Seven Things Experts Say Kids Need. Camp Hits All Seven.

Kids today spend seven hours on screens and less than 30 minutes playing outside. Only one in three is physically active daily. Childhood obesity has tripled since the 1970s. Face-to-face interactions have gone down 48% in the last decade.

We know you’re doing the real work—juggling screen limits, pushing kids outside, chauffeuring to a dozen activities, and sneaking veggies into meals. We see you, and we’ve got your back.

And how can we help? Well, camp solves most of these just by being Camp. It’s in our DNA. I’m not going to pretend we planned this as a wellness program. We just wanted kids to have fun, get tired, and maybe learn a thing or two. Turns out we built something that rivals the fancy health spas, but for your kids. Most pediatricians say kids need—and camp delivers—these basics:

1. Daylight: Experts often recommend a few minutes of morning sunlight. We give them 8–10 hours. What can we say? We’re overachievers, apparently.
2. Exercise: Doctors suggest 30–60 minutes a day. Our campers are already well on their way before lunch.
3. Mindfulness: Reflection, gratitude, and thinking about how your actions affect others—campers take time each night to reflect and learn how to build intentional, respectful environments.
4. Nutrition: Regular meal times and healthier choices. To be fair, kids tend to eat better after running around all day.
5. Social connection: Real face-to-face time with actual humans. No DMs, no streaks, no TikTok dances—just eye contact and conversation. Revolutionary, I know.
6. No screens: A deliberate digital detox. You’re welcome. Truth be told, the kids love it too.
7. Sleep: Consistent bedtimes and 8–10 hours a night. Kids end each day happily exhausted (and so do the counselors).

These are simple, and they come naturally because it’s camp.

Some of what we do takes months of planning and work, and we are incredibly happy to do it. And some of what we do can only happen in camp. While you, our parents, manage screen time, schlepping, and the endless scheduling, we’ll take care of the rest. We know it “takes a village,” and we’re proud to be on the same team with our kids’ growth and prosperity in mind.

See you this summer. Frank “the Tank” Silberlicht