PHOTOS BY BRUCE S
CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS CAMPS
According to Bruce Muchnick,
an expert on camping and kids,
camp allows children "to unbur-
den themselves and to renew
their sense of being children,
away from the pressures and
distractions of life at home."
Mr. Muchnick is a psychologist
in Philadelphia, Pa., who
assists camps in preparing each
summer for another group of
youngsters. He calls his sub-
specialty "camp psychology."
"The one thing you want is to
enhance your child's social
learning within a fun environ-
ment," says Dr. Leon
Rosenberg, professor of educa-
tion with a joint appointment in
psychiatry and pediatrics at the
Johns Hopkins University.
Although more children than
ever are attending them, the
core concept of camps as a fun
experience in a natural setting
has not changed over the years.
"It's group living in the out-
doors and the program activi-
ties end up being a means to an
end of child development," says
Ruth Lister, a spokesperson for
the Indiana-based American
Camping Association which
investigates camps for accredi-
tation.
Another aspect of a good
camp experience also remains
unchanged. Ms. Lister says,
"Camp seems to be one of the
best places for children to
increase their self-esteem and
social skills and self-confi-
dence."
Carrie Gifford's curiosity was
aroused every time she walked
into a craft store and saw the
fancy macrame hanging from
the walls. But she never
thought of attempting the craft
herself until she spent a week
at camp.
There, says the 13-year-old
proudly, "I learned to
macrame." The macrame she
saw in the stores "looked kind
of hard. (But) once I got the
basic knots down, it was really
easy. I made a plant holder and
mine was really cool."
The basis of camp activities
are pretty much the same as
that experienced by parents
and — yes! — even grandpar-