For some lucky families, dinnertime is an enjoyable and relaxing time to connect with family. For others, it’s like World War III. Whether kids are too busy chatting about their day to eat, or refuse to eat anything remotely healthy, keeping kids fed can be a challenge for many families. Many parents are surprised to hear that when their kids go to camp, they’re more likely to try newer, healthier foods than they would at home.
Spending the summer at camp means kids are active and busy from morning ‘til night. They are running from activity to activity, and are burning calories without even thinking about it. They need to be constantly refueled, and camp makes sure they’re putting good stuff in their bodies. At Camp Starlight, campers are sometimes more likely to try a new food because their friends are eating it, which opens their minds to trying new things. It’s a good kind of peer pressure.
Kids also become more responsible for their eating choices. They don’t have parents choosing and prepping every single meal for them, so they are responsible for making balanced and healthy choices. They have access to homemade options throughout the day as snacks, and are given multiple healthy options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Soups made from scratch and a colorful salad bar encourage campers to make balanced and healthy choices. They are also encouraged to stay hydrated with water throughout the day.
Kids aren’t deprived of a sweet treat here and there, but they learn about balance. They eat well throughout the day and stay active, and learn that indulging in a dessert is perfectly fine in moderation.
At home, it is easy to get into a weekly dinner routine consisting of the same meals that kids will like (Taco Tuesday, anyone?!) While this makes dinner time a little easier for parents, it doesn’t give children the opportunity to try new foods. At Camp Starlight, campers are exposed to new foods on a daily basis and are encouraged to try them! They are usually pleasantly surprised that they like quite a few of the new foods that they try!
It’s important to teach children from a young age the importance of nutritional responsibility. Providing them with new foods to try and encouraging them to find a balance is what they eat, drink and do will create healthy adults who value good food and living a healthy lifestyle.
Even if campers end up owning their own business or going the entrepreneurial route, they will still need to know how to work well with others. This is why learning to play well with others is such a valuable skill. Counselors lead by example and demonstrate practical communication skills, conflict management, compromise, listening skills and working together. Many camp activities require campers to work together in order to be successful. Campers learn to trust and encourage each other. Campers who feel confident working with others at camp build a solid foundation for teamwork in the workplace.
Children and teenagers are constantly surrounded by stimuli. They are easily overwhelmed with the sights and sounds that surround them, and often don’t have the skills to be fully present and limit distractions. This is why more and more teachers and professionals are incorporating mindfulness into their curriculum. And why Camp Starlight has been doing it since the beginning.
For the second day of Olympics, the girls of Happy Blue Day proved even stronger than on the first day, amping up all the energy and spirit for the games. The Juniors served up some tough competition for the Grand Stand Whites on the tennis courts and battled in the sand during a tough game of Newcombe on the volleyball courts. The sand of beach volleyball and the nets of the tennis courts were also well defended by the Lower Inters, bringing just as much intensity as the Juniors. Running bases with ease, the Upper Inters glided through pitches on the softball diamond and took their coordination skills to the test for the soccer shootouts. The Lower Debs also put their soccer skills to the test for an exciting game of soccer against the white team. Upper Debs dribbled effortlessly around the Grand Stand Whites in basketball and slammed some pitches for a game of softball. Defending Happy Blue Day with ferocity, the Seniors raced around the field in soccer and competed in the boating meet with power and spirit. All the girls proved their dedication to their team and made their coaches and counselors proud when sporting the color blue with pride. 
The Grand Stand Whites packed a powerful punch for the second day of Olympics, raising the bar in spirit and sportsmanship for the day’s activities. Inspired by the previous day’s events, the Juniors put all their passion into exciting games of tennis and beach volleyball against Happy Blue Day. Battling in the sand, the Lower Inters dominated in a game of Newcombe and then later put all their energy onto the tennis courts just like the Juniors. Running the bases, the Upper Inters took pride in a great game of softball and kicked with power for the soccer shootout. Bringing the heat to the black top and the pitch, the Lower Debs played exciting games of basketball and soccer while the Upper Debs pushed hard for the win in basketball and softball. The Seniors showed off many summers worth of practice for an intense game of soccer against Happy Blue Day, fighting to prove that white is better than blue. With Lower Camp competing in a swim meet and Upper Camp in a boating meet, the Grand Stand Whites faced off in the water for a fun afternoon of healthy competition. The girls worked really hard the second day and had fun cheering on their friends through wins and losses, happy to be experiencing Olympics at the end of a perfect summer. 
The Grand Stand White boys spent the large majority of the morning in the water with Lower Camp having a blast in the boating meet and the Upper Camp battling it out in their swim meet. Happy Blue Day came out of the dock looking to make up for yesterday’s swim meet, but Grand Stand White came back in the second half of the race to win it. After the Grand Stand White dried off from their wet morning, the divisions split up for more individualized competition. The Upper Inters and Juniors made incredible comebacks in Gaga in order to sweep Happy Blue Day and the Lower Inters faced off for a fun game of baseball. The Seniors showed off their skills in intense games of lacrosse and ultimate frisbee, packing a punch for the blue team. Taking example from the Seniors, the Lower Plebes also showed off their athleticism in games of flag football while the Upper Plebes took to the bases for a powerful game of baseball. The boys all cheered due to high morale of a successful second day of Olympics. The boy’s positive attitude and eagerness to compete led to victories in each division, furthering the euphoric atmosphere within the Grand Stand White team. 
The first morning of the 2017 Olympics started with the Lower Camp boating meet, the Juniors and Inters swam with confidence and pride for their team. The Grand Stand White came out on top in other divisions as well. As the morning continued, the Lower Debs served up some strength in tennis, ran through the bases for a great game of softball and made a great impact in the sand for beach volleyball. Following suit, the Upper Debs also defended the nets in tennis and played their white hearts out in a game of soccer. Taking note from Upper Camp, the Inters of Lower Camp played hard in games of Gaga, tennis and knockout. Not to forget to mention that the Juniors rocked it out at soccer in the afternoon. The Seniors really showed camp what it means to be a part of the Grand Stand Whites with nailbiting games of softball, volleyball, soccer shots and flag football, these girls brought an intense amount of energy and inspired all of Grand Stand White to work hard and push it to the limits for Olympics. The girls started Olympics with a bang and there is more to come from this team of white spirit. 
“It’s a Junior’s Life For Me” was a popular phrase said by every Junior on the ever anticipated Junior Day this summer. A pirate themed day, all the Juniors had the entirety of Camp Starlight to themselves to have fun as pirates and play to overtake Camp Starlight as their treasure. Junior Day is a day devoted to the fun of the Juniors where they can play all over camp and not worry about anything except discovering as much buried treasure as possible. Diving into the waterfront to unearth treasure, whipping up edible treasure in the Farmhouse and searching for clues from sea creatures in the swamp, Juniors embraced their inner pirate for a day full of fun under the sun. The Juniors sport bandanas and eye patches to fully embrace the pirate role, enjoying a day of activities that are just for themselves. Camp Starlight hosts these themed days for the Juniors to show their appreciation for the youngest division because of all the bright energy they bring to camp. The Juniors are the first to laugh and to raise their hand to participate in an evening activity, their energy is something that everyone at Camp Starlight loves to feed off of and embrace. The atmosphere of camp is so positive when the Juniors are around to giggle and have fun with the other campers and counselors. Junior Day is a great event that highlights the positivity and fun of the Juniors and inspires everyone at camp to see everyday as fun as they do. Because of their spirit and love for summer camp, the Juniors inspire others to say “It’s a Junior Life For Me.”
Counselors help campers overcome many challenges they face in sports and activities when they are at camp, it’s their goal to help campers achieve their own goals. Counselors encourage campers to keep practicing their overhand serve in beach volleyball, to continue going over their scales in piano and trying their best to get the right angle for a picture in Digital Photography. Even though counselors give a helping hand in activities that are a part of summer camp, they also help campers strive to overcome very unique challenges. A Lower Senior boy names Jason came to camp with the goal of solving a Rubik’s cube in under sixty seconds. Before camp, he had only been able to solve it in a minute and a half, but when he met his counselors, he received the moral support to overcome his challenge. Shaving forty five seconds from his fastest solving time, Jason had been motivated by his counselors to practice every day, having them time him and mix up the puzzle for him to solve. Even though the Rubik’s cube is a small puzzle, Jason’s counselors transformed the puzzle into an impressive feat for Jason to master, pushing him to not only overcome his original goal of solving under a minute, but to go further and solve it under forty five seconds. The counselors could have congratulated Jason as soon as he reached his goal but they decided to take it a step further because they saw his potential and wanted him to realize his own potential as well. The counselors motivating their camper to be their best in something unrelated to a sport’s team or an activity they are apart of for summer camp shows how they help campers succeed outside of summer camp too. This small act of encouragement portrays how at Camp Starlight all campers are pushed to see their true potential in whatever they are passionate in. 