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 can be spent in myriad ways. So why choose a summer camp experience for your child?

Summer camp builds character. Summer camp breeds affinity with nature. Summer camp forges bonds between children that last a life time.

Because we love our children dearly and are lucky to live in a time and place of affluence and relative peace, we dote on them, sometimes to their detriment. Children need space for themselves, away from parents. They need to form their own tribe, test chaos, figure things out, choose their own adventures and live them out without fear of our reactions. They need to fall and get themselves up, without parents scolding or offering advice. It is absolutely critical that they develop the skills to function autonomously and in relation to others. Summer camp is special because of all of the give and take that happens at camp when they learn how to live with others. And it all plays out in a completely safe and controlled environment.

Your children learn to function independently, to work as part of a cohort of peers, in an unparalleled setting of natural beauty, in a place that is charmingly rustic yet provides everything they could want, and is safe. Why send your child to camp? Their development depends on it.