Director Jud's Blog

The ever hopeful signs of Spring have begun to show itself around the eaves of the barn and in the spirit of the horses! They are anxiously waiting for the bits of green grass to grow in the pasture and are ever hopeful to lose that heavy winter coat of hair. And of course they are counting the days till the beginning of SMA when their 2 footed friends return!

How long should I send my child to sleep away camp for?

You have decided to send your child to a specific overnight camp summer. Now, the next big question is, "How long should I send my child to overnight camp?" Most overnight summer camps offer a variety of session length options, usually one to eight weeks and everything in between. In this blog post we'll explore some questions that you can answer for yourself that will assist you in finding the ideal session length for your child.

Summer Camp in the “Early Days”

Parents have been sending their children to overnight summer camps for over 140 years. This “summer camp tradition” started in large cities and urban areas in the northeast. In many communities, the majority of children and young teenagers attended summer camp each year and, if you did not attend camp, you felt “left out” because there were not many kids available to play with at home. Traditionally, almost all overnight summer camps ran for the entire summer, which is generally about 8 weeks.

Make Summer Camp Fun for First-Timers

As a parent, you are probably planning to send your kids or teenagers to one of the 14,000 camps that operate in the US (ACA Program Report, 2017).  Camping is an enjoyable and enriching experience that your children and teens with benefit from. However, for those who never went away, this can become a daunting experience. There are things though that you can do to prepare your kids and teens for summer camp to make the experience a happy and fulfilling one.  In this blog post you will learn how to prepare your teenager for an overnight summer camp.  

Come see Director Jud Millar at the SMA booth at the Cabin John Camp Fair!

Where: Cabin John Mall, 11301 Seven Locks Rd. Potomac, MD

When: March 12, 2017 10AM to 3PM

There are only 109 days until the Grand Opening of Stone Mountain Adventures Overnight Summer Camps for Teens 2017!

5 Important Life Lessons You Can Learn at an Overnight Summer Camp For Teens

Camping is a favorite pastime among Americans with statistics indicating that 14% of the population or 40 million aged 6 and above camped in 2013 (2014 American Camper Report). There are many reasons that camping is so popular, but a love of the outdoors and spending time with family or friends are often the main goals. For parents, signing up kids for overnight summer camps may be an important decision considering the benefits that camping provides in terms of education, social, physical and psychological development. There are in fact valuable life lessons that kids, tweens, teens and campers can learn when attending an overnight summer camp. These skills grow up with them and are useful into adulthood.

Calling All SMA Alumni and Friends in the Centre County Area: Come see Jud Millar at the State College Summer Youth Fair!

What: The State College Summer Youth Camp Fair

When: Saturday, February 18, 10am to 2pm

Where: Mount Nittany Middle School: 

             656 Brandywine Drive State College, PA 16801

How Extreme Sports Can Help in Youth Development

Extreme sports are not only for thrill-seekers, they may even have benefits for the countless youths who are attracted to these activities. While it is true that many parents have become fixated on the safety of children and teens enjoying these sports, there might be a side to it that they have not looked at. It’s not only the perceived harm that can occur to extreme sports participants, it is also the skills and mindset they acquire while doing them.

Defining Extreme Sports

Adventure or extreme sports are broadly defined as ‘individualistic sports containing structural components of real or perceived danger’ (Heggie and Caine, 2012). In the last decade, there has been an explosion of extreme sports participation among both youths and adults. These adventure sports include water rafting, sailing, SUPing, canoeing, mountain, biking, rock climbing, hiking and horseback riding, among others.

Stone Mountain Adventures will attend will attend the Teen Summer Expo hosted by The Shipley School .

What: Teen Summer Expo hosted by The Shipley School 

When: Monday, February 13, 2017 from 5.30 to 8pm

Where: The Shipley School - Commons, 825 Montgomery Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA

Stone Mountain Adventures will be attending the Arlington Camp Fair tomorrow evening!

What: Arlington Public Schools Summer Activities Fair

When: Fri, Feb. 10, 2017 from 6-8 p.m.

Where: Jefferson Community Center, 3501 2nd St. S., Arlington, VA

Jud Millar will be traveling to meet with perspective families at the Tower Hill Camp Fair.

When:: Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

Where:Tower Hill School Field House: 2813 W. 17th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806.

What: THe Tower Hill Camp Fair.

Recent Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camps for Teens campers to attend camp from Delaware include: 

Jack McDermott, Wilmington, DE                           

Jordan Hill, Hockessin, DE                                              

Sam Wien, Wilmington, DE      

How to Choose Horseback Riding Summer Camps  

If you have a child who loves to ride horses then having them attend a summer camp can be a
great to spend part of their summer. Whether your child is a beginner or an experienced rider there is a horseback riding summer camp out there for them. For kids who are inexperienced but excited to learn, attending a horseback riding camp is a fantastic way for them to:

• Hang out with kids who love horses
• Learn horse-care and barn safety in a controlled environment
• Gain horseback riding skills and experiences
• Discover whether riding horses is something they want to do more of when they return home

For experienced riders who already take lessons at home and may even lease or own a horse, attending an equestrian summer camp gives them the opportunity to:

• Be where they want to be - in the barn around horses everyday
• Spend time with other campers who are passionate about riding horses
• Take small group or individual riding lessons everyday
• Be mentored by knowledgeable horseback riding instructors who are great role models

Why you should be using DYE LED Lighting Everywhere

Getting out and about during the summer months is an exciting and fun activity. However, it’s important to make sure that children are safe, especially when cycling late in the evening. LED lights are easy to install anywhere, even on bicycles. Lights on bikes are the best way to make sure that children riding bicycles can be seen by other road users.

Only One Hundred and Fifty Days Until the Grand Opening of Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp Two Thousand and Seventeen.

Stone Mountain Adventures is a co-ed overnight summer camp for teenagers located in central Pennsylvania.  We serve young teens ages 12 to 16 and were founded in 1983 by Pam and Biff Houldin.  We offer fantastic summer camp activities including:

• Community Service Projects 

• Outdoor Adventure Activities

• Creative Arts

• Traditional Sports

• Water Sports

Stone Mountain Adventures director Jud Millarwill be attending the Greenwhich High School Summerfare, in Greenwhich, CT next week.  SMA will be one of many summer camps for teenagers that will be represented at the camp fair.  Other types of programs that will be attending include day camps, wilderness trips and international programs with a focus on language immersion, community service and/or cultural exchange.

What: Greenwhich High School Summerfare Camp Fair

When: Wednesday, January 25th 2017

Where: Greenwhich High School, 10 Hillside Rd, Greenwich, CT 06830

Camp Director Jud Millar will attend the Chester County Summer Adventures Camp and Activity Fair

The Summer Adventures Camp and Activities Fair is organized and sponsored by the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) and will be held at the Technical College High School, Brandywine Campus.  This is a great opportunity to meet perspective camp families and have quality "face to face" interactions.

When:      

• January 24, 2017  
  
• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
  

Where:    

• Chester County Intermediate Unit
• Technical College High School, Brandywine Campus 
•  455 Boot Road  Downingtown, PA 19335   Directions

Dirt Rag Announces the Dates for this years edition of Dirt Fest

Dirt Fest is a mountain biking festival that takes place in Central Pennsylvania every spring.  The purpose of Dirt Fest is to "Celebrate Mountain Bike Culture", and to ride a lot of bikes.  Riders at Dirfest will get to experience the thrill of the Allegrippis Trail System.  According to the Dirt Fest website the Allegrippis Trail System is "Bike-optimized, so expect routes that contour, and roll with bermed turns and lots of flow."  The best part about the Allegrippis Trail System is that riders of all skill levels and experiences level can ride them with success and have fun!

What:  Dirt Rag's Dirt Fest

Where: The Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

When: May 18 - 21, 2017

Why: Because Everyone Loves to Ride Bikes!

From everyone at Stone Mountain Adventures

Teen Summer Camp we wish you

12 Months happiness, 52 weeks fun,
365 Days laughter, 8760 hrs good luck,
525600 Minutes joy, 31536000 seconds success,
and a very 
Happy New Year

The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River is one of the most popular rivers in central Pennsylvania for paddlers and floaters.  This picturesque river is located below the Raystown Lake Dam in Huntingdon County.  Because of the outflow of water from the Raystown Lake Dam the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River holds water all summer when other rivers in the area are too low to navigate safely.  These factors combine to make this stretch of river from Corbin's Island to "The Point" once of the most popular rivers for canoers, kayakers and inner tubers.  

There are activities at SMA Teen Camp to "Go Fast":

SMA is an "Adventure Camp", thus the name Stone Mountain Adventures.  There are times when the thrill seekers at SMA Teen Summer Camp thrive on the adrenaline rush of our adventure activities including:

• Mountain biking
  
• Rock Climbing
• Canoeing
• Wakeboarding and Water Skiing
• Horseback Riding
• White Water Rafting

If you were to ask any one of my friends back home what my favorite thing in the world was, they would, without hesitation, say SMA Summer Camp for Teenagers. And I am sure if you asked them to give any fact about me it would surely revolve around me and my camp experience. I can for sure say that I mention camp on a daily basis. I pride myself in making one connection or retelling, probably for the fifth time, one silly story every day. Most of the stories I tell my friends ends in them giving me a weird look or making a face that screams they do not believe me.