What Does a Successful Summer at Camp Actually Look Like?

Every parent who sends a child to summer camp hopes they’ll have fun. They hope they’ll make friends, try new things, come home with stories, and maybe even learn a skill or two along the way.

And of course, we want all of those things too.

But after nearly 90 summers at Camp Arrowhead, we’ve come to believe that the most important parts of a successful summer are often a little harder to see.

A successful summer might look like a boy walking into the Dining Hall on his own instead of waiting for his counselor to tell him where to sit.

It might be finally making it to the top of the climbing wall after falling off the same spot three days in a row.

It could be baiting his own hook, building a fire that actually stays lit, finishing something in the Woodshop, shooting his first bullseye, or proudly carrying around some strange creation he spent half the afternoon making.

Sometimes it’s simply figuring out what to do when nobody is telling him what to do.

Those little moments matter.

Growth Doesn't Always Look Like an Achievement

Kids spend a lot of their year in environments where success is pretty easy to measure.

There are grades. Scores. Tests. Teams. Awards. Rankings.

Camp is different.

There certainly are things to accomplish here, but some of the most important growth happens without anyone keeping score.

A boy learns that he can spend a week away from home.

He learns how to live with other people who may be very different from him. He figures out when to speak up, when to compromise, and when to let something go.

He learns that being frustrated doesn't mean he has to quit.

He discovers that he can solve a surprising number of his own problems.

And somewhere along the way, he begins relying a little less on the adults around him and a little more on himself.

That is a pretty big accomplishment.

Grow. Lead. Explore. Create.

Those four words sit at the heart of what we do at Arrowhead.

Grow means becoming a little more capable and independent than you were when you arrived.

Lead doesn't necessarily mean standing in front of a group. Sometimes leadership is helping a younger camper, including someone who is sitting alone, or being the kid who does the right thing when nobody is watching.

Explore means trying something unfamiliar. Maybe that's blacksmithing or mountain biking. Maybe it's catching a fish, wading up a creek, sleeping away from home, or simply making a new friend.

And Create means having the freedom to turn an idea into something real. Boys build, carve, draw, cook, play music, work with wood and metal, make things in the Maker Space, and occasionally produce things that are nearly impossible to explain to their parents at pickup.

We like those things too.

The Small Moments Are Usually the Big Ones

At the end of a session, parents understandably ask questions like:

"What was your favorite activity?"

"What did you make?"

"Did you hit the bullseye?"

"Did you catch a fish?"

And those questions usually produce some good stories.

But the thing we're often most excited about isn't something that will come home in a backpack.

It's the homesick camper who needed a counselor beside him everywhere on Monday and is running off with his friends by Thursday.

It's the boy who was nervous to try something and then asks if he can do it again tomorrow.

It's the older camper quietly helping a younger boy without being asked.

It's watching a cabin full of boys who arrived as strangers become a little community.

Those are the moments when we know camp is working.

So, What Does a Successful Summer Look Like?

Hopefully, it looks like a boy who comes home dirty, tired, happy, and carrying several objects that you are politely informed are "really important."

But underneath all of that, we hope you notice something else.

Maybe he's a little more willing to try something difficult.

Maybe he handles a problem himself before asking you to fix it.

Maybe he's more comfortable meeting someone new.

Maybe he wants to teach you how to build a fire, tie a knot, cook something, or explain—in great detail—how his cabin almost won Capture the Chicken.

He probably won't come home and announce that he spent the summer developing self-reliance, leadership, confidence, and independence.

We're pretty sure that would actually be cause for concern.

But you might see it.

And for us, that's what a successful summer at Camp Arrowhead looks like.

Looking Ahead to Next Summer

We're already getting ready to do it all over again.

Enrollment for next summer is coming in faster than we've ever seen, and several of our sessions—particularly Mini Camp and Maker Camp—are filling especially quickly.

If Camp Arrowhead sounds like the kind of summer you want for your son, we encourage you not to wait too long to reserve his spot.

Because before we know it, the cabins will be full, the bell will be ringing, the creek will be full of boys, and another Arrowhead summer will be underway.

We can't wait.