Silence. Yes, it may be good for you. And your kids…

Here is a great article about silence.  It’s from Newsweek, and is certainly not intentionally directed toward camps.  

Yet, it’s essentially what we do.

No ipods, cell phones, limited “screen time”, lots of nature.  

Maybe this is exactly what we do.

What is also important is what the rest of us can wring from the more mundane moments of stillness.

Mundane moments of stillness are what we’re all about.  

Not sitting for a week in the woods in silence.

Have your kids had those moments recently?

 

Parents get “Kid-sick”, and how to beat it.

Here’s a great article from USA Today.  It was written a little while ago, but really hits on some feelings a lot of parent’s have when it comes to sending their kids away.  Make sure you check out the Tips for Parents on the left sidebar.  Some good thoughts there!

If you know any parents who are hesitant to send their kids to camp (they may be your son/daughter’s friend and potential bunkmate!) make sure they read this, and they can always either email or call us (513-932-3756) to talk through any questions.

Cool opportunity for writers!

You’re all so very creative, we thought we’d pass along this info to our campers.  If you’re a writer, this may be right up your alley!  If you’d rather write a story to be published in our Camp Kern book, you should head over to My Kern Story and share your thoughts!

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or writing a short story! Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com

Guidelines: Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.  And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.  Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted.

Postmark deadline: December 31, 2009

All contest winners will be announced on January 31, 2010

Prizes: Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.  Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

Entry fees: Writing Contest entry fee: $10 per short story. Poetry Contest entry fee: $5 per poem.

Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “DREAMQUESTONE.COM”

Mail to:

Dream Quest One

Poetry & Writing Contest

P.O. Box 3141

Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details or to enter!

Halloween Camp 2009!

October 16th to the 18th Camp Kern is hosting Halloween Camp.  For anyone ages 7-15 years old, this program is stuffed full of great activities. Archery, rock climbing, mineshaft, costume contest, haunted hayrides, scary stories and caramel apples will fill a fantastic weekend.  For the registration page click here: 2009 Halloween Camp Registration You can either fill out and mail in the form, email it to us, or call us up and we’d love to chat with you over the phone.  Bring a whole group of friends for a reunion weekend at camp, come by yourself to meet some great new friends, or just reconnect with some of your favorite counselors from the summer!  It’s going to be a ton of fun, and we’re really excited to see everyone.

Looking at things differently.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,

it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azanmig huh? And I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Social Networking and Camp

We all hear about “Social Networking” these days.  Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, texting, etc have taken over.

At camp, we’re attempting to enter and interact through these mediums (ie: this blog, our smugmug account, and being on Twitter).  However, we are also incredibly aware that the most important part of what we do here at camp has nothing to do with the internet or computers.  And that’s how it’s supposed to be, and how we want to keep it.  We read a lot and try to stay tech-savvy in order to meet kids where they are, on their terms, and in a relevant way, but we realize that we are working on so much more than that.  We help reenforce the values you instill at home, showing your children that authentic and personal interaction aren’t something to be merely endured.

Here is a great article talking about what you can do as a parent to make sure your child doesn’t grow up to be a member of the “Techno-Loner Generation.”  We’re here to help in the process, and we’ve got a ton of ideas and activities that perfectly fit the “things they miss out on while glued to the PC” model.  Campfires, S’mores, Dutch Auctions, Cabin Time, Kern Zone, GaGa, there’s so much going on, it’s hard to avoid a ton of personal, valuable face-to-face interaction.

The latest edition to the EQ herd…Napoleon!

Napoleaon joined the herd midway through the summer and has been causing “oooooohhhhhssss,  and awwwwwwwhhsss”  ever since.  He is hoping to see some new faces (that means your face) around the barn soon!

 

Check out the new EQ page!

The equestrian page has been updated and is looking good!  Check it out to see to learn about our upcoming horse-tastic fall programs, as well as our year round equestrian happenings!  Hope to see you around the barn soon!

Interesting Article

This was written in 2005, so take that into account.  However, it’s an interesting concept, and has had an effect even on Camp Kern.  We are looking to more specialty programming, while still clinging to some “traditional” parts of camp.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1064447-1,00.html

It’s a balancing act.  Let us know how you think we’re doing, and what you’d like to see us do different!

If you love Camp Kern, you’ll stay connected.

Summer Camp 2009 is over.

Let’s say it again… Summer Camp 2009 is OVER!

Now things like school, football practice, soccer, cross country, marching band and more school begin to take over not only kids lives, but parent’s as well.

2009 was a fantastic summer, full of friendships, play, learning and growth.  What’s tough about this place, about camping in general, is that once you leave, you often don’t think about camp for another 300 days.

You need to stay connected to camp.  The friends made here are worth keeping.  The memories stored here are worth sharing.  The changes you vowed to make in your life (be more caring, honest, responsible, respectful) are worth being reminded of.

There are more ways to do that than ever before.  Digitally, you can link up with friends through Facebook, you can subscribe to the blog (something we talked about here).  You can relive the moments through our 4,000 pictures on Smugmug.  We will also be sending out emails to all of our camper families.  They will be infrequent, but information-packed and you should make sure to read them, or print them out for the whole family to peruse.

These are all great, but there’s nothing like actually being here.  Not just in the summer, but as a chance to relax and recharge during the year.  Here are some things to make room for on the calendar:

1.  Ozone Zipline Adventures- If you didn’t already ride it as a family (or all by yourself!) you’ve got to check it out.  Huge ziplines, senic views, and educational curriculum all make for the best zipline anywhere.

2.  Family Camp- Right now they run on Labor Day and Memorial Day, and there is a waiting list.  Keep an eye open, as we’re working on some other dates and themes to make this great experience open to more and more families!

3.  Halloween Camp- Just like Summer Camp, except fewer days and in the Fall.  This is a great time to check out the color-turning trees and go on hayrides, tell scary stories and carve pumpkins!

4. Winter Camp- Come experience Camp Kern as a winter wonderland!  Sledding, snowball fights, winter mineshaft, and hot cocoa all round out this great (extended) weekend.

5. Equestrian- Are you into horses?  We do all kinds of year-round riding, mother/daughter weekends, ranch winter camp and more!

To sum it all up.  There is a ton to do at Kern during the non-summer months.  Stay connected, it’s worth it in so many ways.  We would love to see everyone back at least once during the winter!