A dozen miles off the coast of Rockland is an island – and an opportunity. The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership this summer will give dozens of youngsters hands-on scientific education in an off-the-grid, environmentally sustainable island community. But while science serves as a “lens” for teaching leadership, says Program Director Phoebe Jekielek, […]
Sending a child to camp for the first time means facing unknowns. Parents – and their kids – have questions about activities, counselors, and all aspects of camp culture. And some of those questions – what if my child is homesick? – can make parents anxious about the residential camp experience. Yet several parents whose […]
Caribou herds. Wolves. Evidence of native encampments. When youngsters embark on the Chewonki Foundation’s pinnacle wilderness trip to Northern Quebec and Labrador they see a whole different world. The George River Expedition first set out in the summer of 1991, a challenging canoe adventure through subarctic terrain. It’s a life-changing leadership opportunity, says Greg Shute, […]
For kids who attend camp, the experience can be described in any number of ways. Fun, challenging, exciting, an adventure. Camp also teaches a broad range of skills, in the art studio, on the playing field, on the water and atop mountains. But camp also teaches kids abilities that transcend specific activities, abilities they can […]
As Thanksgiving approaches, camp directors are hard at work. Camper recruitment, staff hiring, budget planning and, of course, communicating with families, fill directors’ days as they anticipate the 2018 season. Yet while their tasks these November days may involve more time indoors than in the summer months, directors are quick to acknowledge the many elements […]
Every summer, twins Max and Kate Konigsberg leave their Greenwich, CT home where they live with their parents, Jeffrey Konigsberg and Joan Lunden, and, along with their younger siblings, come to Maine for camp. Jeff Konigsberg owns boys Camp Takajo, in Naples, and girls Tripp Lake Camp in Poland; he says the twins have been […]
For Josh Hahn and Kate Auerbach, opening a camp is the culmination of years of planning. It’s nothing short of a “dream job,” says Hahn, who with Auerbach will co-direct Camp Somerset for Girls in Smithfield. The two lifelong friends are steeped in camp tradition and come June they will open the brand-new facility currently […]
“When I saw the first plane come down I was the most nervous I’ve ever been.” That plane was the first of 15 to land on Old Orchard Beach on October 1, all thanks to fifteen-year-old Chase Walker’s efforts. The event, 18 months in-the-planning, raised $12,000 for Make a Wish® Maine. And it all began […]
Camp offers kids enormous opportunities during the summer months, from arts to athletics to learning about the environment first-hand. Campers trek Maine’s mountains, paddles its rivers, kayak its vast coastline. They also learn, through experiential activities of all kinds, and through social interaction with peers and role models. It may feel like play, but when […]
For camp directors, the summer season is a 24/7 focus exclusively on their camps and campers. But on September 13, at Migis Lodge in Casco, those directors got a chance to take a breath, reflect on their summers, and exchange ideas with each other. The annual Maine Summer Camps Fall Workshop brought together 80 camp […]
