We have heard it before- why waste a season at one of many California summer camps while our kids could be doing something “productive?” With summer options out there like SAT prep camps and competitive sports training programs, it is likely that traditional summer camps like Canyon Creek might be slipping to the bottom of the summer priority list. But choosing summer camp isn’t choosing to allow your children to waste a summer- instead, it is choosing to instill skills in your child that are otherwise unteachable. Independence, creativity, and character develop when kids are given the chance to explore and experience things that are different, challenging,
and sometimes out of their comfort zone. Canyon Creek is a place where kids are given opportunities that allow them to develop into young people who truly shine- not just on a college application, but in life.
Looking to give your kids a competitive advantage? Camp might just be the answer. The advantages camp gives to children are endless, but here are just a few of the skills your child can gain from a summer at Canyon Creek:
Independence
You can’t teach your kids to be independent- and most of us that have tried to teach this life skill have quickly found that even our best efforts to do so were completely in vain. In fact, the more you try to get kids to gain independence, the more reliant and needy they often become. So how do we get kids to become the able, confident young people that we so want them to be? How do we ensure that some day, our children will be prepared to take on the world and make decisions for themselves? Instead of trying to teach children independence, we have to allow our kids opportunities that require them to develop the skill- not because we tell them to be independent, but because they need to be independent for themselves.
Your California summer camp, Canyon Creek, is a safe and nurturing place for kids to develop independence. For most kids, just getting on the bus to head to camp is a true test. For the first time quite possibly in forever, your child will have to get by without your constant supervision and decision making. At camp, children are challenged to take healthy risks and are constantly allowed to make decisions for themselves, both big and small. Just walking through the lunch line is like observing a social experiment- seeing kids carefully question what to put on their plates, how big of a portion to take, and how many desserts they can get away with gobbling up. Do kids always make the decisions you would make for them? No way. Will some kids pile so much food onto their plate that a brief stomachache is imminent? Absolutely. But will kids learn from these decisions and even those mistakes and become more confident in their choices and actions in the future? You can count on it.
Creativity
Creativity might just be the most underrated character trait of them all. With so much focus on technology and competition, gone are the days of appreciating finger painting and song flute melodies. But, studies have shown that many of the world’s best and brightest, including a whole slew of Nobel Prize winners, regularly partake in playing musical instruments, dancing, painting, drawing, or even performing magic. Indulging in art allows us to think creatively and to find new ways of seeing the world. At a California summer camp, kids are encouraged to break out of their shell, express themselves, and sometimes get downright crazy. Doing so makes kids more creative and gives them the ability to approach problems with an inspired lens. Oftentimes, the camp experience combines creative expression with an appreciation for nature, which only catalyzes the development of out-of-the-box thinking.
Ability to reflect
The stress of the school year catches up with us all- the projects, after school activities, homework packets, and packing of lunchboxes is enough to make any of us deserve a serious vacation. But when summer schedules rival the schedules of the school year, there is no time for parents or kids to stop and reflect. Reflection is important for a lot of reasons- we all need a chance to recharge our batteries that are likely running on empty. Furthermore, giving children time to reflect and relax can allow them to see that life is about more than how many soccer goals you score or your grade on a math test. Reflection lets children get to know themselves and to recognize their own success. Canyon Creek is a place where children are allowed the time to cut loose and really be a child without the stress of school and competitive sports. When children thoroughly get the time to enjoy themselves, they are able to develop character and head into the next school year feeling empowered like never before.
Sending your kids to Canyon Creek, your California summer camp, is a sacrifice- likely in more ways than one. The kids will likely miss a swim meet or a few dance classes. They might not get the opportunity to go to summer school or get in the extra volunteer hours you are hoping will help them to shine on a college application some day. You will have to make some serious sacrifices to the family schedule to make summer camp work. Additionally, paying for camp can certainly be considered a financial sacrifice. And most importantly, you, as a parent, will have to give up your child, your pride and joy, for an extended period of time- a huge sacrifice for any parent. But while each of these sacrifices are completely valid, they are, like most sacrifices, worth the effort tenfold.
Why Canyon Creek Summer Camp, your California summer camp? Because Canyon Creek doesn’t aim to improve your kid’s resume, it aims to improve your kid’s life skills. Every parent knows that their child is so much more than just grades on a report card and scores on a test- and camp promotes that personal development that goes deeper than what is on a piece of paper. Canyon Creek guides children in developing the independence they need to take on life’s greatest adventures, the creativity that one day might help them to add a splash of color to our increasingly black and white world, and the strong self identity that will keep them knowing their own worth. Opting for camp this summer means giving your child the chance to grow and learn more than just a skill, but a whole array of lifelong traits. So, your kid might not wind up learning quantum physics this summer, but you better believe they will head back to school in the fall with a whole load of memories, smiles, and confidence under their belt. And at the end of the day, what more could a parent possibly ask for?