On what appeared to be a typical day here at Camp Takajo, I had a chance to view our regular routine through the eyes of a visiting parent. One of our lovely camp mom’s came to visit with her younger son, who will be attending camp next summer. Because her younger son was not available to come on visiting day, she wanted to give him the opportunity to see the camp in full-swing. While this family has been with us for the past three years, the opportunity to see camp on a non-visiting day was insightful and stimulating. After the tour, the mom and I spoke for a few minutes about aspects of our program that are unique to our camp. For example, no other camp makes the investment in hiring a female counselor to be assigned to every single bunk of campers finishing second, third, and fourth grades. Our female counselors are energetic, compassionate, and nurturing. They are a tremendous asset to a child’s adjustment in camp.
Because we are an all-boys camp, there is a misconception that our primary focus in on sports development. While we have excellent athletes teaching our land sports and we provide comprehensive skill development before every game we play, we also take great pride in our Hobby program. Our boys love the opportunity to take time away from the fields, sit with their friends, and be creative. Whether it’s throwing a pot in ceramics, working with wood, or shooting and editing a video, our campers thrive when they challenge their creative sides.
One fact that most people don’t know is that when a camper is assigned to a hobby, he is there for four consecutive days. This schedule gives that camper the opportunity to develop a project and see it to completion. This creates confidence and self-esteem. Bouncing from one hobby to another would lead to frustration and boredom. The same holds true with the skills that we offer at camp. Skills such as waterskiing, sailing, and canoeing have greater success rates when a child has the continuity of going to that skill for multiple days. Rarely does a child pop up out of the water on skis on his very first try. However, our success rate is quite high when a child learns for four consecutive days.
While visiting day is an opportunity to reconnect with your son, the day is filled with emotion and doesn’t always give a parent the opportunity to see the depth of our program. I believe that our boys do best in a structured environment when they understand their routines. As we wind down and come to our second week at camp, you would be so proud of what your son has accomplished in such a short period of time.
