Posts Tagged ‘life lessons’

« Older Entries

ACA Conference

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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 »

How Long Is Your Shadow?

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: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Education, Leadership and Teambuilding, Professional Development | No Comments »

Lasting Impact

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Our school program ended last Wednesday after a very successful season. We had 4th-8th graders from about 20 schools came for 3-5 day programming over the last month and a half. At the beginning of every season we have the chance to reflect on why we want to be a part of HTOEC school weeks and share our thoughts with each other. I tell the staff, and remind myself, that the season will go by way too quickly, that we will have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of at least one child (hopefully more), we will be challenged, we will learn something new from the students we work with, and this place will become home.  Even though I have been part of a number of seasons, I’m always surprised that I forget these predictions that come true every year.

Students on a cabin porch

Several weeks ago I worked with a group of 5th graders from Palmer Lake Elementary School in Monument. I worked in a cabin with about 12 girls who varied in their interest and experience in the outdoors. We played games and hiked to several points around the ranch. I was at the cabin early in the morning and brought snacks after evening programming. This is typical for all the schools we work with. They were only here for three days before they headed back to school and a new school arrived at High Trails. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with them and as always, I wished them well as they left and reminded them they could come back as high school counselors.

About a week or so later I received a large stack of envelopes in my mailbox. I was mostly excited because it is rare that I have mail. I opened the first envelope and saw it came from one of the Lewis Palmer students that was recently in my cabin. I read about one of the girl’s experiences at High Trails as she talked about how much fun she had and how she was sad to go. Each letter in the stack was from one of the girls in that cabin. And each letter talked about how she challenged herself, enjoyed the hiking (when she didn’t think she would), loved the food, had fun doing different discovery groups, and several remembered my suggestion to come back in several years.

It was definitely surprising to receive this stack of mail. It was also very nice to read about the impact High Trails had on this group of girls. As staff, we see a number of students from different schools with various expectations about High Trails and experiences in the outdoors. We are never sure what students will walk away with as lasting memories. We will see a few high school counselors return after being at High Trails as younger students, we will hear teachers say the experience is great for their students, but it is rare to hear from students after they leave High Trails.

Checking out an Aspen tree

As the season ended and I reflected back on my comments at the beginning of the season, it was fun to remember my comments and recognize that they once again came true. These girls challenged me to go new places and I challenged them to push themselves a little farther out of their normal comfort zone. I learned more about High Trails as they asked me questions about birds and flowers I didn’t know and they learned more about nature. While they did not explicitly say High Trails had changed their lives, reading their excitement about being here showed the lasting impact High Trails will have on them.

We are now gearing up for the summer season. As I move forward and work with new and returning campers, I will again remind myself that everyday is a learning opportunity and the chance to making a lasting impact on another child.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »

Hope for “Race to Nowhere”

Friday, January 14th, 2011

A group of us went to University of Colorado Colorado Springs a couple of evenings ago to see the film “Race to Nowhere“, that explores the pressures on today’s students to succeed in school and the negative health benefits these pressures have caused. A mother was inspired to make the film after seeing the unhappiness, illnesses, and stress her own children were enduring due to the pressure to be a good student. An online article in the New York Times today further explores the pressures on students and the definition of success. Does strict control determine greater success? Is success having good grades or being a good and happy person?

There were a number of teachers and parents with children at the showing who expressed their frustration at the current system and how they feel trapped to teach to tests, and assign and enforce hours of homework, regardless of what their students developmentally need. A teacher mentioned the illogic of her 1st grade grandson having an 1.5 hours of homework a night.

We were all moved at the end of the film by the lack of time students have to take a breath. Are students doomed to have no time? Are they really in a race to nowhere? one of the students featured in the film explained that schooling was a race to nowhere -elementary school is all about getting to middle school, middle school is about getting ready for high school, high school is about getting into the right college, and college is about getting into grad school. Quoting a comment in the article, “Balance, it’s all in finding the correct balance.”

There is hope! We were inspired by what we do as outdoor educators. We provide the opportunities for children and adults to learn, we teach in an outdoor setting, we empower and inspire our participants to experience the world and education in new and imaginative ways. There are places that allow students the freedom to learn in a different environment. While not all children have experiential learning trips with school or have the opportunity to go to camp, there is hope for all students. It is finding the “correct balance.” It is necessary for students to spend a few minutes outdoors in the backyard or local park, to take a break from the pressure of school, to learn about life beyond the basic subjects in school.

Campers and staff learning about animals

All the employees at the Colorado Outdoor Education Center, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Sanborn Western Camps, and The Nature Place hope you are able to find, and help the students in your life, the balance and beat the race to nowhere.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps | No Comments »

More Support For Children’s Play

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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 »

Week 2, Discovery Canyon Campus Day 4

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: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education | No Comments »

Summer Camp: The Kitchen of Human Relations

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Happy Campers: An essential ingredient

Beyond the incredible opportunities for personal growth, exposure to the natural world, and the connection (or reconnection) with one’s sense of wonder, camp provides campers a unique opportunity to build a community from the ground up.

Building these communities is a little like baking at high altitudes: there are plenty of modifications to the recipe you can try…but you are never sure exactly which one is going to work.

Take our recipe for a FANTASTIC cabin/unit community at Sanborn:

9-10 happy campers
2 dedicated, attentive counselors
1 personable, knowledgeable assistant counselor
3 tons of positive attitude
1 ton of mutual respect
100 lbs. of integrity
18 gallons of flexibility
10 quarts of compromise
80 lbs of problem solving techniques
5 buckets of perseverance
5 buckets of resilience
1 truckload of empathy
A bunch of new experiences
A dash (or 200) into the outdoors  for new perspective
An infinite number of amazing opportunities and fun to be had!

Teambuilding activities build community

That said, sometimes campers or staff unintentionally modify our ideal recipe.  Occasionally, some snarky comment gets spilled in, or a selfish behavior is added, or—in some cases—an entire ingredient is forgotten or substituted.  And, like the high altitude cake with incorrect modifications, you find yourself with a crumbly, grumbly, salty mess on your hands.

Yet unlike the adult world, where it is sometimes more admissible (and far easier) to just cut your losses and walk away…at camp, these are the people you are living and working with for the rest of your summer.  You have to figure out what went wrong and try to fix it…otherwise, your summer simply won’t be as sweet.

You never expect the first cake you bake at 8,600 feet will turn out perfectly (though you do hope it will be edible)—similarly, you cannot expect the desires, wills, values, beliefs, emotions, and hormones of 13 unique individuals to always line up and converge in perfect harmony.  So you tinker with the ingredients: you teach the staff some new problem solving techniques, spend time getting to know each camper very well, and you show everyone support, gratitude, forgiveness and empathy along the way.

Fun and silliness at camp!

It is easy to get frustrated with a crumbly cake or with someone you are living with…but the cake won’t respond to your irritation or anger any better than a person.  So, through the daily mix of ingredients in our living units, on trips, on activities, and everywhere at camp, we create a unique and ephemeral “Daily Special.”  Because of all the factors involved, a day at camp cannot be repeated.  Each day is unique, it never has been, or ever will be the same again.  Some leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth, others will represent the high point of your life for many years to come.

At the heart of camp, just like at the heart of cooking, is the playful spirit and desire for fun, wholesome experiences—the experiences that all campers and staff are seeking from their summer in the Colorado mountains.

And the best part?  There are NEVER too many cooks in this kitchen.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Getting to the Top

Monday, July 5th, 2010

Celebration for a Lifetime

Twelve different groups from Big Spring and High Trails stood on the summits of thirteen Colorado mountains last week.  Other campers will have this awe-inspiring experience in the coming week.  Climbing a mountain is a real accomplishment and an exciting adventure.  To crawl out of a warm sleeping bag before dawn and face the brisk morning temperatures is an act of courage in itself.  The long climb upward, step-by-step, requires perseverance, commitment, and teamwork.

The Alpine tundra is beautiful, dotted by tiny forget-me-nots and other flowers.  Often we are fortunate enough to spot marmots, ptarmigans and other mountain wildlife.  The best moment of all, though, is stepping onto the summit and catching a first glimpse of the spectacular vistas.  Climbers always gain a well-deserved feeling of pride, and the self-confidence that comes from “making it to the top”.

Climbing a mountain provides so many benefits for young people. Youth development research tells us that young people need challenging and engaging activities and learning experiences in order to grow into confident, happy adults.  Reaching the summit requires hard work, determination and a lot of self-discipline. Mountain climbing stretches perspectives as well as legs, and it takes place in some of the most stunningly beautiful places on Earth.

Mountaineer Sir John Hunt said “The true result of endeavor, whether on a mountain or in any other context, may be found rather in its lasting effects than in the few moments during which a summit is trampled by mountain boots.  The real measure is the success or failure of the climber to triumph, not over a lifeless mountain, but over himself.”

We have many truly triumphant individuals in our midst.  The successes our campers experience at camp will be revisited countless times throughout their lives…and they will be better, stronger, and happier because of it.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Education, Outdoor Education, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »

Teaching By Being: How We Teach Campers

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Much of the impact we have as youth development professionals happens just because we are role models.  Campers look to their counselors for guidance, wisdom, and to learn more about the people they want to become.  The quote, “act as though what you do makes a difference,” is a perfect line for camp counselors–because who you are as much as what you do DOES make a difference.  Here is a list of 10 ways to help teach your campers essential life skills, to build a strong relationship with your camper, and to model happy, healthy, and enriching behaviors.

Summit Success on Mount Silverheels

1.  Respect:  A camper who is treated with respect at camp will have self-respect.  He will learn to cooperate and have empathy for others.

2.  Listening:  Listen to your campers’ stories, hopes, and worries.  Hear them and respond.  They will learn to listen to others.

Singing "Rocky Mountain High" at the start of a backpacking trip.

3.  Patience:  A camper who sees you are not afraid of failure, who sees you fiinish what you begin, will try, try again until he succeeds.

4.  Trust:  Keep your promises.  Your campers will be trustworthy.

5.  Work:  A camper who shares in the daily work at camp will learn to be responsible.

Practicing the art of the lasso, Big Spring Barn

6.  Honesty:  If a camper is taught and shown how to respect the truth, if he sees justice used to solve problems at home, he will know right from wrong.

7.  Time:  All children, not only at camp, spell love T-I-M-E.  If your camper owns enough one-on-one time with you each day, she will have confidence because she knows she has value.

Reading stories around the campfire together

8.  Downtime:  Give your campers time to read, reflect and dream for at least 20 minutes every day.  They will learn to take time for themselves.  They will learn to concentrate.  They will forget how to be “bored.” They will learn critical thinking and be set free to dream.

9.  Writing:  Give your camper time and encouragement to write in or draw in a journal.  Praise his efforts.  He will carry these efforts away to home and school.  He will connect writing with enjoyment and will then write with and for pleasure.

Great staff members help build great campers!

10.  Habits:  Campers need quiet time every day.  They need a good night’s sleep and regular meals of wholesome food, instead of sugar snacks.  They need to wash their hands and use good manners with everyone.  They need to be outdoors, instead of watching TV and playing video games.  Good habits make good campers.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Education, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Summer Camp for Kids, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

From the Archive: Top 10 Things I’ve Learned at Summer Camp (that make me a better parent)

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

This post first appeared in April 2009 on our previous blog.

Part II

The second edition of the two part series about skills I learned while working as a summer camp youth development professional at Sanborn Western Camps. These top five are, in my mind, some of the most important tools to practice…but they are also some of the hardest parenting, and counseling, skills remember. In the end, if we screw up (which we will), a genuine apology, a good hug, and time spent together in the outdoors will make the challenges and bad feelings evaporate–and give everyone the room they need to breathe. Enjoy!

Developing a sense of Self--and style--takes time

5. Respect their individuality. Making    comparisons between children (siblings, bunk mates) is a terrible mistake. Very few of us deliberately say things like, “I wish you could be MORE like Alice…” but plenty of us are guilty of saying, “Look at how well Alice cleared the table…” with the sibling or the rest of the children filling in the end of the sentence, “…and YOU didn’t.” Appreciate each child’s unique gifts. Know each child’s unique gifts. Celebrate those gifts in a one-on-one setting, don’t put one child on a pedestal in front of any others. Don’t love equally, love uniquely.

4. Never forget: It is the ACTION, not the person, you need to modify through discipline. There are no “bad kids” only “bad choices”. It is hard to emotionally remove yourself from a situation that has you incensed…but you must. That said, it is equally essential to voice your feelings, “We all have been working as a group to stop gossiping about other campers, because it is very hurtful and damaging to our community. The rumor that you started IS hurtful and damaging. You are not a mean girl, you just made a bad choice and I want to understand WHY you made that choice.” Tantrums (pre-school or pre-teen) are an outstanding time to practice empathy, not judgment.

Wonder is everywhere

3. Kids need time to simply be themselves. To simply be kids, to simply be playing, to simply be silly, to simply be curious, to simply be grumpy, to simply be happy, to simply be thoughtful, to simply be alone, to simply be playing with others, to simply be outside, to simply be strong, to simply be scared, to simply be human. Never underestimate the power of unstructured free play in the outdoors—kids will learn more about themselves and others in that environment than during a lifetime of soccer games. Boys, mine especially, really love taking long walks outside while singing silly songs, running races, picking up pinecones, inventing games, and actually talking to their momma.

2. The ability to manage and control one’s emotions effectively is a trait that many happy, wise successful adults all have in common. Providing children tools to practice emotional management is vital for creating a healthy, well-balanced society. A parent’s job is to raise a child that she wants to “release” into the world…and to begin that slow release the day the child is born. Beware of enabling behaviors that seem like safe alternatives. Make challenging situations into positive learning experiences. Promising a homesick child she can come home if she “hates camp” before she even arrives strips her of the ability to work through a tough experience and be proud of the resilience she developed on her own is no different than promising candy if you can make it through the grocery store without a fit.

cool duds

Like father, like son, like brother...

1. 80% of what children hear and learn is what they see. Humans learn through mimicry. Kids will only be as good at these skills as you are…and parents, camp counselors, and camp professionals should never stop trying to do these things at home, at work, with friends, and with family. Because, in the end, children will see all of you faults, and love you anyway.

If you are interested in more tips from the camp world about parenting, preparing your child for camp and for life, as well as some cutting edge conversations about youth development, please continue to visit the Sanborn Western Camps blog–and also check out Bedtime Stories for Parents and parent resources on the ACA website.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Outdoor Education, Parenting, summer camp in Colorado | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries