A Refuge from Advertising

We’ve written before about how the average American child spends 53 hours per week consuming electronic media— television, computers, cell phones, video games, ebook readers —interacting with various screens. One consequence of this media consumption is all the advertising it includes. Woven throughout these hours of electronic entertainment is a flood of ads and product branding, to the extent of about 3000 ads per day, according to one study. Just about everywhere our children go, including their schools, they are exposed to carefully crafted advertising messages. Advertisers know that children constitute not only a large market themselves, but also a powerful force capable of influencing their parents’ spending. Even more insidiously, they know exposing children to brands very early in life can have lasting brain effects that influence their buying habits as adults.

Recognizing this trend in America, researchers have begun to study the effects pervasive advertising and branding have on children, their (cognitive, social and personal) development, and their overall physical and psychological health. Unfortunately, it’s not good, with links to tobacco, alcohol and drug use, to obesity, to premature sexual activity, and to fostering negative body image ideals. There is strong evidence that advertising and even subtle branding messages have profoundly negative effects, so much so, several European countries, Greece, Belgium and Sweden for example, have banned advertising that explicitly targets children.

Fortunately for the children that attend summer camp, there is a true break from media consumption and from its accompanying advertising. Spending time at Rockbrook, playing outside, and enjoying real friends and relationships, function as countering forces. Back to the basics of childhood, girls at camp find they are more creative, more imaginative and more adventurous. We all know camp is a refuge; it is in this way as well— a refuge from advertising and branding.  And that’s a great thing.

Back to School

This time of year, as we head back to school and the memories of our time at camp can seem far away, it’s a good idea to reflect upon some of the important habits and skills we learned during our stay at Rockbrook, and to realize how important they can be throughout the rest of the year.  But what are some of those values? What are some of the surprising things camp taught us that can still serve us well at school?

At Rockbrook this summer we learned:

—things are more fun when we include everyone
—you can be creative with just about anything
—making friends is easy when we respect and care for each other
—everything is better in a costume

Of course there are a lot of other ways camp helps kids grow too.

Peg Smith, the CEO of the American Camp Association, also wants kids to remember what they learned at camp, in particular the “Three Cs” — Confidence, Curiosity, and Character. Pack all these great things in your school backpack. You know camp is awesome; now make that true for school too!

Lindsey in St. John

Just heard from Lindsey’s Mom:

“Lindsey traveled to St. John USVI after leaving Rockbrook where she learned to snorkel, spent some time Geocaching on the island, explored old sugar plantations, practiced Kung Fu with her Dad, and spent time exploring for sea shells! I believe Lindsey was so adventurous for our family trip to St. John because of confidence she gained at Rockbrook! She can’t wait to return next year! We are all addicted to Rockbrook and she’s taught us many songs that we sing in the car!”

So cool to see how a first grader’s first camp experience can really make a difference! Thanks!

A Fantastic Summer

Today we closed Rockbrook’s 90th season and said farewell to our Third session and August Mini session campers. After these weeks together, it’s astounding how close we’ve all become, girls of all ages and staff members sharing experiences and growing together as a family. We’ve laughed together and cheered for each other. We’ve learned together and helped each other. All this proving once again a remarkable thing about Rockbrook: everyone here is part of a loving community, supported, encouraged and appreciated. Being a part of it is a marvelous feeling.

That’s one of best reasons girls develop such a deep love for camp. They not only get to do so many amazingly fun things and live with so many great people, they cherish the feeling of freedom and the regular moments of excitement every day brings. Life at camp is different from the rest of the year. It’s of course missing modern comforts (and technology), but also, strangely, feels more real.

Thank you everyone! Rockbrook is magical because everyone— our great girls, counselors, directors, support staff and families —makes it that way. Thank you for your efforts and support this summer. It’s truly been fantastic!

Ice Cream and Fairy Houses

Today the girls were surprised by the arrival of the “Biltmore Train!” You’ve heard of the Biltmore Estate. Well, in its earliest years it also ran a commercial dairy (as well as a hog, poultry and cattle farm) and sold its products locally. The delivery truck for the Biltmore dairy products— remember the milk man? —was decorated with a train motif, so when that truck would arrive at Rockbrook, the campers called it the “Biltmore Train.” One of the things it brought was ice cream. Think big tubs of yummy, ice cream ready to be hand dipped. Keep a stack of cones nearby too. And keep eating until it’s gone. That’s the Biltmore Train at RBC.  It means the campers can eat several (two, three, even four!) ice cream cones by getting right back in line while they eat their cone. Soon there’s a train of girls eating ice cream at Rockbrook. A decadent, once-a-year special treat for all these Rockbrook Girls!

Tonight for the Twilight period after dinner, Pam organized a special “Fairy House” workshop. This was an invitation to come down to the garden and build a small planter, a magical pot of flowers, moss, sticks and other natural objects that fairies would inhabit.

Mostly Juniors were excited about the idea, but there were several Middlers who attended as well. Pam prepared by having a variety of flower pots available, as well as trays of flowers, a pile of different mosses she had collected, even shells. The campers were encouraged to bring with them a couple of special “found objects” to add to their houses, something like a shiny pebble, or strangely gnarled stick, for example. Most of the girls started by planting a couple of different colored flowers in their pots. Pam, Alison and Sarah helped them with the soil and explained how to bury the roots of the plants. Then most added moss to the pots already making them magical looking. Adding string, a collection of stones and twigs, some of the fairy houses became quite elaborate. A couple even had a roof made of sticks and moss. The imagination and creativity built into this activity, combined with all the cool natural materials made it such a wonderful experience. It’s the kind of thing we just love around here!

Excitement Bubbling Up

Today we opened our third session of camp, and it started out with excitement bubbling up all over. You could see it on the hill when each camper arrived and the counselors let out a cheer. You could see it on campers faces as they literally jiggled in the back seat of the car ready (so ready!) to hop out and get started. These girls have been waiting all summer long for camp, so they were ready to explode with excitement. It was there in the big bear hugs between two friends finally reunited. And we certainly saw this excitement during lunch, the first meal, when it took about 3 minutes for the whole camp to launch into the “Bubble Gum” song.

It’s always a real moment of pride for us to open a new session of camp because it lets “the outside world,” our parents and campers, and their family and friends accompanying them, see all the good things we enjoy at Rockbrook everyday. They can marvel at the sheer beauty of the place, the big trees, stone lodges, and traditional, rustic cabins tucked in the forest. They can enjoy the truly cool mountain air and gaze off the hill at the mountains beyond. Most importantly, they can personally meet some of the wonderful people here. Our cabin counselors are fantastic young ladies. It’s clear when you talk with them that they are marvelous, caring, confident, and energetic women, and will be great role models for the girls at camp. Likewise for our camp Directors, Sarah and Charlotte, Mandy, Sofie and Catherine— these are highly experienced and dedicated Rockbrook people, super organized and responsive. I’m sure you’ll get to know several of these folks, and I’m equally sure you’ll be impressed.

After lunch, which included Rick’s comforting, homemade macaroni and cheese, we all assembled on the grassy hill of camp to meet the Line Heads (the counselors who lead each age group) and Directors, and to sing a few songs. The Hi-Ups, our oldest campers, took a turn teaching a song, and the Directors all joined in to perform a funny “Shower Song” that reminded the campers to bathe while at camp. “Jumping in the lake is not the same…!” Down in the gym, the counselors next took turns presenting short skits to introduce themselves and their activities to the campers. It’s helpful for everyone to learn what activities are offered this year and who will be teaching them. Here too, the campers see that being a little silly is part of the fun here at Rockbrook and that everyone, counselors, directors and campers alike, enjoy it. At some point or another, we’re all dressing up, dancing around, singing and laughing our heads off.

Later, each age group came down to the lake for their “swim demonstrations.” With all of our lifeguards assembled, plus all the Directors, every camper and counselor took a turn demonstrating her swimming ability by jumping off the dock, swimming out 60ft, back another 60ft, and then treading water for 30 seconds. Doing this successfully, confidently, earns you a buddy tag and a cool green bracelet that signals a swimming ability strong enough to tackle our new water slide. If a camper’s swimming skills are weak, she receives a special colored buddy tag (alerting the lifeguards) and must wear a life jacket in the shallow end of the lake. She can also redo her swim demo during any free swim, and the lifeguards are always happy to help work on her strokes.

One quick last reminder… we are posting photos every day online and you can see them after logging into your Campminder account. Checking these is a great fun and you can easily share them by email or on Facebook. Enjoy!

Counselors Between Sessions

You never know who you might run into, but when it’s a break between summer camp sessions and you’re at a popular restaurant, odds are it’ll be a camp counselor. That’s exactly what happened to Rebecca W. (all around awesome camper!) and her family when she suddenly recognized not one, but fifteen Rockbrook counselors! It didn’t take long for their Rockbrook spirit to percolate up and inspire a camp song or two. A very happy coincidence, and fun for everyone.

Second Session Success

Today we brought our second session of camp to a close and had to say goodbye to all of the great girls who helped make it a success. Over the last few weeks, as we’ve lived together and shared so many good times, we have all grown in important ways and together had great fun (well, except maybe for the bug bites!).

It’s been a wonderful pleasure to have your girls here at Rockbrook, and we look forward to next year when we can meet again in the Heart of a Wooded Mountain.

Thanks everyone. We’ll miss you!