Maine Camp Experience: August 2011
Maine's Wonderful Waterfronts
Close your eyes and picture a huge crystal clear lake surrounded by tall pine trees. Take a deep long breath and fill your lungs with perfectly fresh air. Now, walk out onto the dock and and leap forward into the crisp, clean, pristine water... ahhhhh, how nice is that on a summer day? Just think, your children can experience that amazing feeling each and every day all summer long at overnight camp in Maine. As Henry David Thoreau said "A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is the earth's eye, looking into which we measure the depth of our own nature."
Maine has 5,785 lakes, many of them are larger than 1 acre, covering 1,762 square miles! Nearly half of these are classified as "Great Ponds", meaning larger than 10 acres, a term that dates back to Maine's colonial days. It's the perfect place for an abundance of water sports every day. Most sleep away camps in Maine have canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, row boating, water skiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and of course swimming at least twice a day. Kids learn safety skills and the wonderful feeling of swimming in a lake. Rich Deering, Director of Camp Birch Rock said it best "The Lake is invigorating for a kid's soul and spirit." This is a key reason parents choose camps in Maine over other states... there is just no comparison when it comes to the waterfront and all the activities that are associated with it on a daily basis.
Learning how to waterski at camp was a huge thrill for me. I can still remember the feeling of getting up on the skis for the first time and everybody cheering for me! I am so thankful to have that skill so I could continue to waterski throughout my life. Campers also learn survivor skills while canoeing and kayaking on their camp lake so that they can go on fantastic camping trips. From canoeing down the Saco River to sea kayaking on the Atlantic Ocean; Maine offers endless water adventures. These age appropriate trips allow campers to master and accrue skills to use on longer and more challenging adventures as they mature. Campers love to look forward to these exciting escapades!
Anyone can swim in a pool... but mastering swimming and water sports in a bountiful and beautiful lake is something special. The lake provokes a calming feeling and provides a stunning backdrop to many campfires and special activities. Overnight camps in Maine pride themselves on their beautiful waterfronts and phenomenal opportunities for water activities. To find out more about sleep away camps in Maine, visit www.mainecampexperience.com and start planning your child's experience of a lifetime.
Posted in: Maine Camp Experience on 08/30/2011
Wholesome Food + Active Days = Maine Camps
We all want our children to be active and eat healthy, but it's not so easy when they are home watching TV, playing video games and snacking on heaven knows what. One of the biggest benefits of sending your child to overnight camp in Maine is they will spend all their time outside in nature; running, swimming, hiking, playing and breathing in the most amazing fresh air! Not to mention eating delicious and nutritious meals all together, family style like the good old days. As Ronald Hall, director of Camp O-AT-KA says, "All meals are sit down, the way family meal time used to be."
It is so important to teach kids from an early age about nutrition and how to eat healthy. One of the best parts about going to camp in Maine is that a lot of the fresh produce and other foods all come from local farms. Most camps now have a salad bar option with tons of fresh food and the camps try to teach kids about eating in moderation and having a well balanced diet all while enjoying the food experience.
Pam Cobb director of Camp Runoia says they have a farm program where kids can get in touch with farming and learn about composting. Some of my favorite trips when I was in camp in Maine was when we went blueberry and strawberry picking. Then we were able to eat the blueberry pie they baked from the blueberries we picked! Talk about fresh!
While fitness is a given at most sleep away camps, in Maine, the kids are outside playing sports and swimming all day long. With more acres of land at Maine camps, kids have the opportunity to take healthy walks to their activities. In Maine, there are amazing day trips like mountain climbing, white water rafting, canoeing and more! There are so many ways for your kids to be active.
Posted in: Blog, Maine Camp Experience on 08/23/2011
Unplugging: The Gift of Camp (in Maine)
Throughout the school year our children can be overscheduled, stressed out and plugged in to some or multiple electronic devices. It is pretty unavoidable; between iTouches, iPads, computers, video games and TV, kids spend a good amount of their day "plugged in".
Summer is the ideal time to literally unplug your child. There is no homework and the weather is perfect for outdoor fun and learning. When you send your child to camp in Maine, the majority of camps do not allow any electronics whatsoever. At some camps the older kids can listen to music during quiet time in their bunks... but for the most part it's all about enjoying the beauty and nature surrounding them. Ronald Hall camp director of O-AT-KA feels "When you are enjoying what Maine has to offer, you don't need any outside distraction. You learn to appreciate the sounds of the wilderness."
Kids these days have a lot of pressure on them, whether it's academically, socially or even when it comes to material objects; there is always competition over who has what. For those glorious weeks they are at overnight camp, they don't have to worry about all that. Everyone is on the same playing field. Pam Cobb, Director of Camp Runoia says "Some campers feel relieved to not be plugged in. They have a chance to decompress."
When you give your child the gift of sending them to overnight camp, they grow in so many ways, and unplugging them for that time is priceless. Interacting personally with peers and staff, connecting with the incredible water and nature, encouraging self-discovery and skill development, are all the rewards of unplugging at Maine camps. To find out more about all the amazing overnight camps in Maine, please visit Maine Camp Experience and start planning the best summers of your children's lives now!
Posted in: Blog, Maine Camp Experience on 08/15/2011
TRIPS OF A LIFETIME
The state of Maine's geography is like no other state in America. From its magnificent coastline, to the tall mountains, to the huge lakes and long rivers; Maine has it all. What could be a more perfect setting for overnight camps? One of the absolute best parts and highlights of going to sleep away camp in Maine, are the trips!
Let's start with the mountain climbing trips... whether it's watching the sunset from Cadillac Mountain (1, 528 ft. high) or reaching the peak of Mount Katahdin (5,268 ft. high! The highest mountain in Maine); there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get when you reach the top! All the campers from youngest to oldest get to experience that magical feeling, it builds amazing self-confidence. Making a camp fire, cooking your own food and pitching tents are all skills you learn on these trips.
Now onto the lakes! Maine has 2,200 beautiful big lakes and tons of long rivers. Canoeing and kayaking trips are very popular among the campers. Some of my fondest camp memories are canoeing down the Saco River and camping alongside it. Androscoggin River and Sebago Lake are popular trips as well. The list goes on and on. As an older camper you get to go white water rafting which is a huge thrill!
Not only does Maine have gorgeous mountains and lakes, but a spectacular coastline. Many camps in Maine take trips to the beach. Ronald Hall, camp director of O-AT-KA says "the variety of outdoor activities and trips does not compare to other states. A big hit with the campers is sea kayaking on the Ocean!"
A former camper fondly recalls, "The trips that we took around Maine were amazing. The amusement/water parks, like Funtown/Splashtown and Aquaboggin, were every kid's dream. Overnights were spent at campgrounds, such as Blue Rock and Acadia, where we went hiking on beautiful mountains and swam in clean lakes." Most camps also have non-camping or "pleasure" trips where they go to country fairs, visit Freeport, Ogunquit beach, Camden, Boothbay Harbor and my personal favorite, Portland, where there is whale watching. Jason Silberman, camp director of Matoaka said the kids can take a photography class and then go on trips and take pictures of all the natural beauty Maine has to offer.
From quaint seaside villages, cultural experiences and experiencing the wonders of nature; Maine has it all. To learn more about overnight camps in Maine, where your children can enjoy these amazing trips and more... visit Maine Camp Experience and get all the information you need to find the perfect camp for your family.
Posted in: Blog, Maine Camp Experience on 08/05/2011
