Camp Arowhon
Outdoor Education
Why Failure is Good for Kids
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Brent is Back!
And Whitney too! The marathon Brent and Back trip just paddled onto Teepee Lake! The entire camp ran – yelling with joy – to greet them. These valiant voyageurs left camp yesterday morning in blinding rain and paddled 170 km to become the first ever co-ed Brent push trip. Earlier today the Point Large and […]
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Mini Camp Mania
First off, we hope you’ll accept our apology for our recent radio silence… We’ve had some technical trouble with our website that’s prevented us from posting. But technical trouble’s not a problem for everyone here on Tepee Lake because we depend on each other and NOT screens to have a good time, so nobody here […]
ContinueAutonomy and Mastery – the Hidden Gifts of Camp
What do kids need, really need, in order to thrive? A smart guy at University of Rochester did a study on just that and he, Richard Ryan, identified three psychological requirements for kids to thrive: Autonomy, mastery and connection. One would hope for schools to supply at least the opportunity for these to occur. Because […]
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Tartes aux Framboises chez Versailles
Today I made two pies, both for Junior Girls cabins. One was regular and the other was gluten free. No, I do not buy pre-made pie shells and fill them. I make pie crust from scratch. This skill was drilled into me many years ago. As students at the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, […]
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Super Special Sunday
For our first sleep-in Sunday of the summer we went all out! After a fabulous buffet brunch that got a rave review from critic Joanne Kates, campers had plenty of energy to do a super cabin clean up and distance swims (thanks to all that hollandaise-flavoured fuel). Then we took it up a notch from […]
ContinueNotes from PreCamp 2018
All our staff are here and it’s been a fabulous PreCamp training thus far… One nugget: In a session with our full staff last night (about 165 staff) I asked them to go to one side of the room if they put their own needs first, and to the other side if they look first […]
ContinueIs Smartphone use harming kids’ mental health?
An incisive article in The Atlantic makes a strong argument that their excessive use of screens is leading to increased depression and anxiety in children. Read the article at https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/
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Need for Speed
It was a sad morning saying goodbye to all of our 2 and 6 week campers, but the sunshine in the afternoon buoyed our spirits and we were back in the game in no time. Our campers’ energy and ambition continues to inspire us! Every Rest Hour and Staff Hour is packed with races, tournaments, and […]
ContinueFirst Class Fun
There are a lot of “firsts” that happen at Arowhon. For many it’s the first time they will ride a horse, windsurf across the lake, skipper a sailboat, catch a frog, or get to the top of the high ropes course. These “firsts” are powerful learning experiences. To do something new brings tremendous growth. To […]
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