Whimsy!

Sometimes things we see on cnn.com actually relate to camp.  Around the 4^th of July there was an article in cnn’s living section that just embraced much of our philosophy and we wanted to share it.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/living/summer-camp-child-independence/index.html

The article highlighted Psychologist and school consultant Michael Thompson, who recently wrote a new book about the value of summer camp, “Homesick and Happy: How Time Away From Parents Can Help A Child Grow.”  And while the majority of the book was written to focus on a sleepaway experience, he writes that many ideas can be adapted to a day setting.  

Based on Thompson’s consulting with schools from September to June he sees that constant pressure year after year can make kids incredibly anxious. They can develop symptoms around anxiety and stress.  For some they can't sleep and they worry all the time and they never feel they're done. He summed it up by saying, “And I think, gosh, you're living a life of a middle aged executive and you're only in 10th grade."

Whether it is sleep away or local, "Camp is just whimsical a lot of the time," says Thompson. "And in this competitive economy, we're not often whimsical with our children. And they absolutely love whimsy."  Whimsy lets you recharge and allows you to take things in that you cannot when you are under so much stress. 

We want you to know that Stonybrook strives to be a place of whimsy.  We teach skills and provide new experiences but we aim to do so in a healthy way.  In fact, we want to be the camp with the most whimsy!  Not trying to be too competitive or anything…..Go Stonybrook!

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