It's Easy to Make Friends

When a girl goes to school, chances are she interacts mostly with kids her own age. Both in class and out, her opportunities to make friends don’t reach very far from the other kids in her grade level. When coming to camp, however, a girl spends time with other girls both younger and older than she; pre-teens make friends with young girls, older teens become natural leaders for the younger girls, and so forth. Likewise, all of the campers really get to know the camp counselors, who are generally young women in college or recently graduated from college. And when you consider the senior camp staff, there is a huge age range of people at camp all living together as a community.

The social benefits of this multiage experience are significant. Not only is it more like the real world, but research has shown multiage settings help girls feel less pressure to be competitive with other girls, and this makes it much easier to make friends.

When you think about camp, this makes perfect sense because it really is a special place where teens don’t have to be the “best” to be liked. No matter what, you’ll make really good friends, even if they are a little older or younger.

Georgia Girls

Being so close to Georgia, we always have a lot of Georgia girls attend Rockbrook, and you might guess that the city in Georgia that sends us the most girls is Atlanta. After that, Douglasville, Alpharetta, and Savannah are the next top Georgia cities. There really is a long tradition of girls from Georgia looking for camps in the mountains of North Carolina.

P.S. This is a photo of our Gerogia Girls from first session last summer.

Making Real Friends at Camp

And these aren’t your casual friends. At camp you’ll make the absolute best friends of your life, the kind of friends you’ll always stay in touch with. That’s because camp is a place where you can be who you really are. No need to pose, no need to worry about who is or isn’t nice to you; just relax. When you’re honest and open, you’ll find the kind of true people who are easy to like and who will like you too. Whether you’re a kid, a teenager, or a college student staff member, at Rockbrook you’ll make the most awesome camp friends.

Girls Gymnastics Camps

The gymnastics camp activity at Rockbrook is designed for girls who want to explore gymnastics as a sport for recreation and personal growth. It is one activity offered as part of our overall traditional summer camp program and is not really for girls who want to train for gymnastics competitions (like this gymnastics camp). Instead we focus on offering instruction in fundamental gymnastic skills and techniques, activities that will be both fun and helpful no matter what your gymnastics background. Our instructors teach children’s gymnastics classes throughout the school year, so they are well prepared to design different lessons for the different age groups and ability levels. Ready… flip!

Teen Programs for Girls

The teen programs for girls offered by Rockbrook bring together several unique aspects. First of all there are all the amazing things teen girls can do at camp… everythng from outdoor adventure trips like climbing and kayaking, to arts and crafts like pottery and weaving, to sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball. There’s plenty to keep your activity level way, way up. Then there are special leadership opportunities at camp, the chances to plan special events like the banquet and to help with activities for the younger kids. It’s very clear how teenagers are role models for the other girls at camp. Finally, the teen programs at Rockbrook provide a place were girls can relax and enjoy carefree summer living with some good friends who appreciate you for who you are instead of who you’re pretending to be. It’s welcoming and friendly, and that’s really great.

Girl Summer Camps

We thought you’d enjoy seeing how girl summer camps like Rockbrook can be just as beautiful in the fall as in the summer. When the weather turns colder here in the mountains, the lush green of the camp forest comes alive with color, as the leaves change, fall, and decorate the camp in spectacular ways. For example, we took this photo of “Curosty,” one of the camp’s craft activity cabins the other day. Isn’t it amazing!? All those big, old Maples, Oaks and Poplars really serve up something special.

Photos of Summer Camp Friends

Here’s a set of photos taken one Sunday afternoon at camp. We were queuing up for our cabin photos and took these at the same time. They show our traditional uniforms (white shirt and shorts, plus a red tie) that we wear on Sundays and at other special events.

Hiking in Brighter Days!

The storm has finally passed and Rockbrook is beginning to dry out! All of our activities are up and running again. One activity, WHOA (wilderness hiking outdoor adventure) is particularly happy to be back in the sun. Many girls hiked up to Castle Rock today to enjoy a mountain view of Brevard. I was fortunate to join one very early this morning. The chill air was invigorating and the steep hike intense, but in the end our perseverance paid off. We found ourselves high up in the clouds with one actually passing right between our mountain and another! Sitting high up on that rocky ledge gives a whole new perspective to Rockbrook’s location and a deeper appreciation for the wilderness we are so lucky to inhabit for a few short weeks. More adventures to come tomorrow!