T.I.G.E.R. and "Pay it Forward"

Meadowbrook's unique T.I.G.E.R. program helps us build a strong community at Camp and teaches our Campers what we believe are 5 important, life-long values that are crucial for success.


We positively re-enforce demonstrating these values at Camp in a variety of ways:  T.I.G.E.R. stickers; T.I.G.E.R. "Warm & Fuzzies"; T.I.G.E.R. Camper of the Day in each Group; Weekly T.I.G.E.R. Camper in each Division; and the T.I.G.E.R. Cup which is awarded to the Divisions that does the best job demonstrating T.I.G.E.R. qualities each week.

While we are strong believers in positive reinforcement of good behavior throughout Camp, the ultimate success is when those in our Meadowbrook Community (Campers, Parents, Staff) practice T.I.G.E.R. qualities even when they think no-one is watching.  Our goal is for everyone to get to the point where you don't do it for the positive reinforcement...you do it because it is the right thing to do!  Some refer to this as "Pay it Forward."  I often speak with member of our Meadowbrook Community about this topic, both in terms of re-enforcing positive behavior and discouraging negative behavior   I remind them "you never know who is watching, so with everything that you do, assume that someone is watching you do it, even if you don't think anyone is...."

Check out this nice "Pay it Forward" video: "If you give a little love you can get a little love of your own"...

Pay It Forward Video

Life Skills at Camp!

Jed at Camp Weequahic 1971

Last week, 14 members of the Meadowbrook Leadership Team attended the American Camp Association Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City.  It is a great opportunity for our staff to share and earn with thousands of other Camp professionals.

In the spirit of sharing, here is a blog post from another Camp...this one from my Alma Mater, Camp Weequahic.

At Meadowbrook, we are very focused on teaching important life skills to our Campers.  This blog post is a great perspective on some of those life skills that we teach at Meadowbrook, skills like Resilience  Sportsmanship, Teamwork, and Self-Esteem.  Check it out...and let us know what you think!

 Learning to Lose at Camp

Don't Take My Word...

I often write and speak about the amazing benefits that Camp offers Children.  But you don't have to take my word for it...check out this great article from Cigna about the Benefits of Summer Camp!

Summer Health: Benefits of Summer Camp

See you at Camp!!

Unplugging at Camp

Earlier this week, we wrote about Learning Life Skills at Camp.  At Meadowbrook, this is a significant and intentional focus of our program.  We also provided a link to the p21.org website for additional information on 21st Century Skills.

Today we have the pleasure of sharing with you a great 11 minute Tedx video from our friend and colleague Steve Baskin talking about "Unplugging our Kids" and how these 21st Century Skills relate to all that we do at Camp.

Unplugging at Camp

Enjoy....and let us know what you think!

Learning Life Skills at Camp

This past Sunday, we held our first Open House of 2013.  It was a great day with lots of families coming to learn all about Meadowbrook and meet many members of our fantastic Leadership Team.

One of the things we spoke about extensively during the day was the role Meadowbrook plays in teaching Campers what we call LIFE SKILLS.

So what are life skills?  They are the"soft skills" that unfortunately have been lost in a world where schools are pressed harder to teach to standardized tests and technology has usurped 'free play" with children spending more and more time in front of computers and television sets, playing video games, using social media, and communicating via texting and messages with a maximum of 140 characters.

This is where Meadowbrook comes in!  At Camp, we are very focused on teaching our Campers the skills that are necessary to succeed in the 21st Century.  These include (but are not limited to): Decision Making, Independence,  Problem Solving, Resilience, Leadership, Teamwork, Patience, Perseverance, Self Confidence,  Goal Setting, Communication, and many more.  We do this in all areas of Camp...from our Athletics Program to Creative Arts;  from our Lake Activities to our Challenge Course; from Lunch to Swimming to Special Events to our T.I.G.E.R. program.

The beauty of it all is that our Campers are learning these important life skills in an incredibly safe and fun environment.

For more information on 21st Century Skills, check out the website p21.org.  For more information on how Meadowbrook teaches these skills, call us in the office anytime!

Working at Camp

Next Sunday, I will have the privilege of presenting at the NY/NJ American Camp Association's (ACA)  Teen LEADership Conference in New York City.   As I was researching information for my presentation, I came across this article at Suite101.  It was published last May, but it is as applicable today as it was last year and it will be for years to come!

Top 10 Summer Jobs for Teens

No less than 4 of these Top 10 Jobs are taking place at Meadowbrook each and every day of the Summer:

- Camp Counselor
- Sports Camp Counselor
- Lifeguarding
- Child Care

Most importantly, Teens (and other Young Adults) who work at Meadowbrook gain the valuable life skills that Susan Carney points out in her article:

Communication Skills
Problem Solving Skills
Ability to Work as Part of a Team

And that is just the start!

Do not underestimate the benefits of working at Camp...just ask anyone who has done it!!

See you at Camp!

Summer Camp is More Than Fun!!

We tell parents all the time that Meadowbrook is amazing fun....but it is really much more than that!

This article from New Jersey Family Magazine points out some of the important benefits of attending an ACA Accredited Summer Camp like Meadowbrook!

• Children who participate in summer programs...are less likely to have a significant summer learning slide and lose the academic gains they made the previous year in school.
• Camp also enhances a child’s physical and emotional well-being. Activities build social skills, teamwork, and independence, which contribute to stronger self-confidence and leadership abilities.
• Kids who go to camp with friends they already know feel comfortable from the get-go and can launch into activities right away. For other kids, the joy of making new friends and developing social relationships might be more rewarding than the activities.
• Nearly 75% of campers try new activities they were initially afraid to do.

Check it out and let us know what you think:  Summer Camp is More Than Fun!

Summer will be here before you know it...if you haven't registered your Children for Camp this Summer, now is the time!

See you at Camp!!

In 2005,  Richard Louv wrote what we consider a hallmark book called "Last Child in the Woods."  Since that time, we unfortunately have fewer children in the woods then we did just 7 short years ago. 


We strongly believe that camp is the anecdote to many of todays issues, and Nature-Deficit Disorder is certainly one of them.  As Louv write in his book:  "Kids who do play outside are less likely to get sick, to be stressed or become aggressive, and are more adaptable to life’s unpredictable turns.."  What better reason could there be to make the commitment to send your children to Camp this Summer?!


Here is the article from yesterday's New York Times discussing the perils of Nature Deficit Disorder.   


NYT Nature-Deficit Disorder


Enjoy the article, and feel free to share it and comment...Only 87 days 'til Camp!