Archive for the ‘Camp Blogs’ Category

Going To Camp With Your Siblings

Saturday, May 8th, 2021

Camp Starlight SiblingsThere is nothing like going to camp with your siblings. 

Something special happens when brothers and sisters go away for seven weeks without their parents. Sibling relationships take a turn from bickering at home to having someone to lean on and look out for one another at camp. The relationship that transforms over the summer is truly heartwarming to watch.

Going to camp together presents so many positives for families. Siblings at Camp Starlight are able to see each other many times throughout the day where they can connect with family and feel a sense of home. From line up and meals to free play and evening activities, there are many times throughout the day for siblings to interact. Siblings meet twice a day at the flagpole to ask how their day is going, take a picture together, and share a warm embrace. I don’t know about you, but I never like taking a picture with my sibling at home! As a camp we all sit outside for lunch and older siblings have the opportunity to sit with younger siblings . 

Camp Starlight SiblingsThere is also an opportunity for campers at Starlight to choose their own activities which sometimes allows same sex siblings to be swim buddies at general swim, sign up to learn a dance together, make a project together in arts and crafts, or play a game of tennis. 

There’s nothing like seeing a younger sibling’s face light up when their older sibling performs on the Starlight stage and whispers “that’s my brother” to the camper next to them, followed by the loudest cheer in the crowd for them.

Not to mention, you can’t forget the pre phone call check in- “do you want me to tell mom and dad anything for you?” 

Camp Starlight BrothersThe last day of camp is met with tears and goodbyes and a long bus ride home. After the bus ride you finally get off the bus, wrap your arms around your parents, get in the car and turn to your sibling to pick up where camp left off! You immediately start singing all of your Olympic sing-songs,reminisce about the amazing summer you just had and generally spend the next few weeks sharing your camp stories and memories with your family.

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Learning to Lose

Tuesday, October 6th, 2020

Walking off the field, high-fiving your teammates, and grabbing a snack after a close victory is one of the greatest feelings in sports. Players and coaches work hard all year to win. When they walk off the field after earning “the dub,” the whole team can take solace in a finite result.

The other team. The losing team. That is where real character is shown. Winning is easy, taking a loss with good sportsmanship, and learning from it is significantly harder.

At Camp Starlight, we offer top-quality instruction in all our activities to prepare campers for inter-camp competitions and for their lives at home. However, no matter how gifted our campers and staff are, we are not always the best at every activity. We lose sometimes.

Losing at camp, though, is not a permanent result. Losing is a learning opportunity and a chance to grow. It is also a chance to build resilience and perseverance to win the next game or competition. Our mature staff leads by example and loses with grace and sportsmanship. We always shake hands after games and work with campers not to be negative with ourselves or our teammates.

One of our coaches used to say “You have to learn to lose before you can love to win.” If you can’t learn to lose, which means using it as a tool to move forward and progress, then you will never get better to win. We cherish every win with humility and learn from every loss.

Win, lose, or draw, the true winners are the competitors who gave it their all, had fun and demonstrated sportsmanship. That’s what camp and competition are all about.

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Generation Z Living Tech Free

Sunday, September 27th, 2020

  1. iPhone/ Smartphone
  2. iPad/ Tablet
  3. Laptop.
  4. Television.
  5. Apple Watch/Fit Bit/ Smart Watch
  6. Amazon Echo/ Google Home/ Apple Home Pod
  7. Bluetooth Speaker.

This list of items can be found in nearly all our campers’ homes. We live in a tech-ridden world where technology is not only common, but a must to keep up with the fast-paced environment. However, at summer camp, we allow campers to remove themselves from technology and slow things down.

By eliminating technology in the bunks, Camp Starlight fosters an environment that allows campers to develop relationships and grow. Without electronic distractions in the bunk such as social media and video games, our campers have real face-to-face interactions, creating bonds stronger than technology.

This is most evident on a rainy day at camp. While a rainy day may seem glum and uneventful from an outsider’s perspective, campers in their bunks are anything but glum. Imaginations seem to run wild when 10 friends are stuck in a bunk together for hours. They create games, bunk traditions, or even mini business ideas in their bunk all because they were in an environment that nurtured this creativity and teamwork between campers. When the option is to create a game or play a video game, the video game is often the easy choice. When the option is creating a game or sitting on your bed, imaginations go into hyperdrive, allowing children to grow individually and with their bunkmates.

We do understand the value of technology, however, which is why many of our member camps incorporate technology into their daily program with activities like coding, digital photography, music production, and digital media arts. We utilize technology in this capacity as a learning tool to equip our campers with a new skill set to use when they return home.

In a world where technology does so much for us that campers often don’t need to think for themselves, we take this influence out. We allow campers to think. We allow campers to grow. And we allow campers to slow things down, if just for a short few weeks.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

-Ferris Bueller

At Camp Starlight, we don’t miss it. We live it. All summer. Every summer.

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10 for 2

Monday, September 14th, 2020

The leaves start to change color as the temperature drops.

The school year is here. Campers, please get your laptops.

They get their pens ready, notebooks all in a line,

“I don’t want to go to school,” they all seem to whine.

 

As the bus rolls up to school, it is clear summer is now done.

Campers are anxious now that school has begun.

Sports, homework, and music lessons they all have in store.

Hanging with friends, Hebrew school, and so much more.

 

Grab your winter coat. Winter is just around the bend.

The warmth goes away, but summer memories never end.

Group chats and hangouts with camp friends keep the spirit alive.

All anticipating next June when the buses arrive.

 

The distance between camp friends may grow this winter.

But the bonds they made this summer, the cold can’t hinder.

The summer is over. They miss their camp friends

But one thing we know is friendship never ends.

 

So, the time is now for school and extracurriculars, whether they like it or not.

To our campers, we say “We’ll see you in a few.”

The separation is only temporary…Because we all live 10 for 2.

 

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