Posts Tagged ‘Community building’
Monday, February 27th, 2012
Last week 10 of us ventured to Atlanta for the ACA National Conference. The overall theme of the conference
Jane Sanborn and her entourage!
was Convergence: Vision, Learning, Innovation. This was an exciting opportunity for our staff to continue our professional development as youth and outdoor educators and camp professionals. And it was a great week! Our very own Jane Sanborn was the conference program chair. She and the conference team lined up wonderful session and keynote speakers, fun night programs, and a variety of exhibitors for the exhibit hall. We were all able to go to a variety of educational sessions presented by child development and camp professionals – sessions that emphasized the importance of what we do best: provide exceptional outdoor experiences for children. We were able to network with other camp professionals. We left energized and motivated for the summer! It is fun for us to come back and share all that we have learned with each other and start incorporating new ideas into our summer and school weeks programs.
We had great keynote speakers including, Dr. Christine Carter (author of Raising Happiness), Richard Louv, Sanborn alum, Rod Lucero, and Niambi Jaha-Echols. Each speech was relevant to and encouraging of what we do at camp.
Dr. Carter started the week sharing the importance of teaching and cultivating life skills such as gratitude, kindness, and growth campers – all things that we know about and do at camp! Dr. Carter is a strong believer of Growth Mindset – the belief that someone is successful due to hard work and effort, as well as innate ability. At camp, it is important to us that campers are challenged to try new things and encouraged through the process. We believe that campers and staff can grow and learn from our trips and activities. Being able to try new things is one of the great things about camp and campers having the ability to choose their own trips and activities.
Richard Louv emphasized the role camps play in continuing to get children outside. In his speech he told us how he was jealous of his friend who left Kansas every summer to go to camp…specifically, his friend left Kansas and spent his summers at Sanborn. He spoke of the growing importance of camp and getting outside, as our world becomes more technology-driven.
Rod Lucero helped us better understand the importance of camps continuing the education from schools. Relevance, Rigor, and Relationships are the foundation of education, and according to Lucero, without them, reading, writing, and arithmetic don’t matter. At camp, we help make education relevant. The foundation of Sanborn is education. We continue to learn and pass our knowledge on to all Colorado Outdoor Education Center participants.
Niambi Jaha-Echols provided us with an inspiring and humorous closing session. According to Jaha-Echols, camp provides us the opportunities to transform into new beings – from caterpillars to butterflies. It is important to us that we provide campers with the space and support to understand and grow into the people they are supposed to be. We are lucky to have 6,000 acres, amazing counselors, and a great variety of trips and activities to help all campers grow as individuals into butterflies.
We look forward to continuing to share our learnings with you and incorporate them into our 2012 summer.
Tags: ACA, Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature Network, Children in Nature, Christine Carter, colorado summer camp, Community building, Experiential Education, Friendship, impact of summer camp, life lessons, life skills, nature awareness, Niambi Jaha-Echols, Outdoor Education, richard louv, Rod Lucero, Sanborn Western Camps, Youth Development
Posted in American Camp Association, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Colorado Front Range Summer Camps, Colorado Outdoor Education Center, Education, Kids and Technology, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education, Professional Development, Sanborn Western Camps, Youth Development | No Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
How long is your shadow?
“How long is the shadow of your leadership?” A recent article in the ACA’s Camping Magazine includes an article by Kerry Plemmons, a clinical professor at Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. The basis of the article is that camp is good for everyone. Plemmons and fellow professors bring students from DU’s business school to The Nature Place for a weekend early in their graduate school careers to help teach the students the leadership skills necessary to be successful business men and women.
The relationship between Daniels and The Nature Place started in 1990 when Rob Jolly and Sandy Sanborn approached Daniels with the idea of experiential leadership. As part of the 10th Mountain Division, Sandy saw the importance of strong leadership in challenging situations. He saw how organizations could be successful with a flat structure. He saw the long-term benefits of leadership opportunities in students of all ages. During the summer, we offer a Peaks to Performance curriculum where campers can partake in SOLE and CORE in 8th and 9th grade, respectively and are able to be Junior Counselors and Outbackers in 10th grade. We put into practice the beliefs that Sandy felt so important with campers:
- Individual development: self confidence, virtue & courage, sense of self, leadership roles & styles, establishing trust
- Team development: working with a team, encouraging & helping others, interdependency, membership and followership
- Problem solving: managing others, creativity & innovation, environmental awareness
These are the same skills that DU business students develop and practice during a three-day weekend. As Plemmons points out, it is easy and fun to talk about leadership, ethics, and values in a classroom, but it is not until the skills can be put into practice that individuals are challenged, motivated, and successful at implementing personal change. Campers are challenged during the summer in a safe and supervised environment. Counselors are prepared to help campers work together and challenge themselves individually.
Daniels students are taught “the Shadow of Leadership” – we practice leadership skills modeled by others, and those skills
Working together on a plan
are hopefully passed onto other people we interact with; and ideally the shadow of good leadership continues to grow. Plemmons explains, “When you think of bad leadership, the influence of that person leaves as soon as the physical shadow is gone…Good leadership is able to influence people across boundaries of time and space through empowerment.” This is our goal for every participant (from the young camper, to the DU graduate student, to the corporate business person) who comes through the Colorado Outdoor Education Center – to be in the shadow of positive leadership and help that shadow grow.
It is important to us to keep asking, “How will you build capacity in others in a manner that lengthens the shadow of your leadership?”
Tags: Community building, Experiential Education, innovative leadership, Leadership, life lessons, life skills, Outdoor Education, University of Denver, Youth Development
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Education, Leadership and Teambuilding, Professional Development | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
I was new at camp the year. When I came I was scared and got homesick. Then everything got better, everyone was really nice!! My counselors were nice too! One of my favorite activities is horseback riding! You get to learn how to put the saddle on and learn how to brush your horse. Skit night was fun. It’s where you and your cabin make up a skit and perform it and everybody at High Trails watches. I like singing songs here like “Rocky Mountain High.”
Katie Neal
High Trails is like a second family to me. We all come here from different parts of the county and come from different backgrounds. But once we are surrounded by all of these beautiful mountains and trees and nature, none of that matters. Every new person is welcomed with hugs and smiling faces. And old friends are never forgotten. You are never bored because there are a variety of things to do. You can horseback ride, mountain bike, technical rock climb, rock scramble, swim, arts and crafts, and much more! High Trails gives me something to look forward to every summer and when it is over I know there are more girls enjoying the Rocky Mountain High.
Mimi Chapman
High Trails at Sanborn Camps is a summer worth of fun. There is something for everyone. Horseback riding, drama, hiking, climbing, pottery, and so much more. Sanborn is a safe environment where kids can learn and grow in the outdoors. We welcome new campers with open arms. Sanborn has become a second home to some and hopefully to you too. Sanborn is an experience you do not want to miss. Have you ever heard the wind dance in the aspen leaves? Have you ever slept out under the stars? Have you climbed to the top of a mountain peak? Have you ever gone tubing down a river? We guarantee you will have a blast! Throughout the term you will learn new things, meet new people, and do things you may not have. I tried Sanborn and I know I am a better person for it. Sanborn is the camp to go to. We hope to see you here next summer!
Kate Ratliff
It’s only the first week of Sanborn, and I can already tell you that walking uphill is A LOT easier. I’m sure by the end I will have gained so much muscle! Hiking a mountain will be a breeze. Then I will spend more time actually seeing the beauty of the Rockies. The hills gently roll, and the mountains…Oh the mountains! Last year when I was hiking up Quandry we got up at 3 in the morning. I can tell you it was well worth the early rise. In the light of the moon, the dew on the pines sparkles and glistened. It was probably one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.
Not using technology was hard at first, but when you get to know how many things you can do without it, it gets easier. There is so much to do here, you really don’t have time for technology. If there’s anything to be said of Sanborn, it’s that you never get bored!
At Sanborn there are 2 sections. One is Big Spring, where the boys live. And I live at High Trails with the girls. It actually makes camp more enjoyable to be separate, you spend less time worrying about looks and boys and more time enjoying the outdoor experience. There are coed events where you get to see the boys. Best of both worlds!
Coming to Sanborn is a wonderful experience, and the people you meet always become your friends. It’s like a family away from family. Cliques don’t exist here. Everyone is there to help you out. If I could spend every summer here, I would say yes without even batting an eye.
Jen
Tags: Benefits of Summer Camp, Big Spring Ranch for Boys, Camper Post, Children in Nature, colorado summer camp, Community building, Friendship, High Trails Ranch for Girls, impact of summer camp, nature awareness, Outdoor Fun, Sanborn Western Camps, summer camp for girls and boys, summer camp in Colorado, Youth Development
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, From the Campers' Mouths, Fun Activities, Kids and Technology, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Camps have known about the importance and power of play for a long time. As outdoor educators and youth development professionals we do all that we can to promote children’s use of imagination, creative play, developing relationships, understanding of self and others, self-esteem, and appreciation for the outdoors (to name a few).
Research has been done and published promoting these lessons and the chance for children to play and explore. The New York Times published an article today about efforts made to promote play. This article supports our parents’ efforts to encourage their children to use their imaginations, disengage from video games, computers, and TV. We have long recognized and try to share the importance of free play and getting kids outdoors as a way to take advantage of imaginative play. Children need recess, camp, time in the backyard to develop and refine the life and relationship skills that are hard to learn in the classroom or on the soccer team.
Central Park hosted the Ultimate Block Party in October to promote the importance of play in children’s lives. While the party’s over, the Web site provides additional resources and research for parents. Just looking at the number of sponsors and endorsements the group received was inspiring for me to see the number of people and organizations that support the movement to get children playing.
Throughout the past year we have shared ideas and benefits of creative and imaginative play with our readers. As I searched our archives and reread what we’ve written, I realized that I couldn’t share every post that we’ve written, so I tried to limit the links (as hard as it was). These are just a few links to check out some of our ideas for helping children and parents helping their children get back to unstructured (while supervised) play: Snowy Day Activities, Bring on the Sunscreen,Parent Lessons from Camp, Go Play Outdoors, Hooray for the Wild Child, More Play, Time for a Special Place, Adventures with the 5 Senses, and Reconnect With Your Sense of Wonder. Sometimes children just need props to get their creative juices flowing and other times we try to provide limited guidance to help children feel comfortable with the idea of free play.
With greater recognition, support, and effort we can all help children reconnect with their childhood and enjoy playing again.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, Imaginary Play, impact of summer camp, life lessons, life skills, nature awareness, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Fun, Outdoor Play, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps, Winter Activities, Youth Development
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Education, Fun Activities, Nature Activity, Nature Stories, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
We had a lot of fun with the 6th graders from Challenger Middle School! This morning the staff went to the cabins to help the students pack and clean before breakfast. They did a great job cleaning! We enjoyed a hot breakfast before heading out for the morning.
The students are on our big rocks right now for a closing session. On Tuesday, the students wrote quotes about what they were thinking and feeling in their special spots. This morning, the High Trails staff is reading about 20 of those quotes on the rocks. It is chilly again this morning, but the sun is shining and we have a great view of Pikes Peak!
After the closing session the students will head out on their last discovery group, Putting It All Together. Similar to Setting the Mood, everyone does the same discovery group, but in the smaller groups. The staff has activities planned to wrap up the week and the students have time to return to their special spots to reflect on what they have learned and goals they want to set for when they return home. Everyone seems excited to share their stories and adventures from the week with their friends and family who weren’t here this week.
The group from Challenger has been a lot of fun to have around. We hope they have a great fall and are able to remember their highlights from their time at High Trails. The 6th graders we have spent time with this fall truly embraced their time in nature and took advantage of their outdoor education experience. They came together as teams from the middle school and seemed to return to school as a stronger community. We have had a great season with District 20 6th graders and look forward to seeing some of the same teachers and high school students next fall!
Tags: Benefits of nature, Challenger Middle School, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center | No Comments »
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
We have had a great first two days with the sixth graders from Challenger Middle School.
The students arrived on Tuesday to cool weather, but no snow. The students participated in their first discovery group – Setting the Mood. Everyone did the same discovery group, but in different smaller groups going to various points around the High Trails property. The students started with a nature awareness scavenger hunt, where they looked for things and used their 6 senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, touch, and WONDER). They additionally did a blindfold find your tree activity where they had to learn about a tree while blindfolded, then without their blindfolds had to go find their trees. They also were able to find a special spot where they could reflect on the week ahead of them and set goals for the week.
After dinner on Tuesday, half the students went to the Hoedown and half the students went to the Interbarn. The High Trails led 5 silly, choreographed dances at the Hoedown. The students had a great time skipping around and laughing. The Interbarn is our hands-on science center, where students can choose three stations to go to in order to learn more about nature, animals, and the earth.
On Wednesday morning, the High Trails staff led early morning cabin hikes before breakfast to take the students to several of the high points around High Trails. Again, it was a little chilly, but a sunny day. The students went on their first themed discovery group after breakfast where they spent 2.5 hours role playing and learning about Colorado history. All the groups had a lot of fun and enjoyed their times learning. The students were able to participate in a second themed discover group after lunch. For evening programming, the students switched if they went to the Interbarn or the Hoedown.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Challenger Middle School, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
It is another beautiful day here at High Trails. The High Trails staff helped the students pack and clean the cabins this morning before breakfast. The cabins look great!
The students are down on the big rocks for a closing session. While in their special spots on Tuesday the students wrote quotes about their goals and what they were feeling about being here. The staff are reading about 20 of those quotes right now on the rocks. The students will then go back to their special spots during their last discovery group, Putting It All Together. Similar to Setting the Mood, the students all do the same discovery group, but in their smaller groups.
We have had a great time with this group of 6th graders from Discovery Canyon Campus! It is rewarding for us to see students excited about nature and ready to learn in this wonderful outdoor classroom. It is even better when they want to take their learnings home to share with their friends and family who were not here with them this week. We hope the students have a great fall and it would be fun to see them back as high school counselors!
Tags: Benefits of nature, Children in Nature, Community building, Discovery Canyon Campus, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, life lessons, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
We had a great day at High Trails! Everyone had good early morning hikes. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning and we could still see the smallest sliver of the moon. We enjoyed another delicious breakfast – french toast, sausage, cereal, milk, and apple juice.
Everyone had fun on their all-days today. The all-days are always a good opportunity for the students to spend an extended amount of time with their themed discovery groups. They get to know the groups very well, do extra activities, and eat lunch out on the trail. The students came back this afternoon excited about what they had learned and ready to share their highlights from the week with their families at home.
After a little downtime, the students were able to choose their recreation activity. Students were again able to spend time with classmates who are in different cabins and discovery groups. Recreation options included 4-Square, nuke-em, marshmallow baseball, 4-story treehouse, and A-Bluff. Students enjoyed running around and playing games with their High Trails staff, high school counselors, and teachers.
Everyone went to the Hoedown for evening program. The High Trails staff and counselors dress in crazy costumes and lead silly, choreographed dances. The students all had a good time skipping and dancing around. Before bed, the High Trails staff went back to the cabins to talk about the highlights from the day and prepare the students for tomorrow. In the morning the staff will go to the cabins to help the students pack and clean before breakfast and their last discovery group.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Children in Nature, Community building, Discovery Canyon Campus, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, nature awareness, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Fun
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
