The Importance of Play

Did you know that play is about more than just “fun and games?” You might have heard that “play is children’s work,” and maybe you’ve realized that play often boils down to having spontaneous fun, but what makes play beneficial? What about the long term benefits of play?

It turns out there is a ton of research indicating that play is very important for human beings, even essential for our well being throughout our lives, from childhood through adulthood. One leader of this research and an advocate of what we might call “play for all,” is Dr. Stuart Brown, MD. He is the founder of the National Institute for Play, an organization

“committed to bringing the unrealized knowledge, practices and benefits of play into public life. [The Institute] is gathering research from diverse play scientists and practitioners, initiating projects to expand the clinical scientific knowledge of human play and translating this emerging body of knowledge into programs and resources which deliver the transformative power of play to all segments of society.”

One general conclusion Dr. Brown’s research has shown is a strong correlation between adult success and play. Language skills, thinking skills, and of course, social skills all benefit from unstructured play. And since these are crucial areas for adults as well, it’s important to develop a habit of playing throughout our lives. We can improve these adult level skills by continuing to play.

Here’s a great video of Stuart Brown giving a lecture about the importance of play. He argues that “play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults — and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age.”

We like this a lot.  It verifies something we’ve been talking about for years; play, and in particular outdoor play, is really important.  More than just entertainment, it’s a powerful benefit for children’s health and happiness.  This research helps us understand how these benefits extend far into adulthood as well.  Naturally, camp is the perfect place to experience all of this.  Free from the over-structured, over-scheduled nature of school, and free from boredom-inducing electronic media, camp provides daily opportunities for play.  Children are so much better for it.

Hey, don’t forget to play!

Anxious about camp?

Going away to camp, particularly to an overnight or sleepaway camp, is a big step for kid. Being separated from parents, meeting loads of new people, and trying lots of new challenging activities— all these can be a little scary. Imagining it all, it’s easy to worry and find yourself asking “What if…?” kinds of questions. In fact, it’s just as common for parents to be scared and worried too. They also can suffer from a certain amount of “separation anxiety.”

There are a couple of things that can help both parents and kids feel better about this. First, realize that this is perfectly normal and all parents feel nervous about being away from their children for extended periods of time. Likewise, all children see their parents as their basic source of comfort and can at first be reluctant to go without it. Being away from each other requires both parents and children to develop a new sense of trust. Parents must trust the camp (its directors and staff, in particular) to take good care of their children, and each child must learn to trust themselves and their abilities away from home.

Fortunately, summer camps are ideal places for this kind of growth. They offer safe, structured environments where each girl finds plenty of fun things to do, but more importantly, caring adults trained to encourage her to make her own decisions, and to be more independent and self-confident. Camps have a lot of experience in this. They know it can take time, but have seen thousands of children succeed at camp and be better prepared for challenges later in life.

If you are considering summer camp for the first time, it can help to practice the kind of healthy separation camps represent. For example, it’s a good idea to schedule sleepovers at friends’ houses or other long weekends away from home.  Even with something this simple, kids learn they can do things on their own.

Camp is a wonderful experience for everyone.  For both parents and kids, it’s a chance to grow up a little.

Rockbrook's Google Earth Location

If you use Google Earth, and you know where to look, here is the view of Rockbrook Camp you’ll see. If you don’t know where to look (hint: western North Carolina, south of Brevard), download this Google Earth location file, and it will “fly” you to the right spot.  Very cool.

This aerial view of camp is looking directly east. You can easily spot the French Broad River in the lower left, as well as all of the horseback riding pastures at the bottom.  This view also makes it easy to see that the heart of the camp is tucked in a valley between Castle Rock and Dunn’s Rock.  You can just make out the rocks in the shadows above the camp (about 11 and 2 o’clock).

It’s fun to see RBC from this perspective.  Go check out camp and this part of North Carolina on Google Earth.  You’ll be amazed.

Camp Cabin Life

Occasionally we are asked if Rockbrook provides a day camp in addition to its overnight residential summer camps. Unfortunately, the answer is no; we run only our residential (overnight, sleepaway) programs, which means all of our girls spend the night when they come to camp. In fact, that’s a big part of the overall Rockbrook experience— being away from home, getting to know the other girls in your cabin, doing your share of the cabin chores, and hearing the night sounds of the forest from your bunk. Life in the cabin is for some girls their favorite part of going to a residential camp.

Spending those nights in the cabin with your friends somehow makes everything else at camp more exciting and fun.

Summer Sleepaway Camp Memories

“I have too many fond memories of camp to pick just one! It depends on my mood. Sometimes it is the memory of the candles reflecting in the lake at Spirit Fire. Sometimes it is all the singing we used to do (& the many, many songs I still know by heart). Sometimes it is the zany pranks and fun, kooky things that let us express ourselves so comfortably, like Kangaroo Court. And sometimes it is just the remembered pleasure of sorting mail in Goodwill on a rainy, misty day while everyone else was at lunch — and how the sound of singing would carry over from the Dining Hall. And the sound of the bells in the morning . . . Oh, just everything, then. (Except the spiders in the rafters!)”
— an Alumnae from the 1980s

P.S. This is the cover photo for the 1961 camp catalog!

It's Archery!

A classic thing to do at sleep away camps— learn archery —and for girls at Rockbrook, it’s very popular. Whether you’re 6, 16 or somewhere in between, using a bow and arrow, and getting good at it, is really fun. A big part of it is learning all of the equipment (e.g., the bows, parts of the arrow like the “fletching,” the protective gear like the “bracer” or “arm guard” and the “tab” or “finger guard”) and then the important shooting techniques and form (like how to aim for example!). But of course, with practice, hitting the bullseye of the target, that inner yellow circle, is the ultimate challenge. Getting a bullseye is also great because then your name is announced in the dining hall, and everyone cheers for you. You’re part of the RBC Bullseye Club! Awesome!

Fun Summer Sleepaway Camps

When you go to a summer sleepaway camp, you’ll have some crazy fun. Here’s a great example of a camp game that’s popular at Rockbrook… a Shaving Cream Fight! The rules are pretty simple. Armed and ready with a can of shaving cream and dressed in your bathing suit, you run around and try to coat everyone else in shaving cream without getting too coated yourself. Of course, it’s pretty hard to avoid getting sprayed, but that’s the fun of it! And soon everyone is white and having a grand time making goofy hair styles and designs. A quick rinse with the water hose followed by a dip in the lake, and you’re much cleaner than when you started. Sleepaway Camp silly summertime fun.

Camp Map NC

Here’s a map that Sarah drew of the camp back in 1992. While certainly “not to scale,” it shows the main part of camp, the Rockbrook buildings and cabin areas. There are a couple of important new things not shown on the map, too. Can you name them? What’s missing?P.S. Here’s a link where you can see a satellite view map of the camp!