The good-bubble test

Camp is a bubble.

We have known this for a long time.

But look around: we are all living in bubbles in almost every aspect of our lives.

Our family is a bubble.

Our neighborhood is a bubble.

Our school or workplace is a bubble.

Our news feeds are bubbles, reinforcing what we already believe.

Even the podcasts and videos we stream are bubbles, shaped for us by silent algorithms.

Some of these pockets of life help us grow and let in fresh air. Others feel more like tight plastic, engineered to hold our attention or sell us something. Some expand possibilities; others quietly shrink the view until all we can see is what they want us to see. If we don’t choose carefully, those bubbles will choose for us.

Since stepping off that bus as an eight-year-old in 1973, I’ve searched for communities that provide the same magic that camp gave me. Over 50+ years, I’ve rarely found bubbles quite as powerful as what great camps provide.

Because I think we can agree: not all bubbles are created equal.

The Good-Bubble Test

I’ve been turning this idea over a lot lately, especially against the backdrop of how unpredictable much of the world feels right now. Headlines clash, institutions wobble, and no one seems quite sure what next week will bring.

Two questions keep circling back:

• Does the bubble protect us without padding every sharp edge until we stop feeling anything?
• Does it prepare us (really prepare us) to step back into the wide world a little sturdier, a little wiser?

If the answer is yes to both, I tag that place a good bubble. They’re uncommon, but once you’ve spent time in one, you know the difference. You feel safe enough to try hard things and supported enough to learn when they don’t go perfectly. That’s the balance I look for, in my own life and in any community I choose to join or help build.

Inside the K&E Bubble

Remember that opening-afternoon picture I shared a few weeks ago? The bus doors swinging open, noise rising, counselors linking arms to form a living archway. Phones are nowhere to be found, but smiles are everywhere. The media headlines of the day stop at the camp road, and yet the place hums with purpose.

Inside this bubble, kids learn to:

• Problem-solve together. It starts raining during their softball period. Rather than let the rain spoil the fun, they switch to kickball, slide in the mud, dive for catches, and make memories.
• Stretch past fear. A camper who once mouthed the words from the back row now steps up at Hollowpalooza, strums the opening chord, and sings to a field full of friends.
• Welcome every voice. Unit meetings end with eye contact, a pat on the back, and a quick check-in: “How did we show up for each other today? How can next week be even better?”

The protection is real. Doom-scrolling and hot-take culture never make it past the archway. At the same time, bubble-wrapping is off the table. Challenges arrive daily, served with a safety net of mentorship, so kids grow stronger with every try.

Bubbles That Lift Us vs. Bubbles That Drain Us

Bubbles that lift us look like family dinners with phones face-down, bunks that cheer each other up the rock wall, and friendships rooted in shared values.

Bubbles that drain us feel more like endless social-media scrolls built for outrage, echo chambers that spike our stress, or pop-up ads that chase every click.

At K&E, we see these lifting moments every day:

• A first-year camper conquers the lake swim with their counselor swimming alongside them every stroke of the way.
• Our oldest campers—Hut 6 and Juniper— take their little brothers/sisters under their wing, showing them the camp traditions that were passed down to them years before and showing them how much they already belong here.
• A child who struggles with confidence back home becomes a leader during Color War, guided by counselors who recognize their hidden strengths.

Kids don’t always spot the difference at first. One bubble offers quick hits of excitement; the other offers real connection.

At camp, we slow things down long enough for them to notice how each bubble makes them feel, then name why the lifting kind is worth seeking, and why the draining kind is worth limiting.

Over time, they carry that insight home, to classrooms, to teams, and eventually to colleges and workplaces, choosing healthier bubbles for themselves and the people around them.

The mentorship model at camp is what makes this bubble so powerful. Our counselors don’t just supervise: they model, they guide, they challenge while supporting. They create the safety that allows true growth to happen.

The Moment the Bubble Lifts

On the last two evenings of camp, the rhythm slows, and our girls and boys sides mark the closing of the summer in their own way.

Thursday is split. Evergreen gathers for a formal Banquet filled with dresses, speeches, and a long look back at inside jokes that now feel legendary. Meanwhile, the Kenwood boys sit shoulder to shoulder at their Closing Campfire, trading stories and thank-yous under the pines.

Friday the roles reverse. The girls circle the fire to speak their hopes for next year, and the boys dress up for their Banquet.

Only after both events finish do the two camps move toward their waterfronts for a moment they share every year.

Wooden numbers that read 2025 hang from a frame out over the water, five feet tall and wrapped in fabric. A counselor wades out, touches a torch to the corner, and rejoins the group watching from the shore.

The numbers glow, then break apart, and for a few long minutes, no one talks. You hear only the hiss of wood and the soft splash of embers.

The burn is a clear line in the sand. Summer has ended, lessons are locked in, and everyone standing on shore can feel the shift from the camp bubble to the wider world.

Camp is Different

Camp is unlike most places because every tradition, from the first archway hug to this final burn, is designed with purpose. Challenge is served with support. Reflection follows effort. Community is built face-to-face, not by algorithm.

The next morning, the buses pull away, and the ride is quiet. Campers sit a little taller, carrying flexibility, resilience, kindness, and the clear knowledge that good bubbles make you feel stronger and more capable, and can be built anywhere they choose to stand.

We know as parents you’re navigating tough choices about where your children spend their time and what influences shape them. The mix of emotions when that bus pulls away isn’t lost on us. We feel it too.

Thank you for trusting us with your children and helping shape this intentional bubble we call Camps K&E.

We look forward to seeing where your camper builds the next one. And we hope you’re already thinking about the opening day of Summer 2025 and each summer to come.

There’s no better time to find good bubbles.

With warm regards and gratitude for our wonderful community, Scott

114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287