Camp Arowhon
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Building a Giving Child
I cut my foot rather badly one day this fall. It was a stupid clumsy stumble -whilst carrying a large and heavy vase. The result was a lot of blood, and the partial severing of my big toe nail. It happened, by coincidence, while both my kids (ages 24 and 28) were nearby. The male […]
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Camp is one of the rare places where kids can be themselves
This was written by the staff member who received the most “likes” on our post-camp survey. How fantastic is it that at camp our boys can have role-models like this!?! We are so lucky to be welcoming Jonny Reed back for his second summer at Arowhon in 2014, and hope to have him around for […]
ContinueWhat do you regret not doing?
George Saunders gave a moving speech at Syracuse University – about his biggest regrets in life. See the speech: http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/george-saunderss-advice-to-graduates/?emc=eta1&_r=0
ContinueNew-school leadership can be summed up as LBSA: Leadership By Serving Around
A former Arowhon Program Director – who grew up at camp and grew into being a great leader, emailed me the link to this Globe and Mail article on leadership, with the comment: “We were doing this at camp in 2001, Glad it’s caught on.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/old-school-leadership-is-out/article15398192/
ContinueThe tallest tree in camp goes down
We regret to announce that camp’s sole remaining first growth white pine tree died this year. Yesterday we took it down. (It had to come down, for safety.) This year we saw the passing of two important symbols of Camp Arowhon – the tallest tree and the Main Lodge – and we are sad to […]
ContinueIn Homesick and Happy, Michael Thompson writes about a study where people were asked about their happiest childhood memory; more than 80 percent name a parent-free moment.
My Daughter Went Away to Camp and Changed By John Dickerson Children in summer camp can be their essential selves, not worrying about how their parents might react.Photo by Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images When I look at my phone, I see my daughter leaving for camp on my home screen. She stands at the bottom of […]
ContinueThe Canoe – a craft of grace
“What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal five hundred on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature.” […]
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Teach a Kid to Fish
Taking Action on Bullying I think it is wonderful that bullying is getting so much attention these days. There are countless foundations, awareness-raising groups, clubs at schools, and even promises of national legislation against bullying. But although recognizing and condemning it is an important first step, it’s not going to solve the problem. I always […]
ContinueHalloween – an opportunity for parents
It’s kind of strange that we put so little thought into what is – for kids – the most important holiday of their year. Ask a kid how important Halloween is to them compared to other holidays. Halloween is big. Really big. Why? Obviously there’s all that sugar, which pretty much every child craves. Secondly […]
ContinueWhat did you do when you were 15?
I heard an interview with Malala Yousefzai on the radio the other day. After being shot in the head by the Taliban for going to school, the 15 year old has gone on to become a world-famous advocate for girls’ education. She spoke more confidently and articulately than I (with my Ivy League grad degree […]
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