Which sounds better, sitting at home staring at a screen or spending all day at a thrilling adventure summer camp?
As a kid, summer is the best time of the year! A long break from school, beautiful weather, and an opportunity for a world of fun and excitement. As a kid I remember riding my bike around with friends for hours on end, showing up at friend’s houses and pulling them outside to join in the fun. I remember spending hours outside each day playing games with friends, finding new adventures, and spending a few weeks at a camp where I had the opportunity to meet new people, explore my interests, and learn valuable life skills to take with me as I continued to mature. For many of you, the memories of summer as a kid may be very similar! Current and future generations of kids have a much different outlook on summer however.
Technology has advanced dramatically since our days of riding bikes, playing games, and participating in activity based summer adventures. Summers now promise hours of movies, scrolling through social media, and playing fortnite (or other video games… but lets get real, it’s fortnite). Left to their own devices, kids theses days will magnetize to their technology for the entirety of the summer! I can’t blame them, technology is pretty incredible, but it’s stealing summer away from these kids and robbing them of those opportunities for growth that many of us remember so fondly from our childhood!
A little technology is a great thing. Our kids today are more knowledgeable and better connected than we ever were as kids. The downside is that in turn, they are missing out on opportunities to build essential life skills that are fundamental in our development into adulthood. The good news is, just as technology has been advancing and drawing our kids attention, summer camps have also been advancing and are better than ever before. Introducing Camp Adventure and Camp Extreme at Historic Banning Mills!
At Camp Adventure and Camp Extreme, your child has the opportunity to connect to the outdoors, learn about nature, make new friends, explore their interests, and discover new and exciting adventures at the largest aerial adventure park in the world! Here’s just a few reasons your camper will benefit from a summer of adventure:
Adventure Camps Connect Kids to the Outdoors
At our youth summer adventure camps, kids spend their days in the outdoors participating in a wide array of activities including: zip lining, rock climbing, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, free falling, swimming, archery, and much much more.
The days spent at camp adventure introduce your child to the outdoors in unique and engaging ways. They’ll get up close and personal with nature as they explore Banning Mills and be introduced to the outdoors like never before. This gives kids a better connection to the impact we have on our planet and allows them to have fun and grow in a natural setting.
Boosts Self Confidence
Our guides and camp staff at Historic Banning Mills are group facilitators and team building professionals. They are fantastic at mentoring and coaching campers to step outside their comfort zone and push their boundaries. We recognize that everyone has different strengths, abilities, agilities, and fears and work with each camper through each activity to push that envelop and try new things. The result is limitless opportunities for growth and a significant boost to your child’s self confidence.
One of the biggest opportunities for this is our Power Free Fall. It’s a 100 foot free fall jump that takes participants from 100 feet up our adventure tower directly to the ground, and its a camp favorite! Some of the activities we do at camp, like the free fall, are inherently scary to some campers, but pushing through that fear and trying a new activity boosts self confidence and shows our campers the benefits of pushing their boundaries in a safe and controlled environment.
Gets Kids “Unplugged”
It’s easy for all of us to spend way more time on our cell phone or using technology than we even realize we are. For kids this is even more prevalent. Adventure Summer Camps like Camp Adventure and Camp Extreme provide an opportunity to unplugged from technology and connect with people in the real world. This is extremely important at a young age and allows campers to make connection, build conversation skills, and have fun!
Exposure to Different Types of Adventure
Up until about five and a half years ago, I had no idea a career in the outdoor adventure and tourism industry was even something to consider. Exposure is they key ingredient in opening new doors. For kids, exposure to new opportunities is what primes their brains for determining their interests and driving the path to their future. Our camps provide a long list of activities and opportunities designed to teach, excite, entertain, and inspire our campers. School field trips are designed in a similar way. Exposure to unique career paths and interests spark curiosity and excitement for a child’s future learning opportunities.
Learning to Work with Others
Many of the activities at camp are designed to encourage campers to work together to succeed in each activity. As campers make their way through our aerial challenge course or encourage each other on our climbing walls, they learn fundamentals of working together to accomplish a goal and pushing each other to succeed. These life skills can be carried with them back to school in the fall and far into their futures.
Learn more about our Adventure Summer Camp
