Teamwork. Communication. Collaboration. Responsibility. All buzzwords for a good resume. And though the work may take place under the summer sun, camp administrators say camp counselors do it all. Being a counselor is supposed to be fun, and counselors may wear shorts and flip-flops, but their roles and responsibilities really do set them apart.

Maine camps are steeped in history and nature, values we fear we are losing today. Children from all over the country have been coming to camp in Maine since the late nineteenth century. While Victorian parents may not have been desperate to unglue their children’s eyes from a tiny, all-compelling screen, there has always been a sense of the green world away, a place lost to us in our civilized state (which we of course do not want to give up entirely). Sending your child to Maine is like sending them into the best parts of the wilderness.

Childhood lasts only a dozen or so precious years, a time of learning, growing, play and seminal experiences that will shape the course of a life. Each year of childhood is divided into two times: the school year and summer vacation. And while the school year is crisp and crackling with possibility, books with unbent spines, shiny shoes, and maps of the world, the summertime is magic. Summers are when real discovery happens, when children may run, and swim, and climb all day outside under a warm sun until late in the evening. It is a time to explore, create, and be free in a way that we chase forever after it ends. The months of June, July, and August...

For each child, the ideal camp. We strive to ensure every camper has the absolute best summer, and one of the ways to do this is matching the kid with the most perfect place, where they will thrive, be challenged and where they will find kindred spirits and lifelong friends. Above all, we want campers to be comfortable, physically and emotionally. Consider amenities as well as activities. Will your child be content sleeping away from home for weeks? Or is a day camp right this year? Coed or single gender? Is your independent child looking to curate their own experience by choosing a “major” and outlining a program of recreation? Or do you have a free spirit happier to go...

Can you imagine going one day without consulting the internet for some kind of information? Whether it’s social, business, casual research, or idly passing time, we all seem to be constantly connected to and reliant on our devices these days. Our children have never known a world without the web. Without total access to all the world’s collected knowledge, all the media, all of their friends at their fingertips all the time. What if we could give them a summer without Siri? Removed from the digital age, more connected to the tangible, is it a step back in time that needs exploring? Is there any value in returning to a simpler way of life? What might they learn if they...

So, your camper comes home on a high, talking about games and names and songs you’ve never heard of before. This is a new kid! A happy, silly, twigs in her hair, kid who wants to teach you about scat and astronomy. That elation lasts long enough for all the laundry to get done and put away, their favorite television shows binge-watched and best-loved home cooked meals enjoyed. Then you have on your hands what’s known as the camp-sick sulker. And you still have a few weeks of summer to fill! What’s a dedicated parent to do to keep everybody sane and happy before school begins? Take some tips from us and extend the camp lifestyle into your own.

An outstanding camp counselor is a person you remember your entire life. Somewhere in between teacher, babysitter, and confidante, this older individual is usually a former camper. This counselor is someone who has literally walked where your child is walking and slept where she is bunking, and is going to be a role model and guiding force for the entire summer and beyond.

Your kids want to go to camp for a variety of reasons: to swim, boat, craft, play games, sleep in a bunk, make up stories, sing songs, eat s’mores, and stay up late. Who among us wouldn’t want to spend many warm weeks of summer having fun with our friends? And while parents endorse all those endeavors, fondly recalling sing-a-longs around campfires, secret languages made up in the dark, and days on end spent in wet bathing suits, the real reason we send our kids to camp? It’s the independence.