At Camp Jeanne d’Arc, we care about leadership opportunities, skills progression, service and character development. But let’s be real, camp is about fun. While parents definitely appreciate that the kids are spending their camp days in a productive way – learning adventure skills, helping others, earning leadership accolades – the campers, well, they appreciate the fun.
Where to Find the Best Fun at Camp
Building Community Through Traditions
Traditions build community. And fun often lies within that sense of belonging which traditions at Camp can bring. A few of JDA’s fun traditions include:
- Feather-picking: The Camp community gathers each summer when new campers pick a white or blue feather, determining whether they are on the Les Pucelles team or Jolis Coeurs team. The ceremony brings out the best in campers – a truly welcoming experience where campers are enthusiastically welcomed into a warm and exciting community. There is no shortage of face paint, tutus, cheering, hugging, community-building, and FUN!
- Christmas in July: During this fun tradition, campers and counselors dress in red and green and sing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs, drink hot cocoa, eat gooey cinnamon rolls, and relish in a fun celebration of community.
- Smugglers: Each summer, this highly anticipated tradition of late night hide- and-seek game with many twists and turns is an eagerly anticipated peak camp experience! The experience of running out around in the woods with your besties is not only super fun, but creates lifelong memories!
Cabin Down Time
If you ask the campers, they will tell you that the most fun at camp is unstructured cabin time. In a world where their lives are often overstructured with school, sports, extra-curriculars, homework, etc, camp provides that much needed time to just be! Cabin time is a time for campers to listen to music, play cards, plan Hearth raids (!), and relax. Campers have even been known to create spa-like afternoons for fellow cabinmates and counselors. This time gives girls the chance to really connect with one another, build social skills, and enjoy the company of their friends.
Socializing Across Age Groups
In addition to cabin down time, campers have ample opportunities for fun socializing with campers in other age groups. During the afternoon free hour, campers are able to visit other cabins. During meals, table seatings are deliberately mixed ages so that campers are able to connect with older and younger Jeanne d’Arcers. The bonds younger campers form with older campers are beneficial both to the older camper, who can learn how to foster inclusion and leadership skills, as well as the younger campers who look up to the upper campers. Imagine life at home where hours spent playing video games or scrolling social media reels are now replaced with meaningful socializing across age groups! Fun at Camp is redefined!
Skits
Whether it is the talent show, rainy day paper bag skits, or cabin song night, the skit situation at camp is pure fun! Seasoned campers know to tuck away a few costumes or wigs just in case and new campers are eager to join in these amateur sketches! Some cabin songs are so well-written and performed that they continue to be sung for decades. While others, well, the giggling and prop malfunctions may have gotten the best of them. Either way, it is, without fail, fun.
Motor Trips
Yes, being at camp is fun. But the chance to leave camp with all of your camp besties… that is the best! Camp motor trips have ventured to Lake Placid Santa’s Workshop to the Olympic site; from Vermont’s Ben and Jerry Factory to Ausable Chasm; and from white water rafting to amusement parks. Motor trips are great, especially if you get off the bus with a new sweatshirt or a stack of candy bars. But in reality, coming back “home” to camp (and the fun at camp!) is the best feeling of all.
Singing their Hearts Out
There’s a reason there’s a lot of singing at camp – it’s fun! Campers are found belting out tunes all the time. Whether it is meal time cabin songs, Les Pucelles/Jolis Coeurs team songs, pop song reenactments during cabin time, or the traditional campfire songs, campers love to come together and sing. And what’s really cool is that, at camp, there is no judgement when it comes to singing. No matter how they feel about their musical abilities at home, at camp, everyone is a singer!
Waterfront Fun!
The waterfront is a great venue for fun! In addition to structured skill activities like canoe, sail, and swim instruction, Camp provides lots of opportunities for leisure time on the waterfront. Fun in the Sun is an unstructured afternoon filled with sand-castle making, floating on rafts, and beach balls. Evening dip is an after-dinner activity for a relaxing swim after a hot day. Even just being near the beautiful lake surrounded by mountains is fun, right?
Why Fun Matters
“Having fun” at camp might seem like the campers are slacking off. In a society that values hard work, self-evaluation, and productivity, the value of “having fun” can sometimes be overlooked. But there are so many things kids can gain from breaking free from structured time and just letting loose.
Self Direction Builds Agency
When kids are not told what to do, they then choose how to spend their time. “Let’s visit the Cardinals because I heard Sally was homesick.” Or “let’s make a dance routine for our counselor’s birthday.” When campers are agents of their own time, they tend to make the most of it. These self-directed activities are likely going to be conducted with focus, creativity and compassion.
Peers Build Confidence
No matter how many times her mom or her art teacher says they like her painting, nothing is as powerful as if her friend tells her. Validation from peers is often a huge part of how campers gain confidence. When a camper cuts the crew neck sweatshirt for an off-the-shoulder look, she suddenly becomes the textile manipulation expert. If a camper chooses a great tune to accompany bracelet-making, her music taste is praised. Campers will raise each other up in all kinds of ways – hair braiding skills, dance moves, magic tricks, sandcastle building, etc. These fun, organic social experiences create a foundation for self-confidence!
True Relaxation
No pressure. No hurry. No worry. Kids need to hear these words more often. At home there are so many pressures to get their homework done on time, get ready for practice, don’t forget their trumpet, wear the right clothes, text the right thing … and the list goes on. At camp, the fun activities are purely that, fun!
Found in the Crowd
You might notice that each of these areas of fun include campers being with other campers – cabin time, singing together, motor trips, team gatherings, meals, etc. Being part of a group matters. Belonging matters. Having fun at camp TOGETHER matters!
We Let the Fun Happen
Sometimes the singing gets, well, loud. And repetitive. Sometimes the skits are ridiculous. The cheering at Feather Picking can be wild. Cabin time can get messy. But at Camp Jeanne d’Arc, we realize the benefits of these less structured and fun parts of overnight summer camp. And we are committed to letting the fun happen. Because fun builds connection. Connection builds confidence. And confidence builds strong girls!
