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Checking for Tadpoles
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Summer camp is fun, there’s just no question about it. All of us who attended a camp during our childhood have many fond memories of living in a cabin at summer camp. Most of those memories are centered in the pure joy of being a kid in a place that was created just for kids – where we could laugh and play and ride horses and make friends and maybe even have a food fight. If I were to use one word to describe my personal experiences at camp, I’m sure that I would say “fun”.
This winter, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to adults who were “Nesters” and to parents who have sent their children to Eagle’s Nest. Each time I do, they smile as they recount their memories of camp and the “fun” that they had. But it doesn’t stop with the warm memories. Just the other day I spoke with a mom who said “Eagle’s Nest was the most significantly positive and formative experience in my three children’s lives.” Wow! What’s even more significant about this statement is that I hear very similar statements every time I talk with an Eagle’s Nest family. Eagle’s Nest isn’t just fun; it is an exceptionally impactful experience in the positive growth and development of children.
So how does Eagle’s Nest make this happen? It all starts with our mission: “Experiential Education for young people, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character”. This mission guides all of our very intentional actions. Next, we recruit and train exceptional mission-based counselors and teachers who are committed to creating the community and program in which our vision becomes alive. With these wonderful guides, we then thoughtfully integrate mission throughout our program.
For example, I teach an edible and medicinal plants class at camp*. This is always a very “fun” class that involves roaming through woods and creeks in search of plants that we can munch on or use to treat our ailments. Campers get a chance to find a sassafras tree, identify its three different types of leaves and make a tea out of its fragrant root. Making tea out of plants that have been found in the woods is “fun”; more importantly, it helps nurture a deeper connection between campers and the natural world. By learning this little bit of natural science, campers become more aware of the interesting plants that surround them, and, in turn, their intellectual curiosity is stimulated, encouraging them to be excited participants in their educations. Ultimately, this connection leads to a greater appreciation of the many secrets and wonders of the natural world. It’s not surprising that many our campers are now working as science teachers, naturalists and land conservators.
Another example comes from our whitewater canoeing program. Since Eagle’s Nest is located in the French Board River Valley, our area is crisscrossed with many chilly mountain rivers. In keeping with our setting, we’ve been teaching open boat, tandem canoeing for many, many years. Canoeing is a great way to explore our natural surroundings and, of course, it’s “fun”. But, it is also much more. In recent years, other summer camp programs have moved to teaching kayaking. Kayaking is a thrilling sport, but I guarantee that if you asked any of our paddlers, they’d tell you that canoeing is pretty thrilling, too. More importantly, it requires the development of life skills such as communicating with a partner in a challenging situation, making quick decisions, using good judgment, and developing a respect for the power of water and the path that it carves through the mountain. We’ve been very deliberate in continuing this program at Eagle’s Nest because we know that it helps us meet our mission.
I’d like to leave you with one final, yummy example. At Eagle’s Nest, we bake the majority of the bread that we eat at camp, and each camper helps with that process. They learn how to do this by witnessing the reaction that occurs when they combine yeast, water and honey and witness the foamy activity that ensues. Once the sponge is ready, the campers get to begin adding the flour and kneading their concoction into pizza dough that will be baked to feed the entire camp (and if we’re lucky, some of these pizzas will be topped with pesto made from fresh basil harvested from our garden). Not only are our campers learning where their food comes from, they are also conducting a scientific experiment and seeing that science isn’t just something that they do in a lab, but something that they can use in practical ways in their own lives. Finally, our campers learn that getting their tiny hands sticky helps the greater community. This translates into having a greater sense of self-worth, a knowledge that even they can do things to help others, and a desire to be of service to others. As a result, many of our campers go on to work for Teach for America, Americorps, and the Peace Corps, and many choose “helping professions” for their careers.
As Director of Eagle’s Nest Camp, and as the parent of two campers, I’d like to say a word of thanks to all of the people who inspire our mission and bring it to fruition. I’d also like to invite you to see how you or your children can grow from a session in camp or on Hante. Eagle’s Nest is fun, but it’s also so much more.
* You can find out more about edible plants on our website by following this link: http://www.enf.org/kids/other
