Anyone on this list with a kid in a New Jersey public school probably got a very similar email this summer.

It’s from their district, and it’s about phones.

The Garden State signed a phone ban into law for every K-12 public school kid, joining a bunch of other states already doing this. The shorthand people are using is bell-to-bell. Phones away from the first bell ring of the day to the last one, starting this school year.

I’m not here to tell anyone whether that’s good or bad policy. I for real don’t know. Though it could be where things are heading in general, and kids definitely need more scroll-free time.

What I do know is that our camp kids just finished the long summer version. Call it bus-to-bus. Almost two months, no checking anything. And there’s something to be said for carving this time out.

Jealous of the Kids

I can’t even remember the last time I went 24 hours without using my phone. It won’t happen anytime soon.

The kids get almost two months off theirs, and I apparently need something like camp to force me into it.

So this is not a judgment thing. I’m not here to judge anyone’s scrolling, mine included. I read about the NJ law from doing just that, scrolling.

Just want to tell you what we saw over the 6.5 weeks.

It isn’t during activities. Kids everywhere can put something down for a soccer game or a lake swim. Those things are fun enough to warrant the “attention”.

The difference is the downtime. The dessert line when it’s ice cream night. Rest hour. The walk from the lake to the bunk. The exact moments where, the rest of the year, something distracting comes out because there’s “nothing happening”.

When we get on the bus to Belle Island, the kids don’t have phones out. There’s nothing to do but talk to your friends and make jokes.

Same thing watching the Hill vs. Junior Camp soccer game. You’re just sitting there, right in the moment, a maybe little bit bored, but present for sure.

And a little bit bored leads to conversations. Conversations lead to jokes and kids talking about stuff. Jokes lead to bonding. Bonding leads to friendships. And friendships kinda mean everything.

One thing making the rounds on my IG feed (yes, scrolling): those pictures of college parties now versus 1995. In the old ones, nobody has a phone out. Everyone is just sitting around talking to each other.

There’s a reason these are popular. People look back at those times with fondness.

Kids at camp learn to be a great hang. This really matters and I better write about why soon.

A Thousand Reps

Having a convo is a skill. And nobody learns it by just reading about it.

Kids learn it by getting a thousand reps every day, just talking about stuff. That’s a lot of what a summer at camp actually is. Reps.

The kids have their phones back now. I know because I watched them get handed back at the bus. And that’s a good thing. I’m glad they’re connected again, and I’m right back on mine too.

But it’s funny that some places are deciding school should look more like camp. And I think we’ll see more and more of it.

Camp got there early.

You got this,

Jack

P.S. If a summer without a phone sounds like something your kid would benefit from, registration for next summer is open.

Take a look at our Dates & Rates page for more info and how we can schedule a time to talk camp.

114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287
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