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!

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.

Camps in the South

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been making our fall travel plans, scheduling Rockbrook Camp parties all over the south. Several are set on the calendar. Chances are we’re coming to your city or some place close by, so check out the schedule here: Camp Party Schedule. If you haven’t come to one of these parties before, they’re great fun. We watch a movie and see some slides from last summer, see each other again and meet loads of new people interested in camp for next summer. We’ll be going to more places in the winter also, so stay tuned!

Summer Camp Music Video

Here’s something fun. We put together a short music video of scenes from this past summer. We hope you like it. It gives you just a taste of what went on!

Go here to see the video.

Lessons of Kids Sleepaway Camp

Here is another article highlighting the benefits of attending a sleepaway summer camp like Rockbrook: “Summer Camps Offer Youngsters Fun, Friendships, and Life Lessons,” by Adam Phillips of The Voice of America News.  It spends a good deal of time talking about the social aspects of being at sleepaway camp, the kind of friendships formed, the importance of compromise when joining a close-knit community.  There are lots of good quotes from kids, giving an “on the gound” perspective of camp life.  After reading it, it makes Rockbrook’s kids camp philosophy seems right on.

What Summer Camps are About

Here’s another interesting bit of reading about summer camps, this time from Harper’s Magazine (September 2007 issue). Rich Cohen, in “The Summer of Our Discontent: An Ode to Sleepaway Camp,” writes about his childhood experience at Camp Menominee in Wisconsin, and brings to the article a good deal of research about summer camping in general. There’s lots of good stuff to be found (subscribers can read more here), but I wanted to simply pass along a summary quote.

“Life at camp was changing— the nature of the kids and counselors, the very sense of what camp should be about. In the 1800s, it was about religion; in the early 1900s, it was about preserving a spark of frontier spirit; in the mid-1900s, it was about the barracks and preparing a generation for the coming war; now it’s about preparing kids for school and work, speeding them through the meritocracy.”

Yes, “being prepared” is still a big part of camp, but at Rockbrook we want kids to be kids. So camp is a place where girls can try new things, play, and play some more, create things, explore the outdoor world, gain confidence (social, physical, etc.), and have some crazy fun. Of course, personal growth and “preparation” for being a happy, well-adjusted individual happens within this context, and under the supervision of many positive role models.

I guess we could say attending Rockbrook isn’t primarily about learning how to be a better student or employee at school or work (though that might happen in the end), but it’s about having a more rounded and complete childhood experience that serves you well later in life.

Camp Archery Program

Archery is another huge hit with the kids at Rockbrook this summer. Girls really enjoy learning about archery at summer camp. There’s something classic about it. Nocking an arrow, pulling the bow, taking a breath, holding still, and releasing the arrow toward the multi-colored target. Of course, we’re aiming for the center of the target, and when we hit it, we get a certificate proving we’re in the “Bullseye Club.” No matter how old you are, it’s not easy at first, but with practice it doesn’t take long to improve and hit the target more and more perfectly. Hey, there’s Griffin!