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How Do You Know if Your Child is Ready for Camp?
Parents are always asking me: “How will I know?” The easy answer has to do solely with separation. If your child does sleepovers (and doesn’t have to come home in the middle of the night!) that’s a positive sign of their ability to separate from parents at camp. Sleepovers at friends’ houses! Grandparents and cousins […]
ContinueSelf Esteem and How Not to Grow It
My mother, who stayed home and gave us everything she had, raised us with the notion that three good home-cooked meals a day and a snack after school was as far as the parenting thing went. She didn’t edit my college essays or advise me on friends or teach me how to straighten my hair. […]
ContinueAndre Amiro joins Arowhon full-time year-round team!
We’re thrilled to announce that Andre Amiro is joining the Arowhon team full-time year round – just in time to get his 10-year jacket this coming summer! Andre started at Arowhon in 2007 as head of Climbing, he’s been a Program Director, was Director of our Outdoor Centre and for the past few summers Tripping […]
ContinueHow to help your high school student get into the driver’s seat….
I had a question from a reader about how to get her high-school age daughter to advocate for herself at school. Ask for extra help. Find out the timing of tests and assignments, connect with teachers and letting them know she exists. This is a perennial parental challenge. We know how and what they need […]
ContinueChristmas Cheer
Christmas is the most important time of the year for my family. Surprised? As a Jew, I am hardly erecting Christmas trees or holding my breath till Santa comes down the chimney, but Christmas is a holy time for our family. I do mean holy. A family, like any other organism, subsists on nourishment. Time […]
ContinueIs there such a thing as a good divorce?
Dear Mommy and Daddy I couldn’t say this when you were alive, because I didn’t want to hurt or humiliate either of you. But now that you’ve both been gone a few years, I’ve been reflecting on my silence, hoping that hearing about the painful example set by our family could help some other family […]
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Defining “Bullying”
By: Mara Kates, Assistant Director “Bully” has been the buzz word amongst parents and people who work with young people for the past few years now. And it’s great that we are so aware of our kids’ social and emotional well-being. And it’s great that we’re teaching kids that it’s ok to reach out and […]
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Jo Joins Dr. Dina Kulik to Promote Mental Wellness for Kids
Camp Director Joanne Kates has been researching and writing about children’s social and emotional well-being for over 20 years. As a voice of wisdom in the field, she’s been invited to become a regular contributor to Dr. Dina Kulik’s website “No Nonsense Kids Health Advice”. See her first post HERE on how NOT to grow self-esteem in […]
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Dear Justin
Joanne’s article from Friday’s Globe and Mail: Will a former camp counsellor make a good Prime Minister? You bet Dear Justin, I’m guessing that as you face the biggest challenge of your life, you’re thinking back on similar mountains you’ve scaled. Let’s face it, your resume is meagre. But your time as a camp counsellor […]
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From Camp Counsellor to Prime Minister
From this weekend’s Globe and Mail article introducing Canada’s new “First Family”: Before entering politics, Justin Trudeau – who worked as a teacher and a board member of the Katimavik youth program founded by his father’s government – had a long career working with youth, including the summers he spent as a counsellor at Camp […]
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