There are just a few days ‘til camp starts. Just a mere few more sleeps at home ‘til our campers head out and the camp buses pull in for Opening/Arrival Day! This is exciting news. We’ve done Father’s Day. We’ve done school finals and graduations. We’ve done championship sports playoffs, dance recitals, and the like. Whether your child is a first time camper or returning for his or her second or seventh summer, we know camp will be amazing, but why? Trying to pinpoint exactly what will make it magical is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, but we know it’s a mix of the known and unknown that make it great!
On one hand, campers will love their camp experience because it will deliver exactly what we expect from Maine Camps: incredible natural beauty, top-notch activities, the chance to learn new skills, the opportunity to spend quality time with camp friends, and to have fun. But, there are changes – changes in the environment and in what we bring to camp – that make each year a different, special experience. Let’s explore what’s in store …
Changes in the environment that affect the experience
We pick our chosen camp initially and choose to return summer after summer because we like what it offers. The camp ideally features traditions, culture, and values that align with families’ values, and activities, events, and trips that will make your campers happy. Year after year, your camper returns because they love the camp and what it provides. Then, layer in environmental factors that will affect and elevate the experience differently each summer. For instance, it can be new activities – a new aerial park, new pickleball courts, new water inflatables, or a new theater production to be performed. Or, it can be an activity, trip, or special role that your camper has reached in their new age group as they’re returning one year older. And it can be new responsibilities as a camper a year older who may now be a camp “big brother or big sister” or someone who can lead an activity or a team. These experiences help keep it exciting summer after summer. It can also be awesome new campers who come to camp or new counselors who have been hired.
Changes in ourselves that affect the experience
In addition to the external factors that influence a summer, it can be your camper’s own maturity or new perceptions of the world around them that can bring something new and great. It may be as they get older – a deeper appreciation of spending time in nature, off social media and with their camp friends. It can be an increased appreciation of independence – a little time away from parents to be “on their own” and navigate the world around them. It can be the bittersweet recognition that this may be their culminating camper summer of eight years of building friendships, spending quality time on the beautiful lake, enjoying traditions, and more. As campers grow, they may more fully understand, recognize, and appreciate their camp community and experiences.
So, as we count down these final days ‘til Maine Camp summer 2023, we know that once we are at camp, we will make the days count. We will live fully in each moment as we experience the magic of Maine Camps. Wishing everyone a great send off. We can’t wait for camper arrivals!
Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools
You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our website.
Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child? Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks). It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates. Then you can research these camps in more depth.
Next, be sure to contact our Maine Camp Guide, Laurie to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.
Talk to Laurie, our Maine Campcierge®, about choosing the right camp for your child and what to do in Maine.
Call 877-92-MAINE
