As someone who has spent a LOT of time at camp, I can tell you there is just something different about summer camp.

It’s hard to explain until you experience it. And I have had over 30 years of it!

It’s the dirt, the campfires, the friendships, the ridiculous camp songs, the scraped knees, the laughter, and the stories that somehow get funnier every year. But more importantly, camp gives kids the chance to grow in ways that are hard to create anywhere else.

At Hiram House Camp, we’ve been watching this happen for more than 130 years. Here are just a few reasons I believe every child should experience summer camp.

1. Camp Builds Confidence

Camp gives kids the chance to do things they may have never done before. Maybe it’s climbing the wall, shooting a bow, paddling a canoe, catching a fish, or spending their first night away from home.

They try something that scares them, and then they realize, “Hey, I can actually do this!”

That confidence follows them home.

2. Camp Creates Friendships

There is something really special about a camp friend. I should know, my BEST FRIENDS are my camp friends!

Kids spend their days together playing, exploring, getting dirty, sharing inside jokes and trying new things. Friendships happen naturally—on the climbing wall, in a canoe, at the ranch, in a cabin, or sitting around a campfire.

Some of those friendships last a summer. Some last a lifetime.

3. Camp Gets Kids Outside

This is one of my favorite things about Hiram House.

Our campers have 172 acres to explore. They can hike through the woods, study a creek, fish, canoe, visit the ranch, learn about wildlife, garden, swim, and sit around a campfire.

There are no screens needed.

Nature becomes the classroom, and kids get to experience things instead of just learning about them.

This also pertains to the staff. It’s a great feeling to be unplugged on a summer evening at camp, just hanging out with the campers and staff and listening to the sounds of the night.

4. Camp Helps Kids Become Independent

For many kids, camp is one of their first opportunities to do things on their own.

They make decisions. They take responsibility for their things. They figure things out. They meet new people. And, for our overnight campers, they learn that they can be away from home and be okay.

As a parent, that can be a little scary.

As a kid, it can be incredibly empowering.

5. Camp Gets Kids to Try Something New

At camp, kids get to try things they may never have the opportunity to do at home.

Archery. High Ropes Course. Climbing. Horseback riding. Nature. Survival skills.

And sometimes the kid who says, “I don’t want to do that,” ends up being the kid who doesn’t want to leave. It even ends up being the once to ask if they can muck out a horse stall.

That’s one of the best parts of camp. Kids get the chance to discover something they didn’t even know they loved.

6. Camp Lets Kids Just Be Kids

I think kids need this more than ever.

A place where they can put the phone away, get dirty, run through the woods, laugh way too loud, sing silly songs, make new friends, and just be kids.

At Hiram House, we don’t need Wi-Fi to have a great day.

We have campfires, creeks, trails, canoes, horses, swimming, games, and a whole lot of fun.

7. Camp Creates Memories That Stick

This might be the biggest reason of all.

Ask an adult about summer camp and watch what happens. They smile. They tell stories. They remember people and places they haven’t thought about in years.

That’s because camp becomes part of you.

At Hiram House, we’ve been creating those memories since 1896. The camp looks different than it did 130 years ago—and even different than it did 30 years ago—but the important stuff hasn’t changed.

Kids are still making friends.

They’re still trying new things.

They’re still getting muddy.

They’re still sitting around campfires.

And they’re still going home with stories to tell.

Give Them a Summer They’ll Remember

There are a lot of great summer camps in Northeast Ohio, but I truly believe there is something special about Hiram House.

Maybe it’s the 172 acres.

Maybe it’s the history.

Maybe it’s the activities.

But I think it’s really the feeling you get when you’re here.

It’s that feeling of being part of something.

You only get so many childhood summers. Make one of them a camp summer.

Come experience Hiram House Camp and see what a little time away from the everyday can do.

Hiram House Camp — Where Summer Memories Begin.

Written by:
Courtney Nicolai, Executive Director