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Everwood Is the Perfect Remedy for Today’s “Anxious Generation”

Let’s face it: growing up today is a whole different ballgame. In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt dives into why so many kids and teens are dealing with skyrocketing anxiety and depression. From the pressure cooker of academics to the loss of good old-fashioned free play, kids are often left feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. Luckily, there’s a place that flips the script—Everwood Day Camp.

Here, kids can take a breather, rediscover joy, and grow into their best selves in a way that feels natural and fun. Let’s talk about why Everwood is exactly what kids need right now.

A Place to Build Confidence Without Fear
One of Haidt’s biggest takeaways? Overprotecting kids can backfire, keeping them from building resilience. At Everwood, we strike the perfect balance between support and independence. Campers get to try new things, push past their comfort zones, and feel the thrill of accomplishment—all with a safety net of caring staff who’ve got their backs.

Whether it’s tackling a climbing wall, learning a new skill (e.g., archery, stand-up-paddleboarding, etc), or working as a team to pull off a group challenge, kids walk away feeling proud of what they’ve done. And those lessons? They stick.

Play, Pure and Simple
Kids don’t get enough unstructured play anymore. Haidt points out how crucial free play is for creativity and problem-solving, and that’s something Everwood takes seriously (in the most fun way possible).

From pickup soccer games to arts-and-crafts sessions where imagination runs wild, play is built into everything we do.  No screens, dedicated time for play—just the kind of good times that remind kids what it means to simply *be a kid*.

Real Friendships, Not Just Follows
Haidt talks about how social media leaves kids feeling lonelier, even when they’re “connected” online. At Everwood, we go back to basics: face-to-face connections, shared adventures, and lots of laughs.

Campers form bonds that are deeper than likes or snaps—they’re built on real moments, whether it’s a campfire singalong or teaming up to win the camp Olympics.

Boosting Mental Health, One Happy Camper at a Time
Everwood doesn’t just focus on physical activities; we’re all about emotional well-being too. With group discussions, and an inclusive culture that celebrates everyone, campers learn to handle their emotions and build resilience.

The mix of structured activities and high-energy fun gives kids a chance to breathe, reset, and just enjoy being themselves.

Learning Grit the Fun Way
At Everwood, kids discover that trying (and trying again) is where the magic happens. Whether it’s aiming for a bullseye in archery or nailing a new dance move, every effort is celebrated.

It’s about more than winning—it’s about growing a mindset that says, “I can do hard things,” which is something they’ll carry with them long after summer ends.

Let’s Get Outside!
Too many kids spend their days glued to screens, but nature has a way of working wonders. At Everwood, we’re surrounded by beautiful woodlands and a 350 acre lake, where campers can hike, kayak, and explore to their heart’s content. It’s a chance to unplug, breathe fresh air, and feel connected to the world around them.

A Team That Truly Cares
What makes Everwood special isn’t just the activities—it’s the people. Our counselors and staff are the heart of camp, bringing kindness, patience, and all-out enthusiasm to everything they do. They see every camper as an individual and make sure each child feels included, supported, and celebrated.

The Bottom Line
In a world that often feels too fast, too stressful, and too focused on screens, Everwood Day Camp is a breath of fresh air. It’s where kids can laugh, learn, and grow into confident, happy humans.

So, if you’re looking for a summer experience that’s more than just fun—one that truly helps your child thrive—Everwood Day Camp is the place to be. Let them play, explore, and shine. It’s the antidote to stress, the joy of childhood, and the start of something unforgettable.

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Growing Up Everwood

Parenting. It’s a wild and wonderful ride full of big feelings, hard moments, miraculous joy, and bursting pride. As parents, we are constantly seeking experiences for our children that align with our values, led by creative people passionate about childhood. From sports teams to after-school classes, play-dates to vacations, parenting involves a constant coordination of moments we hope will lead our children into the adults they will become.  

All that considered, the hard truth of parenting is that we are in much less control than we want to be. Our children are part of an imperfect world that is growing and changing faster than most of us can keep up with. There are times when our parenting choices feel more reactive than proactive and despite all efforts, time just keeps moving forward. 

So what can we do? What choices can we make for our children that help them build self-esteem and independence, resilience, and relationships that will help them grow into happy healthy humans? Isn’t that what we all wish for them? 

To me the answer is simple… let them grow up at Everwood. 

The Everwood Day Camp experience is so much more than fun and recreation. It’s a program designed to be a road map for the social and emotional foundations our children need to take them beyond where they are today. Here are just some of the features of our map…

PROGRAM PROGRESSION: From 4 to 15, Everwood campers engage in dynamic program options that are formulated intentionally around their developmental needs. The Everwood Day Camp program builds and changes as campers get older including increased opportunities for independent choice, autonomy and responsibility, and leadership. With that, the Everwood experience is designed to be place where children can return year-after-year and grow up with us. 

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL MENTORSHIP: Through every step they are led by role models and mentors (our stellar camp staff) and coached through uncomfortable moments that other programs (even our schools) can overlook. We hold children accountable for their behaviors, help them problem solve, and celebrate their achievements.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUTDOOR ADVENTURE and to try NEW THINGS! 72 Acres of picturesque, traditional New England summer camp on the shores of a glistening 350 acre lake. Ropes course, archery, boating, sports, performing and creative arts, science, yoga, nature… and MORE! Taking safe risks at Everwood can help children feel more confident and brave, resilient and proud and can help them realize that they CAN.

FRIENDSHIP FOUNDATIONS: According to psychologist Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness, “a person’s happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of their social connections- their ties to other people. Camp gives kids a wonderfully rich opportunity to extend both the breadth and depth of their relationships.” Camp friends can truly be the best friends in a child’s life, thanks to the foundation of shared experiences and goals.

COMMUNITY: Strong communities are critical for our children because they are an important source of social connection and foster a sense of belonging. With traditions and values focused on growing great humans, Everwood is a community where we work to ensure that every one of our members feels empowered, valued, and supported.

Save yourself the stress of waiting and wondering what your kids will do next summer. Complete your enrollment to save your spot today….and rest assured that this gift you are giving them will last a lifetime. 

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Rekindle Joy

Girls squirting water guns

What a year!

Although I wrote about the Phases of Emotional Response to the pandemic last year (https://www.educationalconsultingpc.com/phases-of-emotional-response), it was difficult to anticipate the significance of the collective anxiety and malaise we would all be feeling mid-way through 2021. This past year has been traumatic on so many levels. So many people are coping with the effects of chronic unmitigated stress that has accumulated over time.  It has left us weary, if not completely exhausted.

This year has been especially challenging for kids, teens, and young adults who are naturally in the developmental process of becoming interdependent individuals. They are figuring out who they are and what kinds of relationships they want to have outside of the family unit. Yet, in this year, as they are growing and changing, they have been faced with a reality that is based surrounded by fear, anxiety, and social isolation. Every decision and action has been met with a degree of mortality that young people are not supposed to think about. If I visit with friends or go to school, will I get sick? If I socialize without a mask, will I bring illness into my home and put others at risk? Even small decisions carry risk, and with risk comes an underpinning of fear and anxiety. As humans, we are not made for the level of chronic stress we have experienced this year. And for young people, who do not have the same breadth of life experience as adults, this year feels like it will go on without end leaving many with a powerful sense of bleakness.

My concern is that schools will push curriculum demands onto vulnerable young people in order to meet some arbitrary guidelines of where they think kids need to be academically by September. Instead, educators should be looking to realign curriculum and, in concert with families, help young people with age-appropriate developmental tasks in social and emotional areas.

It is incumbent on adults to help restore a sense of joy for young people and the feelings of wonder, love, and happiness that we all strive for throughout our lives. So much joy has been lost this past year and it is important to recapture that feeling as we heal from the past year.

Find ways to notice moments of joy each day. Look for the small things— flowers that are blooming, a trip to the beach, sitting with friends, a moonlit walk, or your favorite foods. Appreciating the little things can lead to renewed joy.

We need to give kids room to play this summer. Kids need to be with others in ways that are effortless and they need to be with other people who make them laugh and feel unburdened. This will be the best way to rekindle joy. Camps and summer programs can offer so much of this in safe and organized ways with staff that are ready to help kids form connections, learn and explore through play.

Schoolwork will be waiting for kids in the Fall. But for the summer, the focus needs to be on healing our collective trauma. Connection is the cure for the havoc caused by social isolation this past year. Doing something fun with people we like, will help to rekindle joy for our kids and for ourselves.

Let us all take time to heal from the very difficult year and seek joy where ever possible.

Melinda Macht-Greenberg, PhD is a Clinical, Developmental, School and Camp Psychologist offering consultation to parents, community leaders and business owners, individual and family therapy, and educational advising.  Learn more about her work at www.educationalconsultingpc.com

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Summer Camp: Our Kids’ Antidote to Pandemic Living

By Andy Pritikin and Jaime Pickles

For a decade, we’ve been heralding the importance of Summer Camp to families who have never attended. Years before COVID-19, there existed a world-wide outbreak amongst our youth in technology addiction, social skill deficiency, indoors isolation, and over-parenting. And now, since March 2020, our kids have been living an increasingly bizarre, unnatural life of screens and quarantines, hybrid schooling (if they’re lucky), and enough fear and disappointment to last them into adulthood. However, in the midst of the insanity, we learned that Summer Camp can become a beacon of hope, a lifeline towing them back to their normal selves.

Over 400 lucky children, and 125 staff attended Everwood Day Camp in summer 2020. While strict safety guidelines and a modified program where necessary, the fundamental essence of camp remained intact: Kids, playing together, mentored by caring staff, and in most cases- outdoors. According to the campers, parents, and staff at camps that ran last summer, it was by far their most meaningful camp experience ever, as well as an impactful life event. And think about it, that was after only FOUR months of screens and quarantines- Imagine what it’s going to be like in 2021?

In 2020, 70% of camps didn’t open, many due to government restrictions, others by choice. The camps that did open showed great resilience and creativity in adapting and flourishing within their new parameters, doing it better than most schools. While some families and staff chose to postpone their camp attendance until 2021- many didn’t want to miss out, even in the midst of a pandemic, despite apprehensions. Were these people, crazy? Absolutely not. They strongly believed that the benefits outweighed the perceived risk. This June, after two compromised school years and everything that’s gone along with it, our children’s need for the benefits of Summer Camp will be crucially important:

REAL HUMAN CONNECTION- Zoom and remote learning have saved us in so many ways. But there’s NO substitute for real human connection. Making and strengthening relationships while being guided by loving people is what camp is all about. The essence of camp is in the friendships we forge, something we are all lacking and craving these days.

REACQUAINTING OURSELVES WITH NATURE- While society has been trapped indoors for the past year, most of the world is OUTDOORS, and it is amazingly beautiful, and fills our soul with joy. From picture perfect days, to “liquid sunshine” washouts- it’s REAL living- the way our ancestors lived for thousands of years, until the advent of central air, video screens, and the internet. Our bodies yearn for the outdoors, and that’s where most Summer Camps happen.

RESILIENCY- Our kids are certainly developing it; experiencing disappointments that will make them stronger. Learning to be brave and confronting challenges and fears are also important facets of resiliency. It’s easier to stay at home and stare at screens – but we want our kids to grow up with the kind of courage and “can-do” attitude that our health care, essential workers, and superhero school-teachers have learned and cultivated.

*MENTAL HEALTH* – While Summer Camp is widely known for its physical health benefits, according to the CDC, “Children’s mental health during public health emergencies can have both short and long term consequences to their overall health and well-being,” so it’s no surprise that hospital visits related to mental health have risen dramatically for school age children and adolescents. Kids are resilient and can bounce back quickly. But a year and a half of stress and anxiety is bound to leave a mark. Extroverted kids are suffering, missing the energy of their peers. Introverted kids may seem to enjoy sitting in their homes, away from life’s normal pressures – but they need social interaction just as much. 

A set of camp parents shared this analogy regarding observations of their children and their 2020 experience:  “Despite their best efforts, after months of isolation and the ambient stress of the spring, their children were like wilted flowers.  Camp, with the sunshine, fresh air, and social connection has brought these wilted beauties back to life.”  As both a parents and a camp directors, this imagery is spot on. 

Why can Summer Camps be successful during a pandemic? 

Good camps breed creative adaptability, and get things done- We always have. How do you get a group of 3rd grade boys to listen? What do we do about the incoming storm? The bus is running late, animals got into the supplies, no electricity in the kitchen…Camp people don’t complain- WE FIGURE IT OUT, and make it happen. Last summer, we were able to facilitate a large part of what we normally do at camp- including a variety of activities and assemblies. Were they a little different than usual? Sure- but all were accomplished, with smiles and appreciation, and no transmission of COVID-19.  

Camp offers kids the unique opportunity to step back into a simpler time, with no internet connection or mute button needed. A place where a small community can have faith in the human spirit and support from one another without judgment, simply because it’s the right thing to do. Our kids need to be out of our homes, playing with other kids, and camps have proven that it can be done safely, even under the most challenging circumstances.

Andy Pritikin is the Director of Liberty Lake Day Camp, in Mansfield Township, NJ www.LibertyLakeDayCamp.com, as well as Founding Partner of Everwood Day Camp, Past President of the American Camp Association NY/NJ, and Host of the Day Camp Podcast

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Fun Friday: Paint with Nature!

Painting with items found in nature is a great way for kids to get in touch with their natural surroundings, while engaging in a sensory painting experience. We paint with nature all the time at Everwood Day Camp. We go on “nature walks” to collect our items and come back to paint on different canvases.

You can find a lot of great natural painting ideas at Hands On As We Grow and Kids Craft Room !  Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Natural Items that can be used for painting:

  • Pine needles
  • Leaves
  • Small sticks
  • Pinecones 
  • Blades of grass
  • Flower petals (preferably found on the ground and not pulled from their roots!)

Once your natural items have been collected, you can use them in lieu of the everyday paintbrush. You will still need the paint, but now you can use the items you collected to “paint” onto your chosen canvas (paper, construction paper, an actual canvas, etc.). For example, you can combine some pine needles together to create a natural “paintbrush,” or you can use a pine cone to roll paint onto your canvas. Natural items lend themselves nicely to stamping opportunities, as well!  This is a great way to show off creativity and resourcefulness. We can’t wait to see your natural masterpieces!