Parent Magazine St. Johns March 2019 | Page 14

10 benefits of summer camp! by Christa Melnyk Hines A s 14 million children across the country head off to day and overnight camps this summer, they’ll return home with more than just a cute camp t-shirt. The summer camp experience can give kids an advantage in school and in life. Here’s how camp benefits kids: nurtures social skills eases the summer slide Camp is a community away from home and school where kids learn to work with each other and adult mentors, build relationships and manage conflict. “You learn to navigate through group dynamics, to barter, to keep one another happy, to be sensitive and to support a friend who’s sad,” says James Spearin, YMCA senior vice president of youth development. “These skills transfer and build adults with strong character and leadership.” You know that old saying, “if you snooze, you lose?” In the absence of regular enrichment over summer break, research finds that kids typically lose as much as two months of grade level equivalency in math. Reading comprehension and spelling skills also take a hit during the summer. To help curb summer learning loss, many specialized camps offer educational opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) that make learning and problem solving fun and interactive. Also, look for camps geared toward reading, writing and the arts. models healthy living According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity in children has doubled, and in teens has quadrupled, in the last 30 years. Thanks to the many activities camp offers, kids stay busy and physically active. More camps are also working to offer healthier food choices for their campers. According to 2014 study in the American Journal of Health Behavior, camps that offer wholesome foods are more likely to turn out campers who eat more fruits and veggies. Many resident and day camps now offer cooking and gardening tracks where kids learn how to prepare nutritious meals. 12 | S T . J O H N S parent MAGAZINE provides a sense of achievement From rock climbing to whitewater rafting and horseback riding, summer camp gives kids a chance to try activities that they wouldn’t ordinarily get to try. “Trying new things in an encouraging environment creates a greenhouse for growing young leaders,” says Garret Perkins, director of Camp Kanakuk, a faith-based camp that offers overnight, day and family camps.