Sandy Days Philosophy

The ingredients to our secret sauce

HIGH FIVES & GOOD VIBES

encapsulated within Our “High Fives & Good Vibes” approach to camp (and life) is both the path and the goal. By showing up each day poised to spread joy, positivity, and belonging (often by way of a high five [or an air five in covid times]), we create an environment bursting with Good vibes. then, those vibes work to inspire others to pay all that good stuff forward, and so goes the cycle 🌀!

THE Sandy Days CORNERSTONES

COMMUNITY

OUR COMMUNITY IS COMPRISED OF ENCOURAGEMENT, INCLUSIVENESS, AND TOGETHERNESS. FROM THE MOST SEASONED CAMP COUNSELOR TO THE NEWEST YOUNG CAMPER, MAINTAINING SUCH AN ATMOSPHERE IS A REQUISITE FOR US TO EXIST. WE PLAY TOGETHER, WE EAT TOGETHER, WE TEACH EACH OTHER NEW THINGS, WE CHEER EACH OTHER ON, AND WE CONSTANTLY REMIND ONE ANOTHER WHY WE’RE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE: TO HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF MEANINGFUL FUN. OUR INHERENT INCLUSIVENESS MAKES US WHO WE ARE!

HAPPINESS

We set out to convey to our campers that, whatever “happiness” means to them, Sandy Days exists to support and promote that thing. That is, we are a place for kids to embrace each other, and themselves. Given our intention, what ensues is that campers of differing interests, ages, and temperaments learn, grow, and thrive in the exact same environment. Pretty Cool, huh!

AUTONOMY

Our weeks begin by empowering campers with the notion that they literally get to do whatever they want. After throwing options out to them, we sit back and let the kids paint their day. Now, for a camper who’s spent the previous ten months (or perhaps ten years) following a relatively stringent itinerary, what happens when she’s given the keys to her own city? Let us save you the research– what we see is the enchanting merger of freedom and authenticity, which leads our campers to the realization that they each have a voice that matters.

MOVEMENT

Also Carefully woven into the fabric of our programs are countless opportunities for our campers to move their minds. Given the autonomy available at Sandy Days, our kids are constantly required to consider their own interests and desires, and then make a choice accordingly. the creative endeavors that we expose our kids to is a bottomless source of mind movement. Whether we’re playing a gripping game of charades, or building a larger than life fortress with our world famous Big Blue Blocks, Sandy Days can’t help but move their minds and look at the world in new ways. Perhaps most importantly, Sandy Days IS A MOVEMENT. The culture we’ve created makes it cool to think freely, talk differences out with each other, and let your thoughts be heard. More specifically, we’re on a mission to do our part to help develop kind kids with confidence who care about each other and are ready to Take on the world– Move it or lose it!

PLAY

As we’re sure you now know, Play is the bedrock of our programs and the guiding light for all that we do. Infusing our kids with many of the big picture ideas that we all hope to acquire on our journey through life, play is the greatest form of informal education. Tinkering with seemingly unlike objects to design new things introduces us to problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking, and the value of patience. Play is restorative, affording our brains the opportunity to recharge from the more structured parts of our lives.

Perhaps more importantly, hearing another’s completely different ideas about what they think is possible to create or invent opens the doors to collaboration, empathy, and teamwork. Any way you spin it, play teaches our kids heavy-hitting life lessons while simultaneously providing their minds with meaningful engagement. See why we like it so much?