Visitors’ Weekend is a thrilling time for our campers. Reuniting with loved ones and sharing beloved Camp activities and hand-crafted projects is a memorable experience for children and parents alike. However, it can also be emotionally-charged. While most children are thoroughly enjoying camp, this change in the daily rhythm and routine at Treetops can be unsettling. Saying goodbye a second time to parents and relatives is always bittersweet. Fortunately, over the past four weeks, campers have gained a tremendous amount of confidence in themselves and their place in this community. It is such confidence that gives children the resilience to rise above their fears and recognize how much they have grown.
In nurturing the whole child, Treetops builds confidence and bolsters children’s sense of self-worth. From meticulously crafting a wood strip canoe by hand to a community morning spent weeding the perennial garden, campers have gained a terrific sense of pride in their workmanship and contributions this summer. They’ve learned to lean on each other, as well as their counselors, and a child has pride in knowing that they can be there for a friend. This is particularly true on hiking and overnight camping trips.
This week, a group took an overnight trail ride to Blueberry Bluff. Caring for 1,000 pound animals while sleeping under the stars is the kind of experience that stays with a child. Felling a spruce tree from the lake hill and dragging it to the junior camp woodshop to construct a massive Mancala board is also the kind of experience that empowers campers.
Confidence in oneself, as well as one’s community, allows children to feel at ease and at home. This was especially evident at the Junior Camp talent show. Campers put on a series of lively performances, from a “sit down” comedy act to drumming, singing, piano solos, and skits. The audience embraced every performer and a warm applause followed every act. Children were willing to take center stage, regardless of their talent, because they knew that the Treetops community would support them, no matter how they performed.
We hope that you will find such newfound confidence in your own child and we look forward to seeing many of you over Visitors’ Weekend.