Sometimes I will be watching TV or listening to a podcast and think "this makes me feel the same way I feel about camp!". I think about how if I like Tumbleweed and I like a book or movie, then other folks who like camp will also enjoy this other item. And just like that, a new blog series was born! Welcome the the "If you like Tumbleweed..." column. I have some guest writers joining us from camp (like Landshark, Sassafrazz, and Toaster) to explore how our interest in camp connects us to newer and cooler books, hobbies, places, and people!
IF YOU LIKE TUMBLEWEED...you'll like these picks from Landshark's bookshelf
From the outside, Tumbleweed looks like magic: your child bounces off the bus every day with stories of new friendships and camp fun. We do have a pretty magical team, but we can't take all the credit for how we create exceptional camp experiences. Check out these books for a peek behind the curtain of how the Tumbleweed magic happens:
The #1 thing we try to achieve at camp is creating a space where we can all be our belong and everyone can be their best self. It's hard for me to pick one book by research social worker Brene Brown for this list (I am a very big fan of Brene), but Braving the Wilderness has been super impactful on everyone at camp. We use it at the very beginning of our staff orientation to help our counselors connect with each other, and we build in tools from Brene's book all through camp to create community for your child (it's all an experience of "collective effervescence"). I've got her new book Atlas of the Heart sitting on my desk, waiting for a quiet moment to dig into...
Part of building belonging at camp comes from stringing together all the little moments: the songs on the bus, the walk to King Kong's Chair, afternoon Campfire. Reading Chip & Dan Heath's The Power of Moments a few years ago helped us think deeply about how to make each of these moments great, which makes your child's whole camp experience exceptional. Reading this book as a parent, too, has helped me think differently about things like family vacations and holiday celebrations.
One of the toughest things for our kids during COVID has been the lack of normal social time, and (though camp's been pretty normal), we've seen this in many of our campers' ability to express and regulate their emotions. In Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive, Yale researcher Marc Brackett dives into the science of emotion. He creates a really simple framework for how both kids and their adults can label their emotions, which helps us express and regulate them better. Remember back in the summer of 2020 when it was weird trying to interact from behind masks? We taught our staff Marc's approach to help them and our campers better express themselves.
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