Week 5: New Friends Arrive

Week 4: We Want More!

Week 3: Carefree & Filled With Glee! Come & See…

Week 2: Getting in a Groove!

Week 1: Summer Fun!

How A Screen-Free Summer Helps Kids Be Better Friends

In today’s digital age, children are spending more and more time in front of screens, whether it’s watching TV, playing video games, or using social media. While technology has its benefits, it’s important for children to have a break from screens, especially during the summer months when they have more free time. Here are some ways a screen-free summer can help kids be better friends:

Encourages face-to-face interactions: When children are not distracted by screens, they are more likely to engage in face-to-face interactions with their friends. This can help build stronger connections and improve social skills such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving.

Fosters creativity: Without the constant stimulation of screens, children are forced to find other ways to occupy their time. This can lead to more imaginative play and creative activities, which can foster a sense of camaraderie among friends as they work together to create and explore.

Builds independence: When children are not constantly entertained by screens, they are forced to rely on themselves and their friends for entertainment. This can help build independence and encourage children to take the initiative to plan and execute their own activities, which can lead to a greater sense of accomplishment and confidence.

Promotes physical activity: Screen time often leads to a sedentary lifestyle, which can have negative impacts on physical health. A screen-free summer encourages children to be more active and engage in outdoor activities with friends, which can improve physical health and well-being while also strengthening friendships.

Reduces social comparison: Social media can create pressure for children (and especially teens!) to compare themselves to their peers, which can be detrimental to self-esteem and lead to feelings of jealousy or inadequacy. A screen-free summer can provide a break from this constant social comparison and allow children to focus on building authentic relationships with their friends.

In conclusion, a screen-free summer can have many benefits for children, including improved social skills, creativity, independence, physical health, and self-esteem. By spending more time engaging in face-to-face interactions, being active, and using their imaginations, children can build stronger friendships and develop important life skills.

Fall 2021 Birch Peelings

Week 7: End of Summer

Our Fun Is Almost Done

Our camp summer is about to close but not before we have finished our Color War, Water Carnivals, Fireworks, Candlelight, Banquet and Cabin Parties.

We have played a lot, learned a lot, and grown a lot, and have perhaps taken for granted some perfect sunsets, blue-bird days, and friendships made rock solid by time shared together.

We have a few sayings at camp, but none exemplifies the perfect sentiment about camp friends: “to have a friend, be a friend”.

What a pleasure it is to see meaningful, relaxed, loyal, lasting in-person friendships being formed amongst our campers and counselors this summer. Face-Time will never replace Face to Face Time. This is an organic, fundamental truth we live at Birchmont every day.

The other saying we have at camp also comes into play this Color War week…

“Leadership is behavior.” Eleanor Roosevelt is the author of this quote, and her 3 words are still simple and true. Our camp community understands that being chosen for leadership positions through Color War is not just about a random selection, but about earning respect and recognition for behavior on and off the fields of play each day. There was tremendous support and enthusiasm shown at Color War team announcements after a fun and spirited Booth Carnival of our own making, with each bunk creating and running a booth in our circus-themed 4 teamed Color War and Carnival break out.

This past week we also held our annual Sailing Regatta on the first Wednesday in August to coincide with the St John’s Royal Regatta, North America’s oldest annual sporting event held each summer since 1816. We congratulate our sailors, Maven Flamhaft and Max Ferme took first place. Evan McVeigh took second place, and the team of Rafael Carlos, Kyle Kim and Michael Trokel placed third in the race.

We also congratulate Collin Kurtzman, our 2021 Checker Champion, and finalist Colden Friedman. And of course, we offer a huge congratulations to the Color War Lieutenants in each group (too many to list) and the 8 team Captains who will lead their camp teams this week: Jared Korn & Finn Byrne, William Sullivan & Ariana Koenig, Dylan Turkenkopf & Riley McKibben, Owen Banks and Rose Kobetz.

A big round of applause is also in order for all the talented and bold campers who performed in our second Talent and Variety Show of the season. Too many stars to list here, as were the winners of our annual Box Car Derby, both of these camp-wide, outdoor evening events brought much cheering and joy to the whole camp community.