Well the answer is not simple. It is so much more than to just “have fun.”
Based on our 2015 survey results the BEST part about summer camp for our parents was #1: “my camper’s experience” and #2: “my camper learning independence and self-sufficiency”
We strive at Girl Scouts of Colorado’s summer camps, to make your child’s experience at summer camp the whole package, full of campfires, friends, songs, caring camp counselors, activities, fun and personal development.
It has been shown that summer camp helps to increase the qualities within girls such as: communication, self-awareness, self-sufficiency, independence, respect, confidence and a sense of adventure.
“Five Great Reasons Parents Send Their Kids to Camp” from the Sunshine Parenting blog, is about the impact camp has on children regarding their social skills. Research they had done reported that 95% of children surveyed said they had an overall improvement of social skills. And unsurprisingly, all campers (100%) reported making new friends at camp, with 99% of campers’ parents reporting the same.
Learn more about relating a child’s happiness & increase in social skills to their time at summer camp in this American Camp Association article.
Camp offers opportunities which can be difficult to come by-the chance to shoot an arrow, to hike to the mountain top, to sing around a campfire while making s’mores, to ride a horse, to go fishing, to go rafting, to fly across a zip line and to make lifelong friends.
So, why send your daughter to camp? Because it’s GREAT for her mind, body and soul.
This article was written by Monica “Obi Joe” Gray, Camp Director at Tomahawk Ranch.