I developed lasting friendships...
I learned self-esteem...
I became a team player...
I learned how to care...
I became a counselor...
We Went to Camp. Shouldn't You?

Emma Roberts, Hill Harper, Lisa Loeb, Kerri Strug, Michael DeLorenzo, Justin Chambers, Paul Adelstein, James Pickens, Blair Underwood, Sharon Lawrence, Frank Sesno, Glynn Turman, Ashlan Gorse, and Lisa Raye share how their lives have changed Because of Camp…™.

These days it is nearly impossible to find a child between the ages of 8 and 18 without a cell phone, computer, or some other electronic device that consumes hours of their time. According to the New York Times, children between these ages spend 7.5 hours on average per day in front of a screen. Whether that is surfing the web, texting a friend, or watching TV, we are in an era where technology and instant communication run our lives.

According to USA Today, the more media children use, the less happy they tend to become. Heavy media users are more likely to have bad grades, more likely to be "often sad or unhappy," less likely to get along well with their parents and twice as likely to "get into trouble a lot."

Childrenandnature.com states that there is a significant link between screen time and obesity. All of the time spent at a computer is more time taken away from going outside and doing something active, whether it is a sport or just walking to a friend’s house.

Technology usage has increased an hour and 17 minutes a day in the past 5 years. On top of that, children flip between things so rapidly that the actual amount of media content consumed is around 10 hours. What are people doing to tackle this ongoing obsession? Some parents are implementing restrictions on the number of hours spent on the computer and watching TV. Some experts are telling parents to just accept it, such as Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Boston. Rich said, “with media use so ubiquitous, it’s time to stop arguing over whether it’s good or bad and accept it as part of children’s environment, like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat.”

Maybe Rich is right, new technology is created every day. Things are changing faster than ever before. At least there are still places like Kingsley Pines that allow kids just to be kids. Camp lets children grow, move, discover, and actually talk to people. Not through a message they read on their cell phones, but actually talk with people physically face to face. After spending three months as a counselor last summer, I know this is something special. 

Over the years, Kingsley Pines has received many compliments from campers, parents, and visitors on our fun, friendly, creative, and caring staff. This is why we are pleased and excited that so many counselors, administrative staff, and support staff from last year, will be returning for another great summer at Kingsley Pines! There are also several counselors that you may remember from prior years, who will also be returning to camp this summer.Returning Counselors for 2010:Adrianne...

Read More "Guess Which Staff Members You Will See At KP This Summer?"

Don't try this at home!  We checked the thickness of the ice in several locations and it is over 10 inches. It has been quite cold in Maine and, unfortunately, we have had very little snow. The office staff (Alan, Pam, Laura Jo, Jean, and myself) decided to take a walk out on the lake. It was a beautiful day and we needed to get outside for a couple of hours.  Enjoy the pictures. You will notice that even during the winter months we always practice safety. As Bob would say "how  do you spell fun, S.A.F.E.T.Y!"

With Saturday's temperatures in the low 20's, it was the perfect setting for Polar Pool Party and 2009 Reunion at the Holiday Inn in Somerville, MA. Thanks to the more than 60 campers that attended from around New England and even as far away as Florida. In addition to me, Alan, and Jean, counselors, GW, Brian, Dave, Lauren, and Colleen joined us for splashing good time!

Jean introduced us to to a new game, Human Poker.  Each person was given a card.  To "Shuffle the Deck", participants switched cards with another person in the room after introducing him or herself and answering a question, such as "what was your favorite meal at camp"?  (The  most popular answer was Taco Day!)  After a few minutes, Jean shouted "Deal Me In" and everyone formed groups of five as quickly as possible.  Each group was allowed to exchange 2 cards, but they could only do so if they performed a special action, like pretending to be a beached whale.  There were many excellent beached whale impressions and a few that were worthy of an Oscar!  The group that had the best poker hand in the end won a small prize. 

Next I took group photos by session.  Dave and Brian tried to "hide" in each of the photos. For lunch there was lots of pizza, salad and dessert which energized everyone for swimming. With so many people in the water, it may look like there was a contest to see how many campers could fit in the hot tub.

To top off the day, everyone got a reunion t-shirt designed by Jean exclusively for this event. We know Panther Pond is frozen over right now but seeing everyone made us hope that summer will be here soon!