Dear Brewster Day Camp Families,
These are unique times and our communities matter. At BDC, our community is everything. We appreciate each other, we have worked through challenges together, we really know each other. In a very real sense, we are a CAMP FAMILY.
It is with this in mind that I write to you today. I want you all to know that we are thinking about all of you and the many unknowns that the world has thrown our way.
As is so often the case, with every curveball there is the opportunity to knock it out of the park! As you are probably well aware, one unexpected result of this moment is lots of family time. While there is no doubt that this, at times, can be challenging, it is also a great opportunity, much like a rainy day at camp.
At BDC, rainy days provide opportunities for tent groups to spend time together in different ways. We are compelled to be creative in our play. We are compelled to work together to agree on games and activities that all can enjoy, while practicing the arts of compromise, flexibility and patience. We really get to know each other in ways that only the adversity of a rainy day can provide. This is the opportunity that we, as families, all have right now. It is in these moments that we develop our resiliency. While we all hope to return to a state of normalcy as quickly as possible, let's take advantage of this special time that we have together.
Therefore, here are some rainy-day camp activities that you can do as a family:
- The classics: Board games
- Read book or story aloud as a family
- Learn how to play a role-playing game and do it together as a family. That's right, a family Dungeons and Dragons game. It will be great...trust me.
- Hide and seek...really...try it!
- The Alphabet Game: Pick a category, name items in alphabetical order
- Variation #1-Famous people. Choose two letters at random and family members must come up with famous people with those initials.
- Variation #2-Find items around the house. People need to walk around the house and collect (or take photos of) an item for each letter of the alphabet.
- Make an awesome fort. How fun to create a fort as a family?! And the good news is that, because of the curveball, you have plenty of time to clean it up!
- Folding story - One person writes the first line of a story. The second person reads that first line and writes the second line. Then they fold the paper so that the only thing visible is the second line. They pass the story on to the third person who reads that second line and writes the third...and so on and so on as long as you like. Great stories come out of this! (Can easily be done on a computer, too)
- Make your favorite foods! Cooking and baking can be a fun learning experience for the whole family, and you have something to eat afterwards. What better time to pass along your family recipes?!
At BDC, like all over the world, we are thinking seriously about the Coronavirus situation and potential impacts it might have on the upcoming summer. We are very busy planning for various contingencies. While of course the picture is still unclear, we are lucky to have three months to determine what decisions are the safest and wisest for our community. The health and well-being of our campers, their families, and our staff are of utmost importance and our highest priority when making decisions.
Please know that we take our role very seriously and are closely monitoring the situation. We are receiving information and recommendations from our state and local health departments, the American Camp Association, and our own network of infectious disease doctors. This information is critical to us and we will continue to stay on top of it.
In the meantime, we remain busy planning for the upcoming summer. We are hiring staff. We are planning programming. We are maintaining and improving our campus and facilities.
After we emerge from this challenging time, our kids are going to reap the benefits of camp more than ever. After a stressful, anxiety inducing time, imagine the feeling of having eight weeks to spend running around carefree at camp, sitting around a campfire with your best friends in the world telling stories and roasting marshmallows, singing those crazy fun songs that we sing together at assemblies on a daily basis, captaining a sailboat out in the middle of Cliff Pond with your friends, and participating in a sporting event! And, most especially, after this long period of intense screen, smartphone, and computer time.... imagine putting them down for eight weeks!
Sending you all tons of Courage, Hope, Good Spirit & Peace!
