Week after Thanksgiving, which means I’m contractually obligated to think about gratitude.
Could tell you about all the things we’re grateful for at K&E.
Opening act at Hollowpallooza, grilling on senior hill, Juniper 025 chants, laughing on the evergreen porch, Adventure Dave trips, fire trucks on the FOD, and so much more.
All true. All real. Can’t wait for a whole new list this summer.
But even after all of that, I keep coming back to three pretty simple words when I think about this place.
Kids love camp.
Could write (and have written) pages about developmental psychology. Social-emotional stuff. Hidden curriculum. Why screen-free summers rock. Self-determination theory. Importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Again, all true, backed by research, and all part of why we do what we do.
But underneath every framework and philosophy is this basic fact that you probably already know:
Kids love camp.
Not “kids benefit from camp” or “camp is good for kids.”
Like talk-about-it-all-year love it.
Where else does this happen?
Think about all the places kids spends time.
School. Sports practice. Tutoring. The dentist. Grandma’s house (love my grandma Francis, where I got my middle name), Birthday parties where they only know one kid. The back seat of your car going to all of the above.
Some of those are great. Some of those are fine. Some are tolerated. Some are endured because someone says so.
How many of them does a kid actually love?
Like, genuinely love. Ask-about-it-months-later love. Count-down-the-days love.
Kids love home. Obviously.
But where else?
And yeah, I definitely have a bias here. No way around that.
But in this case, the belief just happens to be true which makes the messaging conveniently accessible.
And the evidence is everywhere.
Countdown that starts in January. Stories that surface at dinner in October. The way teen campers put their phones down when they hang out at each other’s Mitzvahs.
No need to overcomplicate it
Confession: I spend a lot of time thinking about how to explain camp.
And the K&E team spends tons and tons of hours thinking about every little detail of camp. Don’t believe me? Ask Violet about the programming for this summer with more hobby days, or Josh about hiring the absolute best staff, or Ali’s leveled-up parent communication this summer, or Sue solving the logistics puzzle for every camp trip.
Those hours matter. The thought, time, and care matter.
But sometimes in trying to explain camp, I make it sound more complicated than it is.
When the truth is super simple.
Camp has the just-right mix of stuff (this is a technical camp term) that makes kids want to come back to year after year.
Friendships, activities, attention, time, care, sports, arts, laughter, nature, chants, mentors.
And underneath all of that the simplest thing of all.
Kids love camp.
Yours will too.
Summer Matters.
Jack
P.S. Would love to talk about summer at K&E for your child
Schedule a time to talk camp with me.
Jack Schott
[email protected]
585-451-5141 (text me)
114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287
Camps Kenwood & Evergreen Snapshot
- Location: New England overnight summer camp
- Philosophy: Growth through community, independence, and belonging
- Structure: Unified camp mission with gender-specific campuses
- Outcomes: Confidence, leadership, friendship, identity growth
