Five Ways that Calvert Nature Camps Keep Teens Learning and Exploring All Summer Long
Technological distractions such as cell phones or video games make it difficult to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle for children. According to findings of the YMCA’s Family Health Snapshot (2015), only about half of children surveyed get at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity during the summer.
Calvert Nature Society, in partnership with Calvert County Natural Resources Division, offers Nature Camps to give teens an adventurous, active and healthy summer at the nature parks (Flag Ponds Nature Park, Kings Landing Park, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp) and other sites around the county.
Day camps and one-day experiences foster the love of nature, develop outdoor skills, and create the next generation of environmental stewards for Calvert County. Participation in many of the teen programs can help fulfill Service Learning requirements and provide experiences for future leadership roles. For information on summer camps and other programs for teens, visit http://calvertparks.org/programs/teens.html.
Here are five reasons why teens should attend Calvert Nature Society’s day camps:
- Adventure: Summer camp is all about a wide variety of new experiences, and especially exploring the outdoors. For example, the “Adventure Camp” (July 5-9) takes teens on hiking, kayaking, and camping explorations of the different nature parks.
- Healthy Fun: Our week-long day camps offer fun, stimulating activities that engage the body and mind. During the “Bio Blitz Camp” (August 1-5) teens spend each day exploring the parks, catching animals, identifying plants, and documenting the diversity of life found throughout Calvert County. Teens become citizen scientists and share their findings with the statewide Maryland Biodiversity Project.
- Risk-Taking Skills & Personal Growth: Teens have a chance to learn new skills, and develop confidence and independence by taking on new responsibilities and challenges. Hiking remote sections of parks, camping overnight, walking through swamps and marshes are all healthy risks teens take at our nature camp. The camp “Patuxent Paddlers” (July 25-29) gets teens on the water, where they will practice paddling and water rescue skills as well as learn firsthand about water quality and the natural history of the Patuxent River.
- New Friendships: Interacting with other people is one of the most important skills teens learn at camp. In the unplugged, noncompetitive camp culture, teens build up their “emotional intelligence,” their face-to-face communication, and relationship skills.
- Memories: Summer camp is an unforgettable experience that will give each camper memories (and campfire stories) that will last a lifetime. How many other kids can brag that they held and banded a fish hawk? Teens get that opportunity July 1 on our “Ospreys of the Patuxent” pontoon boat ride.
“Attending Calvert Nature Camps provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to keep their minds and bodies active,” says Karyn Molines, Division Chief for the Natural Resources Division. “Teens get to explore nature, take on new responsibilities, gain independence, and develop new relationships. We encourage parents to give their kids the camp experience so that every child can become better stewards of our County’s natural treasures.”
For information on our summer camps and other programs for teens, visit http://calvertparks.org/programs/teens.html.