As a kid, I always dreamed of going to sleep away camp and making life long memories with friends I would never forget. Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to experience camp as a kid, but I willed it into existence for a summer when I was a 20 year-old college student. I am a merchandising management major and I never really hang out with kids for extended periods of time, but I knew that camp would be different. Being a camp counselor is the most rewarding thing in the world and there is nothing like it. So here are my 5 reasons you should pack your bags and head to camp this summer!
1. The Great Outdoors
If you had the chance to spend three months in the woods, at the beach, or on a mountain, wouldn’t you take it? Being a camp counselor lets you enjoy fresh air and sunshine every day while hiking, horseback riding, or swimming. You also get to camp under the stars and eat smore’s. What other job lets you do that?
2. Camp Family
Everyday you get to spend your time with not only kids, but other counselors who come from all different walks of life. There is a tight bond you form between each staff member that cannot be broken. You are there for each other through all of the fun times and exhaustion (which sets in around the fifth week straight of being surrounded by hundreds of kids). You become family, and you would do anything for them, even if it means giving up your shower for the day and catching newts with their cabin instead.
3. Camp Songs are Catchy
During staff training you learn tons of camp songs that you sing every day of the summer. Obviously, you become pretty good at adding in dance moves and hand motions, not to mention becoming a pro at teaching the whole camp a new song. At camp, you also aren’t listening to the boring old radio every day, so camp songs become your new favorite radio station!
4. Kids Think You’re Cool
Being in charge of ten 2nd graders might sound scary, but actually they are a lot of fun! They look up to you and think everything you say and do is the coolest, making them more likely to follow your rules and behave. If you are singing a song and getting really into, so will they, and a happy camper makes a happy counselor.
5. Camp is Magic
All camps are different, but all of them are magical. There are so many years of tradition and memories imprinted on every surface at camp, you can feel it from the moment you step foot on the grounds. Camp is the one place where you get to be a kid again, where it’s okay to run through the meadow and sing silly songs, especially when everyone else is doing it too. It’s kind of like Neverland, where you don’t have to grow up (at least not until the end of summer).
If you have ever been curious about being a camp counselor, I encourage you to look up summer camps around your area. Although being in charge of children can be really tough and exhausting, it is worth every minute. This could be the summer you learn how to make a friendship bracelet, shoot an arrow, ride a horse, take a hike, and make new friends. Why miss out on that opportunity?