Our Philosophy

Summer time is a time that has changed over the last few years, decades. Kids have lost the freedom that summer time was all about. Why is this?

I believe it’s because we have structured and planned and over committed to so many programs for our children’s betterment (or honestly we have to work) but is this what they need?

I don’t believe so. I think we need to go back to the times when we got up at dawn and had to be home before the street lights came on.

That is the idea behind Calder Summer Camp.

Now obviously we don’t let the kids run wild through the streets of Brooklin but we do encourage them to explore their community (safely with adults). We want them to create their own days, their own art, their own experiments, their own goals and their own passions. We want them to authentically express themselves through the freedom of the outdoors, be heard and seen for all their awesome ideas and thoughts and even those moments of wonder that are not so incredible (again safely with highly trained, insured, yet understanding adults). So much potty talk.  We want them to ask to go to the creek, wonder what type of animals have been there by looking at foot prints and yes scat, question changes that they see in their environment or why something exists. We want them to create art not from Dollar Store kits (disclaimer, there will likely - for sure  be Dollar Store crafting supplies used) but with nature finds, recycled goods, used wood, nails and their imagination.

Over the years we have seen kids thrive during their time at Calder Camp. Exploring the yard, building tents, forts, odd art projects, getting out in nature, gaining confidence in their abilities to problem solve, use critical thinking skills while developing deep meaningful relationships with the people, the world around them and most importantly themselves. 

We believe in following and guiding kids during the school year.   The security that structure brings is a huge part of our programming. Yet with summer we flip it. We read the kids, they need the break, they need to play, they need to be silly, they need to be free to express and challenge themselves in new areas of development.  They need less structure.

Socialization is an often overlooked area of development when it comes to our kids summer-time needs. This never used to be the case. Summer was all about friendships, think of , "Stand By Me". That movie nails summertime, friendships, crisis, getting dirty, working together, kids using their brilliant brains, challenging themselves, problem solving, independence, conflict, resolutions (yes I remember the goal of their adventure was to find a dead body and that will absolutely not ever be a goal at Calder but I am still sticking with this analogy) the point is they all  learned from each other and together. Social development ironically needs to be done alone. Well alone and with their peers, not by us adults making everything ok, fun and amazing.  Kids need to make mistakes to learn, they need to feel a  little bit uncomfortable and work through it together, to build their boundaries and learn to communicate effectively  (again here comes another disclaimer…  with the help of our incredible observant and insightful staff, with minimal interference in the social dynamics the staff will aid in ensuring everyone is safe and seen and heard….it’s an incredible skill). Now to be clear, please note previous disclaimer,  I am not saying it’s a free for all cage match, lets work it out in the alley (do we still have alleys?) after camp type deal. Our camp was developed to let kids gain confidence and a true sense of self through allowing them to have fun, like their own kinda fun, that sometimes us adults don’t really get and certainly can’t program for.  The camp changes from one day to the next. There are constants like the environment, the staff and the community which aids in giving kids security. However, what we do is different, we are really trying to give kids back some of that glorious summer-time freedom.  What I am saying is that when we over-program a kid's day with numerous activities or we as adults go to the park  and play with the kids instead of allowing them to do it themselves we stop  them from developing and working out peer dynamics. We are telling them we don’t trust them, actually it’s even worse than that  we are putting our own fear (of rejection, failure, harm) onto them. Ultimately this fear can (not always) lead to an inability to interact with others independent of their adult. We love/hate this as parents, “they are shy, they need me, I know my child”, what they actually need is for you to trust them, watch them, encourage and support them, what they need is independence. What they need is the freedom to be allowed to find out who they are. We are so afraid of our kids feelings getting hurt that we are robbing them, of independence and developing real friendships (as opposed to those friends we want them to have). When we make everything ok, when we do not let them fail, when we interfere when they make mistakes and we give excuses, we are not helping, we are harming them. They are not learning how to be accountable for their actions, or how to engage in social conflict and resolution, they need to learn all this through play, interaction with peers and as noted above several times; gentle adult interception when needed.

Sigh…not easy, I will be honest I have always struggled with this as a parent. But, I have always believed that each situation can not be  made into a sweeping generalization. Absolutely, there  are times as noted above, when adults need to be involved. Wouldn’t it be nice to step back a bit in the summer and just let them be kids.   

When we allow kids  to discover who they are by themselves and we celebrate that person, rather than molding them into what we or society wants them to be, it is  more likely they will continue to be that person…like, for their whole life.   That person they were always supposed to be. Authentically themselves. So we sit back, we watch, we aid when needed but let’s stop over interfering in our children’s own desires, relationships and play, let’s give them the  freedom of summer. My apologies for any repetition, I am a little passionate about our little people!

Please sign up for Calder Camp immediately. No pressure! Note above is both an opinion piece and an ad. No science was done, no research (ok maybe some), just years and years of observation.

Final disclaimer I also totally get the importance of structured activity-based camps that celebrate kids' loves!