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We arrive at the car park after not seeing our children for a week, unsure of what to expect. The camp is deep in the woods, about a 15-minute walk away, and they’ve been there for five days. Will they have been unhappy and homesick? We doubt it, but you never know. Sending kids to summer camp without phones ensures they aren’t glued to screens all day, but it also means they can’t call home—going fully old school.
In the car park, we hear them before we see them—a chorus of chanting and stomping getting closer. As they appear, we catch lyrics of a song about baked beans. A boisterous group approaches, their skin decorated with amateur tribal markings, large sticks in hand, and among them are our children, almost unrecognizable from the shy, uncertain kids we left a few days ago, now smelling of bonfire. What could have happened to them?
Summer holidays should be a time for outdoor adventures, free from homework or rigid routines. Our children’s lives are usually so scheduled, filled with structured activities and timetables, that these six weeks of holiday offer a rare chance to experience the freedom of childhood we often reminisce about.
Returning from Camp Wilderness, my daughters, aged 9 and 12, are worn out, filthy, and ecstatic. Their favorite part? Having no rules or clocks. “Whenever we asked the time, they’d say ‘evening time’ or ‘morning time’. They told us time is a social construct. Mummy, what’s a social construct?”
The five-day camp is packed with games, delicious meals (their favorite, hilariously named “dolphin,” turns out to be a creamy potato dish—dauphinoise), and lots of freedom. They even report there’s no fixed bedtime. The kids are divided into small groups—tribes—and their collective activities include building shelters (some of the best ones became sleep spots), braving cold lake swims, campfire gatherings, and sleeping in a forest village of teepees. They also learn new skills like first aid and knot-tying. And the friendships? As soon as we’re home, messages flood in. Our older daughter has already joined a group chat titled “Wilderness Friends.” They can’t wait to return this year.
