Fernwood Cove Moxie Minute

We recently sent an email regarding academics at camp. First, we want to assure you that we are not looking to change the focus or our programs or current activity options that Fernwood Cove families know and love. Our goal as a business is to meet the needs of our clients in the best way possible- and one of those needs is often academic assistance or tutoring for individual campers throughout the camp session. While we would rather focus on activities like metal smithing, dance, and OLS, we understand the reality that some of our camp families face regarding on-going academic needs and demands for their daughters. In today's world some campers (and parents) are faced with having to sacrifice returning to camp due to summer academics, tutoring or test preparation. While it's certainly not the world we'd hope for, it is the reality that some Fernwood Cove girls face. It is with this understanding that we hope we can provide a solution that helps meet the academic demands that some campers face- while they continue their Fernwood Cove experience.

Thank you to those who completed the survey that was included in the recent email. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and certainly helps us to better identify where the needs lie. If your daughter will need academic assistance and/or tutoring this summer, please contact Alicia and provide her with specifics regarding your daughter's needs. Once we hear from families who are looking for academic assistance this summer, we will be better able to determine whether we will hire a tutor to provide professional level tutoring or if we can meet the needs of our campers through academic assistance provided by Fernwood Cove counselors.

Again, thank you to those parents who responded to our survey. We apologize for any uneasiness or anxiety that our email may have created regarding Fernwood Cove's activity offerings and/or programs. Please rest assured that Fernwood Cove will continue to be the Extraordinary World for each and every Fernwood Cove camper and CIT!

Benefits of Summer Camp

Fun, friendships...and so much more!

Summer camps have been around since the early 1900's, when parents looked for a way for their children to escape from the city and the pressures of life there. A lot has changed since then, but many parents' reasons for sending their child to camp still remain the same- to get away from the pressures and stress of life during the school year, to meet new people and make new friends, and to experience things they can't do at home. As the pressures of life for today's youth- summer classes/academics, sports clinics/training, study abroad, community service hours, etc. continue to build, it can be difficult to weigh the benefits of time spent at camp against the perceived benefits of the other activities and options available to your daughter.

If you ask long-time camp professionals, or even long-time campers, they will tell you that summer camp has an impact on campers like nothing else can. They will discuss the development of life skills like independence, respect and communication. They will explain the supportive environment of camp and how that helps campers learn to take healthy risks. They will likely talk about camp as long as you're willing to listen. But until recent years, there wasn't a lot of solid research on the benefits of camp- so many people related to their own experiences, or the growth they saw in others, to discuss the benefits of camp. Now we are able to show the benefits of the camp experience through research based results, making the impact of camp that much more significant and the need for children to become campers that much greater.

Here are some articles, blog posts, books and more that support the amazing choice you've made in deciding to send your child to camp. Read them knowing you're doing great things for your daughter. Refer to them when your friends and family ask "Why camp?"

10 Benefits of Summer Camp; Mommy Manders Blog Post
Imagine Respect, Inspire Resilience, Impact Responsibility; Camping Magazine article by Deborah Gilboa, MD
Homesick & Happy; by Michael G. Thompson, PhD.
Ultimate 21st Century Skills Learning Environment; ACA Camp Blog Post