#1: Your Voice

Not only will you need your voice for cheering, singing and laughing, but you will also need your voice to speak up for yourself when you need something. Not “if” you need something, but “when” you need something. At camp, you get to practice being without the grownups who know you best and make sure you have what you need every single day. There are folks at camp whose WHOLE JOB it is to take care of you, and they can only do a great job if you tell them when you need something. If you have trouble finding foods you like, if you need another blanket, if another camper was unkind to you, be sure to pack your voice so you can use it to advocate for yourself at camp. If you wait until you get home and then share those needs with your grownups after camp, we have lost the opportunity to help you and you missed an opportunity practice an important life skill.

#2: Your Curiosity

Your curiosity gets a work out at camp because there are so many new things to explore! There might be foods that you haven’t tried—be curious and taste it. Your new favorite thing might be right around the corner. There might be activities at camp that you haven’t tried—try everything! You could be really great at it and…if you stink…no one cares! We cheer each other on at camp without judgement! There will certainly be new people at camp you’ve never met. Your bunkmate might come from a background, family structure or country that’s new to you.  Their body might look different or their brain might need different things than yours does. At camp, we all live, play, sleep and eat together. All that togetherness can be challenging, especially when we’re each so different. Being curious in those challenging moments means asking thoughtful questions before judging or assuming.

#3: A Story

Camp is lots of fun AND it’s not fun every second of every day. That would be impossible! There will be tough moments when you might be frustrated, sad or miss the folks at home. We call those “moments of sadness,” not homesickness because you aren’t sick, you’re just having a moment. (See more about Moments of Sadness in our New Camper resources) While we are sitting with our emotions and feeling them, it’s helpful to have a story from one of your grownups about a time when they were going through something tough, how they got through it, and what happened at the end. A story like this is a great way to feel connected to those folks at home when we are missing them and gives us a way to mirror their perseverance so we can get through that moment and move on to the next moment. Packing a story and keeping it in our pocket helps us ride the roller coaster of ups and downs that happen at camp.

You don’t have to write your name on your voice, your curiosity or your story, but be sure to label everything else when you’re packing for camp!