Audrey "Sunshine" Monke's article for Camping Magazine, "Happy Campers: Teach and Practice Healthy Habits at Camp" highlights some of the healthy habits we practice at GAC, including: Habit #1: Face-to-Face Connection Habit #2: Get Sufficient Sleep Habit #3: Exercise Habit #4: Spend Time Outside Habit #5: Kindness Read the full article here.
As parents, we spend a lot of time making our kids comfortable. Feeling cold? I’ll grab you a sweatshirt. Hungry? Let me get you a snack right away! Kid being unkind? I’ll complain to the teacher and make her stop! At times, I’ve felt like it’s my duty to alleviate any discomfort my child is feeling. I think a lot of parents feel this way during this unique era of “overparenting.” One friend described the “lawnmower” parent who grooms the path for their child to make it smooth and without any bumps. Some of us by nature are more “gritty” than others, able to push ourselves and deal with discomfort. Think about endurance runners who stumble across the finish line, bloody and exhausted. Others of us are more prone to climbing deeper into our turtle shell when faced with life’s inevitable discomforts and challenges. We tend to hunker safely inside our comfort zone and not let anyone or anything pull us out. No matter where our kid’s (or our own) starting point may be, it’s important to explore the concept of being uncomfortable and, as parents, learn to tolerate that discomfort when our kids are feeling anxious, nervous, or afraid. It’s not easy. Our natural instinct is to protect our kids from any and all discomfort. And when they’re little, that natural instinct serves us (and them) well. We change dirty diapers, feed them when they’re hungry, grab them before they run into the street. Emotional discomfort ... Read more
“Friends are everything. They are always there if you have a problem or if you get hurt, they can always help you up.” – Patricio, Camper, Age 8
The commonly accepted trajectory of do well in school -> get into a good college -> make a lot of money -> flourish in life is not exactly accurate. You only have to know one unhappy wealthy person to know that’s not the path that will lead to happiness or fulfillment. What is a more accurate trajectory? good interpersonal (social) skills -> positive relationships -> flourish in life. Michael Thompson’s statement, “Friendship is the gold of childhood,” stuck with me long after I attended his conference session on the social lives of children. Friendship is not just the gold of childhood, but also of life. In my research for my Master’s degree in Psychology, I looked closely at studies related to friendship, social skills, and well-being. What I found was not surprising. For children, and adults as well, positive relationships are the best predictor of overall happiness and well-being. As parents, teachers, and counselors, we should be putting a primary emphasis on helping kids develop the social skills they need to make and keep friends.
Unfortunately, our culture is not supporting the development of healthy, solid friendships between kids. Friendship is more important than any academic subject or athletic skill, and yet the way our kids spend their time ... Read more
Today marks the start of our Staff Training Week ("Tweek" for short). We'll spend this evening getting to know each other and will spend the entire week learning how we will bring GAC's Vision, Mission, & Goals to life this summer for our campers. Our 2022 staff will learn how we Connect, Coach, and Create to deliver the Fun, Friends, and Growth that our campers experience at GAC. Listen to this bonus episode of the GAC POGcast to learn all about our vision, mission, and goals at GAC! https://goldarrowcamp.com/bonus-episode-sunshine-soy-talk-about-how-counselors-bring-gacs-philosophy-to-life/