What an amazing 7 weeks it’s been, living life, blissfully unplugged at Camp Towanda!  Of course our fans at home were very much PLUGGED IN to what we were doing at camp (with the Camp Cam practically exploding on a daily basis from all those views!).  Remember this video?

Our campers (and staff) enjoyed so many benefits of being tech-free for 7 weeks.

• They connected at the dinner table with each other…their hands, device-free to clap and cheer and eat camp delicacies!
• They enjoyed silly bunk conversations after ‘lights-out’ without feverishly texting under the glow of a cellphone.
• They sang old-school camp songs with each other on the bus instead of watching You Tube videos and playing games.
• They talked face-to-face and actually made eye contact to share stories and resolve issues.
• They didn’t stop every few steps to take a ‘selfie’!
• At camp…we live in the moment!!!!

It has been so refreshing…they actually said they felt happier, free and cleansed!

As campers get off the bus tomorrow, embrace their parents and loved ones, it won’t be long before they reach for their devices and start virtually ‘reconnecting’.  We expect a flood of new ‘likes’, loves, comments and posts on our @camptowanda accounts…as they start sharing and reliving the 2013 summer!!!  We expect some bunkmates to create virtual bunks with group texts and Facebook groups (hopefully including everyone, since that’s the Towanda way!).  And we expect they will slowly enjoy re-entering the real world, reaching out to their friends outside the Towanda family.

We encourage you to take this ‘re-entry’ time as a fresh start…an opportunity talk with your kids about their online activities and what they may have learned from their unplugged experience this summer. You may even want to create a ‘tech-free zone’ at home (and call it ‘unplugged at Towanda time’)?!!!

Of course, there are some amazing things about the virtual world!!! We love that it keeps our Camp Family connected all year and we look forward to hearing about everyone’s adventures and seeing their smiling faces grace our @camptowanda Instagram feed!  We are here as your parenting partners should any camp-related, virtual/real-world issues arise.  You can also check out our “Social Media Smarts” Pinterest board for some great articles about kids, teens and the virtual world.

Now get ready to hug, kiss and enjoy having your kids back in your house…because at camp, we’re going to be very lonely without them!

#ampedforcamp14