited about?
F – Meeting new friends and going out and having an adventure, Having fun, Good meals, Jumping in lake
G – Meeting new friends and playing games
What are you nervous about?
G – if I can’t do something or don’t know what to do and it’s my turn
F – Maybe my duffel will get unorganized
What do you think the highlight will be?
F – Eating treats with friends
G – Games and jumping in the lake
What do you think the most difficult thing will be?
F – Finding my way around and getting settled
G – Keeping things organized
What do you think you will learn?
G – About nature and lake creatures and bugs
F – About nature and maybe how to stay organized
What do you think you will learn about yourself? (This was a tricky question as I had to explain what it meant.)
F – I like nature more than I think I do
G – I can do more things than I think I can
Any other thoughts?
G – I hope I meet a good friend 
F – I hope the food is yummy
When they returned we asked the same questions to see if their expectations and thoughts matched up.
How did you feel about what you were excited about?
F – Exactly, those were my favorite things, there was also free time to do whatever you wanted and bring a buddy. Jump in the lake, archery, rock climbing, high ropes, all kinds of awesome things!
G – Meeting new friends was amazing and I loved the games.
How do you feel about what you were nervous about?
G – I was fine about the instructions but the spiders made me nervous.
F – I was wrong, I stayed very organized. Some other people were a disaster…
What was the highlight?
F – I loved going to the tuck and sharing treats. I traded a sour gummy for chips, 1 point for 2 points!
G – I loved jumping in the lake and free time and rest time was great!
What do you think the most difficult thing will be? Anything else difficult?
F – Getting settled wasn’t difficult but it was big and hard to find our way around. It was beautiful. Getting to know people in my cabin and remembering all the names.
G – I actually did work hard to keep things organized.
What did you learn?
G – I didn’t learn what I thought I would. I learned new games.
F – I didn’t really learn about nature but I did learn how fun camp can be and how different it was than how I thought it would be.
What did you learn about yourself?
F – I didn’t know that games like the clash of colors was harder and not as fun when you don’t know people as well as like in school.
G – I was very proud of myself for doing more than I thought I could.
Any other thoughts?
G – I met some great friends and can’t wait to do it again.
F – I hoped the food was yummy – The food was yummy.
What concepts do they now understand more about because they were at camp?
What competencies were built?
What character traits were honed?
This was a fantastic learning experience for our kids, which they have both said they wish to repeat. We have the opportunity to provide this type of experience for our own children, and those in our schools. I’ll never forget a young man in grade 8 at the American School of Doha when we travelled to Malaysia to have an outdoor education and service experience. On the second night I took the group to the water on the far side of the island where there were no lights and only the sounds of nature. We all lay flat on our backs and looked up at the stars in silence; we listened to the sounds of nature that were so simple, but so powerful. This group of 30 students did not want to leave and we stayed there for an hour. In his reflection this 8th grade student wrote, “being in nature with no lights, seeing the stars so bright and hearing the beautiful sounds of the jungle changed my life; what an amazing world we live in”.
What are your experiences with students and transformational learning in outdoor education and service?
What about your own camp experiences as a child or young adult?
Six years ago Renee and I dropped Carter off at Muskoka Woods. We were very proud of the fact that Carter was quite comfortable going to the camp despite the fact that he did not know anyone who was going. I think that drop off was more difficult for Renee and I than Carter.
A week later we picked up a child who had absolutely been transformed. He confidently lead us on a tour of the camp explaining where his different activities had taken place. It was obvious that he had made some close friends and it was also obvious that he wanted to return the next summer. The word TRANSFORMATIONAL is the word I use to describe an experience at sleep away camp!
As a family living overseas, the Muskoka Woods experience is the one main constant of our summers. We live in different places each summer, scrambling for a place to stay because our house is rented but the sleep away camp experience is the thing that stays the same. Now both Carter and Maryn attend the camp and are insistent about returning each summer. The experience has been priceless!
Thanks Pat, fascinating the different perspective from an international family to a national as camp can be that national grounding kids identify as “home”. How much do you think your international lifestyle prepared them for this experience to jump in and give it a go? There are certainly advantages and disadvantages of the international lifestyle.
Thanks so much for sharing
Mike and Rose
We were unsure our son could have a camp experience where he would thrive and where my husband and I could relax and feel happy about his adventure—Rodrigo has type 1 diabetes.
We found a camp that specialized in supporting kids with diabetes. My son went kicking and screaming thinking it would all be a pity trip with endless injections.
It was indeed a transformational experience for Rodrigo to be at camp. He made friends he still talks about, counselors who honored him and his cabin mates, he learned to swim, take risks, support his buddies as they delved into nw experiences… he learned to miss home and his family, but he was proud to have an adventure on his own, of his own.
And though I missed him and Juan Carlos and I couldn’t wait to pick him up at summer’s end… we were so happy for him to live a life of adventure, hikes, camp songs and new friendships.
Life is good!!
What a fantastic inclusive experience! Thank you for sharing this Patti. The ability to hit the ideal level of challenge and risk along with safety and assurance is the key to it all. My hat is off to the 1000s of young people who dedicate summer after summer to providing this kind of experience for kids of all ages.
Mike
Beautiful story, and great thinking related to experiential learning and living. It makes me think about how little time students/humans have or are given for quiet, reflective thinking. In the August 29 episode of the Hidden Brain on PR, they were talking about Deep Work and the need for undistracted time in work. I see the correlation and as an advocate for critical thinking in the world, I remain hopeful that these conversations will continue and reach more audience, especially through your journey!
My own experiences came in recent years as I travel the world. Sitting on trains or buses and watching a place unfold before you on a trip allows time to consider where you are, where you’re going, and where you’ve been. Trying to find your way around a new place, does the same. Instinctively, we contemplate how each environment relates to what we know and how it’s different, and our senses provide vast amounts of data. Couple the stimulation with time to think and you’ve got a recipe for great cognition. Field trips, travel, camp, experiential learning and living are necessary to increasing critical thinking in the the world, and improved human-ing, too.
Keep up the great living and sharing!
Thank you for the very insightful and power comments Susannah. We do have the duty to create these types of opportunities for students, especially now in a hyper connected and face paced world. To have generations of globally minded, deep thinking, worldly citizens is an intriguing thought indeed for our collective future.
Mike
Our eldest daughter, Mia, went to RKY this past summer, too, and had an equally amazing experience. She knew what to expect, somewhat, as she had participated in the RKY P.A Day camps and, as a family, the Family Camp, throughout the year. However, going out on her own, sleeping without mom and dad in the next room, and ultimately being responsible for her own belongings and choices, was the greatest learning experience of all. She was the one who suffered the consequences if she forgot to hang her wet bathing suit after a swim, or forgot to put in her bug spray, she tried new foods that she never dared to try here at home, and she came home with everything she left with! It was a wonderful growing opportunity for her and she loved it. She was a confident kid going into it, but came back an even more confident kid. One who can’t wait to show US the ropes in 3 weeks when we go back for Family Camp weekend!!
Thanks for sharing Kim and thanks for the recommendation! We will certainly be looking to get the kids into RKY next year again.
Mike