PLENTY Spring 2020 Plenty Spring 2020-WEB | Page 47

well as groups of kids and to commu-
nicate and present information well
to the campers,” assures Dave.
The staff-to-camper ratio is
one to six, ensuring a lot of atten-
tion and personal involvement with
each camper. Additionally, there is a
special adaptive learning component
to the staff’s training in order to be
prepared to skillfully work one on
one with any children who may have
different learning abilities. Through
professional assessments and par-
ent involvement, profiles are created
with specific goals and objectives for
each camper. Unlike a school setting,
everyone learns and plays together
with sensitivity to special needs. In
turn, campers, just by being together,
naturally create a caring culture dur-
ing camp week. “The kids get more
comfortable with each other and
naturally want to help one another,”
reports Dave. “Many children come
back year after year because they
have a safe place to be themselves.”
Each camp activity involves
progressive goals without pressure
and plenty of time to accomplish
them. Coupled with excellent in-
structio, campers start to build their
confidence with new experiences like
canoeing in a straight line, or remain-
ing steady and not falling off a paddle
board, or one of the most engrossing
and mesmerizing events, building a
fire from flint and steel! All activi-
ties are set up to be stand-alone, yet
complemetary to each other, all rein-
forcing outcomes of confidence, trust
building, camaraderie and pure fun.
A great team-building exer-
cise involves a giant swing where a
camper is securely harnessed into
the swing. A pull rope is attached to
the harness which is then roped on
either side to two, 65-foot poles. The
group will then pull the camper up
and up between to the two vertical
poles. “A social-emotional contract
takes place beforehand that means
the group will stop pulling when told
to. We’ll also tell campers before-
hand that we’ll pull them up as high
as they want to go, and we’ll try to
convince them to go just a bit higher
than they are comfortable with,” says
Dave. If kids are a little fearful, which
is understandable, fellow campers on
the ground cheer them on. When a
camper is ready, a quick release cord
sets a huge arching swing in mo-
tion creating pure exhilaration. Trust
within the group, and fellow campers
supporting and encouraging each
other are valuable lessons experi-
enced everyday at camp.
“We like to say: ‘Tired, happy, and
off to bed early,’” Dave laughs. “Kids
come home really tired and super ex-
cited to share their day because they
had so many amazing experiences and
feel proud of themselves. And they’ll
tell stories about fellow campers and
how they helped them when they
were scared.” That about says it all.
Bretton Woods is a family oriented rec-
reation center serving the international
community with a quality destination for
recreation and wellness. www.bwrc.org
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