Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/256387
camps providing services to nearly 11 million people in the US each year, according to the American Camp Association. In fact, some of the original and oldest camps are located in the Northeast, and are still in operation today. Although the camping tradition has evolved over the years, many camps still aspire to offer a summer of simplicity for their campers. This commitment is often highlighted in a camp's mission. Farm and Wilderness, for example, is a non-profit educational organization that operates camps in central Vermont. The "rustic, simple-living summer camps focus on community, homegrown fun, and living closely with the natural world. Campers and staff live together in wooden cabins and canvas structures. There is no electricity or running water in the cabins, and there are no movies, televisions, computers, or recorded music at the camps." Campers and staff make their own entertainment. In a time where technology often overruns the lives of young people, a summer in the outdoors is now more important than ever. Acclaimed author and cofounder of the Children & Nature Network, Richard Louv highlights this in his work related to "nature-deficit disorder." Last Child in the Woods was one of the first books to "bring together a grow- ing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essen- tial for healthy childhood development and for the physical and 113 s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 | W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F C A M P H U C K I N S 112-118_WWMa14_green summer camps_v3_WellesleyWeston Magazine 2/2/14 12:12 PM Page 113