Editor’s note: New York Family’s Camp Fairs (featuring day camps and sleepaway camps) are coming up on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. They are free, child-friendly (from tots to tweens) and just a wonderful way to meet many camp directors in one convenient setting.
For more information about the upcoming Camp Fairs and to register, CLICK HERE.
For generations, summer camp has been a place where children can connect with nature and with each other. But in today’s technological world, it can be a real change of mindset for both children and parents, to forgo technology for the weeks that children are at camp.
According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages eight to 18 spend an average of seven hours and 30 minutes a day using technology, more than 53 hours a week. Now more than ever, children need camp to disconnect from media and engage in interpersonal connections. Summer camp is one of the last unplugged environments. For a few weeks at a time, children are unplugged from their computers, smart phones and iPads and are able to enjoy the outdoors and actually talk—not text—with their friends.
“Camp is a great place to disconnect from the world of electronics and enjoy human relationships, the environment, and lots of great new activities,” says Adam Weinstein, Director of Berkshire Hills Emanuel Camp, a coed Jewish sleepaway camp in the southern BerkshireMountains of New York. “Most of us have had times in our lives when we lived without these kinds of electronics. Camp may well be the opportunity in our children’s lives to experience living without these devices.”
Each camp has their own electronics policies, and, with the increasing number of new electronics being introduced each year, camps are constantly altering their policies. Parents should respect the camp’s decision on what is and isn’t allowed and not try to circumvent the policy. Most camps don’t allow devices that contain WiFi, video, gaming content, apps, messaging, or phone call capabilities such as iPads, gaming systems, cell phones and smart phones. Since reading devices such as the Nook and Kindle can connect to the internet, some camps don’t allow them, although others do since many campers use them to read their books. Music is an important part of camp for many camps so the majority of camps will allow for MP3 players that play music such as the iPod classic, iPod nano and the iPod shuffle. If the MP3 has video capabilities, camps ask that the videos and games are erased before camp. If a device has that content on it, many camps will confiscate it. As for digital cameras, taking pictures has always been a part of the camp experience. While many camps will allow campers to have them, a lot of camps are implementing a “no pictures in the bunk” policy.
“Without the use of electronics, campers are communicating face-to-face and not through electronics,” says Adam Baker, Owner and Director of Camps Equinunk and Blue Ridge, brother-sister resident camps in Equinunk, PA. “We believe children are inundated with these devices when they are at home and we want them to learn how to do without them, and enjoy downtime without a device in their hands. “
Baker said he received numerous positive emails and phone calls from parents after he sent out a revised electronics policy this past November which will ban devices with WiFi from camp. One parent said, “Best decision ever. Camp isn’t for electronics. It is for swimming, sports, friends, talking, and just simple fun. Most importantly, it’s about learning how to interact with your friends, not with video games, Instagram and Facebook!”
Renee Flax, Camper Placement Specialist at the American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey adds, “It is important for parents to read, understand, and honor their child’s camp electronics policy. While parents are accustomed to texting their child when they want, and children are used to playing games on their iPads, camp is a place for children to disconnect from all the technology and focus on face-to-face interactions.”
Here’s our guide to communicating with your child at camp.
