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Was trying to think of the simplest and most direct way to explain summers at camp which usually means going through all of the activities, schedules, and other pieces making up weeks at K&E.

But really, it’s pretty simple.

Camp is truly actually fun.

You’re in it together.

See, most places kids (and honestly, adults) spend time operate on a simple formula:

Work first, then fun.

Finish the homework, then go out and play.

Complete the drills, then run around for the scrimmage.

Clean that messy room, then watch some Netflix.

Pay your bills, then buy concert tickets.

We mentally separate all their activities into ‘have to’s’ and ‘want to’s’.

Camp doesn’t operate like this.

At camp, the baseline is just… fun.

The regular activities speak for themselves.

Sports. Games. Art. Costumes. Virtually thumbing through any camp marketing material pretty much tells the story of epic fun all day long.

But what those things don’t usually show is that all of the other moments at camp are built on this very idea.

When stuff pops up at camp (rainy days, meal is a couple minutes late), the default response is figuring it out together with laughs built in.

It’s not because camp counselors are just naturally more fun than teachers or coaches.

Oftentimes, these people are teachers and coaches. It’s more because camp is designed this way on purpose.

The whole thing is built on the very correct assumption that if people are enjoying themselves, they’re more likely to participate, try new things, and stick with challenges.

Spending time in environments where fun has to be earned or scheduled is something of a baseline most places.

At camp, fun is the starting point. And we teach kids how to build fun into the moments that don’t appear fun at first.

You’re In It Together

So sure, fun is the baseline. But the fun wouldn’t work if kids or staff were alone. It’s ridiculous to picture kids doing camp stuff with camp-like enthusiasm if they tried them all by themselves.

I’ll resist the urge to fully describe the camp day-to-day, minute-to-minute here because it could go on forever. But suffice to say, camp is a shared experience.

Kids and staff are in it together.

This doesn’t come at the price of individualism. Far from it.

There’s no one else to be except an individual. Here’s what happens when you spend so much time together: the truest version of yourself ends up just ringing out.

It’s just not individualism in isolation. It’s shared.

This matters because so much of childhood happens in a closed environment. Individual grades, personal devices, private struggles.

Kids get used to figuring things out alone, which definitely can work, but it’s not the only way.

Camps, kind of by luck and a lot by design, have figured out the best way to put this all together.

Camp Combines Them

When kids come home from camp, two things tend to happen.

They’ll have stories about moments that were purely fun, not because they earned it, but because that’s how the day was designed.

And they’ll talk about people who were there with them, who saw them clearly and helped them through whatever came up.

That combo is incredible.

It’s tough to find anywhere else.

That’s why kids put their phones down when they hang out with their camp friends.

They talk out their drama with their camp friends.

They give more grace to their camp friends.

Camp is truly & actually fun. And we’re in it together.

Best, Sylvia

PS - Enroll this week (before Nov 1) and get a free hoodie! Plus, waive the deposit and roll everything into 8 monthly payments.

Or schedule a call with me and let's talk camp!

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Sylvia van Meerten Evergreen Director sylvia@kenwood-evergreen.com

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114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287
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