Life at the Bay

The fast-paced, modern-day living has kept our kids cooped up in their bedrooms, mostly in the company of technology. We only realize the negative impact of this lifestyle, when we notice that our kids shy away from physical activities and socializing, dislike the idea of being challenged, lack character and have no independence. The best way to repair this “detachment from authenticity” is by eliminating technology and replacing it with an opportunity to experience something tangible. This opportunity comes from camping. Camping has the greatest impact on children and teaches them what technology cannot. Here are 5 Reasons why kids should go camping: 1. Camp provides the opportunity to try new things. The activities practiced at camp pushes children out of their comfort zone and expose them to new activities and experiences. These opportunities assist them in discovering new hobbies or passions which will direct them in their future career choices. 2. Camp helps with the developm...

We're getting ready to host a Myth Busters Week here at Sugar Bay, where campers from all over the country will get together to bust some of the long-running myths and mysteries about their favourite place on the North Coast, Sugar Bay Holiday Camp. While planning which magical myths we'd take on in the name of science, we came across some widely-spread myths about summer camps and thought "Hey! Ain't nobody got time for that! Parents need to know the truth!" Which is why we're here to bust 4 of the many myths about summer camps. Sure we may not be well-moustached and wear lab coats like our geeky Mythbusting friends on the Discovery Channel, but we do have scientific studies to back us, years of experience and photographic evidence to boot. We'd like to show you the value of summer camp and why you should let us explode your camper's mind (with fun!) Myth #1: My Child Won't Be Safe If I'm Not There Thousands of children pass throug...

We live in a pretty interesting world: sometimes it seems that everything revolves around sharing our every move on social media - insane amounts of selfies, tweets, I-just-went-to-the-gym updates, look-what-I'm-about-to-eat Instagram shots or endless hours spent on Pinterest pinning cute DIY projects that we'll never have time to do because we're too busy Pinteresting... I could go on and on. And it's all very rich coming from me, since the words 'Social Media' form part of my job description here at Sugar Bay. I'm not saying that it's all bad, but when I read that kids can spend up to 7.5 hours A DAY behind a screen I think, when do they have a chance to just be kids? The answer (of course) is AT CAMP. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the answer to many of our youth's problems can be solved with camp, but I may be slightly biased :) There are growing concerns related to technology usage, and it's not just affectin...

I'm sure you've heard it said many a time on our website and Facebook page : Come to Sugar Bay and try new things . This experience in itself is of course a fantastic one, something that we endlessly promote for the fun value as well as the impact on a child's development. But what EXACTLY does trying new things do for kids, what skills are they learning whilst at camp? Although there are many, we chose to focus on just 7 of the important social skills that will help children as they grow older. And we don't mean the 'social' skills that involve 'socializing' on your phone, tablet or behind any other kind of screen. We're talking about a different kind of Face Time, the kind where kids are sitting face to face with one another and interacting in the only real-time there is, the here and now. Supportive Communication -  Positive reinforcement is a wonderful thing - from parents, counselors and friends. Some campers have even said that suppo...