Laugh Away!

How many times a day does the average child laugh per day? And the average
adult? Read on…we will share in this blog.


Last week a group of staff from Stonybrook attended the American Camping Association’s TriState Conference, the largest gathering of camping professionals in the world. The conference was held in Atlantic City…good location huh? Before you think crazy times, remember many of us are parents who were very excited to just get a peaceful night sleep (especially after a busy day of learning). We enjoyed the boardwalk, a fabulous staff dinner and of course the great company. As far as the learning goes, there were many take aways: ideas for programming and staff training; info on best practices for working with kids; the latest in peanut/tree nut allergies; and overall trends in day camps.


One interesting reminder was just how lucky we are to work with kids. Bringing us back to our lead in…. On average how many times do you think a child laughs per day? The answer is…..300 times per day! That is a lot of laughing and a lot of having fun. The average adult…… well, only 15 times per day. This doesn’t mean that adults are miserable, but rather as we grow up, we start to worry and concern ourselves with lots of things. Unfortunately, this means we end up laughing less, and yes, we’re probably not as innately happy as a child.


As much as we guide and provide amazing summer experiences for campers, we recognize that we have a captive audience who is ready to take it all in and have a great time. Our campers inspire us with their boundless energy and their willingness to have fun. In fact, when they see a puddle on a rainy day, they often want to jump on in. Adults are the ones who often say- uggg… and walk around it. Luckily, working at camp attracts some puddle jumpers, but we can still all learn a thing or two about happiness and the value of laughing from our campers. Laughter connects people and makes us feel happy. And who doesn’t want that? We are looking forward to laughing a lot this summer with our campers; we will provide the programs and activities (and expect some new and exciting ones), and they can smile, giggle and belly laugh away!




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