Tag Archives: summer camp

How Attending Summer Camp Better Prepares Children For College

Did you know that attending summer camp might prepare you better for college? A recent article on NBC News mentions that children who attended sleepaway camp learn valuable life skills and lessons not gained through studying. We are thrilled to be teaching important lessons at The Realm that will help children throughout their lives.

A summer at Camp Robin Hood may not help you ace your college calculus class, but experts say being away from home when you’re younger can help you ease into college life. Students who attended sleepaway camp have experience at a younger age with leaving home for the first time, resolving roommate conflicts, problem solving in class group projects and apt at living with students of diverse background.

Though summer camp experiences don’t often make it onto college applications, college admissions counselor Sara Harberson of Admissions Revolution believes they could still serve applicants well.

“The memories and lessons students have from summer camp will imbue them with a genuineness and adaptability which may come through in unpredictable ways in their essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews,” Harberson said. “Most importantly, their approach to the college process and their choices about how to spend their remaining summers are usually quite thoughtful, because they have a taste of what it means to be happy with their surroundings. That might make going to camp as a younger child priceless in the end.”

A summer at Camp Robin Hood is full of wonderful experiences that help children develop confidence while creating lifelong memories and friendships.

Spring Updates at The Realm

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April is here and summer is quickly approaching! Brass has been hard at work to make sure everything is ready for when the buses arrive on Opening Day. Take a look at these images of The Realm right now as the snow begins to melt and the flowers begin to bloom!

5 Reasons Millennials Should Work as a Camp Counselor

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At Camp we focus on the benefits for campers but rarely do we mention all the benefits our staff of young adults receive. This week we saw an article on Levo, a career development company, called 13 Reasons Why Every Career-Driven Millennial Should Work At Camp For A Summer.

We picked our Top 5 reasons from their list:

You get to be a role model.
For however long you have the opportunity to interact with the campers, you quickly become one of the coolest (and most influential) people in their lives. Camp counselors especially have the opportunity to impact campers because of the amount of time spent with their kids.
You truly make a difference.
There are so many benefits to working at a camp, including making a difference. Check out this quote from the New York Times blog The Camp Counselor vs. the Intern, here.

“What I do there matters,” she insisted. In several conversations, she told us about helping a camper cope with her mother’s debilitating depression and comforting others whose parents were fighting or separating, about aiding 11- and 12-year-olds who were coming to terms with their sexuality, battling anorexia, confronting body fear. She talked about the many hours devoted to water-skiing lessons, about instilling the confidence needed by awkward, gawky, painfully self-conscious 8- and 9-year-olds to stay prone in the water, hold on to the rope, then rise up and stay on their feet as the boat pulled away. “What’s more important than that?” she asked. I had no answer, because I couldn’t come up with anything more important.
You hone your leadership skills.
There are plenty of opportunities to improve your leadership skills by working for a camp because, at one point or another, you will be asked to lead. Whether you are leading other staff members or a handful of campers, you will be looked up to for direction and wisdom.
Peer networking.
Not all of your co-workers will be elementary education majors. In fact, you will meet a plethora of majors who have done the same thing you have: sought out a beyond-the-typical summer job. An awesome time to expand your peer networking to individuals from all over the country and from all walks of life.
You will learn so much about yourself.
As awesome as camp life is, it also is challenging. You may not know how to deal with a situation with a camper, your co-counselor for the week might not be the most compatible with your sense of humor, and some days might seem like they drag on forever—is it lights out yet?! However, it is moments like these where your true colors shine. You will learn so much about yourself and, at the end of the summer, will be able to look back and be proud of all that you made it through.

Are you ready to have the best summer ever while helping influence young campers? Learn more about joining our staff of nurturing counselors today!

Excelling at Camp Robin Hood: Why Girls Excel

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As part of our blog series we are discussing how campers excel at Camp Robin Hood. Today we are discussing Girls Camp. Since girls approach life a little differently than boys they benefit from the separate opportunities we offer at Camp Robin Hood.

At Camp Robin Hood boys and girls experience both a single-sex camp while still living in a dynamic co-ed community. To balance this Camp is laid out so Girls and Boys Camp are located on a different ends of our campgrounds. These separate environments help encourage growth through mentorship and community.

Why do girls excel at Camp Robin Hood?

The Environment – Throughout the school year many young girls face daily pressures concerning everything from academics to their appearance. Girls tend to be less preoccupied with how they look or act in a single-sex environment which is why many of our activities are single-sex. At Robin Hood, our female campers are in a judgement free and inclusive environment where they are able to focus on having fun, developing skills and forming lifelong friendships instead of their appearance. Since we have a dynamic coed environment, girls and boys are able to build age-appropriate relationships during all camp events.
The Mentors – Young adults, many college students, help guide our campers throughout the summer as support systems. Many of our older campers take on leadership roles and help foster self confidence in the younger girls through their activities and daily cabin meetings. Having the support of our older campers and staff means our younger campers will also learn how to be there to boost their peers confidence.
The Community – To help foster a sense of community between all of our female campers we have their cabins open up to spacious common areas that feature swings, tetherball and basketball courts where the girls can mingle. Additionally, daily activities are conducted as single-sex activities to help promote individual growth without distractions. As parents of both sons and daughters, we recognize, that it’s important for our campers to learn how to develop healthy, age-appropriate relationships. Meals, evening activities, and special events is when our Girls and Boys Camps come together for more camp fun!

We are always available to discuss these benefits in more depth and we would love to learn more about your son and his goals for the summer. Feel free to email us directly at anytime: woody@camprobinhood.com.

Excelling at Camp Robin Hood: Why Boys Excel

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We are often asked by first-time camp parents about our Brother/Sister camp structure and how it is designed to help both boys and girls excel at Camp Robin Hood. Today we are going to be writing about why boys excel in this structure at Camp, followed by a blog post about girls coming soon.

Our Brother/Sister camp structure is designed to allow our boys to experience the important growth in friendship, mentorship and fellowship of a single-sex camp, while still living together as a part of a dynamic co-ed community.

Why do boys excel at Camp Robin Hood?

The Mentors- One of the most important aspects of a summer at Robin Hood are the relationships built between our counselors and campers. During staff training we give our counselors the tools they need to become mentors for all of our campers. Why do we spend so much of our time focused on mentoring? A study found that children with mentors showed increased belief in their abilities to succeed and felt less anxiety related to peer pressure. Especially in young men, having a great mentor can really help propel our campers to success in college and beyond!
The Community- Majority of our daytime activities are conducted as single-sex activities, giving our campers and opportunity to focus on their own individual growth without any distractions. It also helps our campers develop deeper friendships and relationships with their group-mates. Our campers always come together for certain activities like drama, for meal-times and fun all-camp activities! This unique community structure also gives our campers an opportunity to interact and engage with our entire Camp. Any social issues that normally come up between the sexes at a coed Camp are minimized at Camp Robin Hood, allowing for both of the benefits of a coed and single-sex Camp.
Skill Building – We all know that Summer Camp is the best place for children of all ages to learn 21st century skills! This is especially exemplified in the young men who attend Camp Robin Hood! Our Camp parents see an increase in leadership, communication and collaboration skills from their sons when the return home. There is really no better place to focus on skill building than at Camp!