He was 10 and I knew he was looking for more than a summer of daycare, YouTube videos, and video games. So I wondered if an overnight summer camp in Wisconsin was the right choice for my son. Fast forward 5 summers, my son is 15 and has attended Swift Nature Camp for the last five summers. He loves it and we are going to send him back for as long as we can. Despite his ADHD he is very smart, yet has trouble at school with attention-seeking ploys. Summer camp seemed the perfect fit by helping him channel his energy all day and every day. Seems like camp has a very little downtime.
Jeff and Lonnie, along with enthusiastic counselors, provide an excellent atmosphere that encourages positive traits to rise to the surface. My son has developed greater peer understanding and empathy, greater self-confidence and trust, better leadership skills, an understanding of group dynamics and fair process and many other valuable lifelong skills. At first, I felt nervous about sending him to a place I had never seen. I talked to Jeff and Lonnie the directors over the phone before I signed him up for the Discovery Camp. A special program for the first time camper. Their willingness to discuss any question I had and their understanding of my fears made the decision easy.
Besides for talking to the Directors, I found the SNC website overly informative from pictures to videos. The parent section was extremely helpful for a reluctant mom. I love how the camp is set up. The cabins are by gender and age and do activities together, including laundry. Each afternoon the campers can pick from a variety of typical camp activities (arts & crafts, archery, swimming, Lego, horses, fishing, etc.). The camp is dedicated to environmental awareness, science, and nature. They have a nature center with microscopes and frogs and tadpoles and lots of hands-on activities. There is also a small petting zoo of well-adored animals. Of course, there is plenty of laughter, games, campfires, food, sports, fun, drama, singing, etc. that makes overnight (residential) camp an experience one remembers for their entire life.
As a parent, I appreciate that this isn’t a “sports camp” or “math camp” or something ultra-specific. Kids at SNC get to be kids and by experiencing all sorts of different activities and a diverse set of campers and counselors, learn more about themselves than at a specialized camp. My son has learned so much from this camp in the five years he has been attending. We have noticed a HUGE difference in his attitude, manners, and abilities. He is more mature, pleasant and competent. We would pay any price for the experiences and social education he has gained from ft SwiNature Camp.
We used to joke that you can find math, reading, or science tutors but no tutors in social skills. Well, we were wrong! This is exactly what my son needed at exactly the right time in his life. If you are thinking about an away summer camp for your child, please consider Swift Nature Camp. Primarily I think of it as a non-competitive, confidence-building camp where kids get to be kids free of technology. I know it is the best thing we ever did for our son. Thanks, Jeff, Lonnie and all the fabulous counselors, cooks, nurses, etc. We hope our son will join your camp as a counselor when he is older (it is a new goal of his)!
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