Good Times Away From Screens? With Us, It’s By Design!

Tumalo Day Camp memories in the making: watermelon in the state park!

When you think of childhood, what wonderful thoughts and memories pop into mind? Chances are, many come from experiences outdoors, perhaps playing in the woods or floating rivers with friends and family. Eating watermelon at a park. Building snowmen. Kicking piles of leaves on autumn days. Summer camps. Sunrises. Sunsets. Starry skies.

And yet it’s no surprise that today’s youth are spending record numbers indoors, making massive memories on screens, both in and out of school. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average amount of time spent on screens has hit an all-time high:

• 8-10 years old: 6 hours
• 11-14 years old: 9 hours
• 15-18 years old: 7.5 hours

Camp Fire's t-shirt sends a mission-focused message: "Less Screen, More Green."

While Camp Fire Central Oregon recognizes screens are here to stay and a part of daily life for youth and adults alike, we also know the benefits of getting outside are vital to helping kids thrive and the welfare of our world.

“There is mounting evidence, from dozens and dozens of researchers, that nature has benefits for both physical and psychological human well-being,” states Lisa Nisbet, PhD, a psychologist at Trent University in Ontario, Canada, who studies connectedness to nature and quoted by the American Psychological Association. “You can boost your mood just by walking in nature, even in urban nature. And the sense of connection you have with the natural world seems to contribute to happiness even when you’re not physically immersed in nature.”

SummerKids campers paint with watercolors during an elective group activity outside.

That’s where Camp Fire Central Oregon steps in, consistently setting goals tied to our mission of connecting youth to the outdoors, to themselves, and to each other. Many of the activities we pursue intentionally build bridges to and understanding of our natural environment. This could be as simple as painting landscapes or other images in nature during camp or after school. Or it could mean visiting a local environmental treasure, exploring the caverns of a cave, growing survival skills at summer camp, playing games with Camp Fire friends and counselors under some shady trees, an afterschool guest speaker from an animal rescue center, or volunteering at a local watershed. The opportunities we offer for exposure and connection are endless.

True, we have a robust robotics program that includes the use of screens and sometimes our STEAM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities bring in the use of laptops, too. But we’re always evolving and finding ways to stay connected to the natural world around us, such as hiring a new eSTEAM coordinator, someone who will bring “e”-cology into this creative program mix. Even our summer robotics camps offer kids an opportunity to break away from screens, get outside, exercise and play.

Camp Counselor "Milkbud" guides a butterfly slide while Camper Linden Kline peers into the microscope at SummerKids.

The growing bank of screen-centric statistics aside, Camp Fire kids know that time away from laptops, TVs, gaming and social media supports their health, happiness and ability to thrive. Whether outside or inside, doing activities that engage their hearts, minds and bodies brings that wellness to their core being.

SummerKids Camper Linden Kline spoke to us on a day when she happened to wear her “Less Screen, More Green” Camp Fire t-shirt to camp. Under the guidance of her camp counselor, she and her small group spent part of the morning learning to use a microscope and examining tiny butterfly and insect parts from a box of microscope slides. Later outside, she found herself captivated by an unusually large roly-poly.

“In nature, you don’t see screens and you can imagine stuff that nobody else has thought about,” she says. “You can see bugs and animals…see things that no one has ever seen before…and tell your friends about it!”

After lunch, Linden joined dozens of other campers outside in kiddie pools, on water slides and inside bouncy castles, soaking in the fun and sun outside, moving, laughing and relaxing, and simply being kids.

“At school, I look at screens a lot…and at Camp Fire, you can be in nature, be yourself, and just have fun and play around with your friends.”

Drake Thompson (far right) holds his bag of homemade ice cream alongside two other SummerKids campers.

Another SummerKids camper, Drake Thompson, who spent his morning engrossed in a wonderfully messy, somewhat challenging homemade ice cream endeavor, chimed in about his thoughts on screens and engaging in hands-on camp activities.

“I think it’s important to get off screens because you need to have your eyes breathe…and you can’t just be on screens for the rest of your life,” he said.

As to turning simple ingredients into an ice-cold treat? Drake says: “I proved to myself that I could do it…and it really surprised me that I could!”

Such little victories make a difference in campers’ lives and how they feel about themselves. Whether learning to make ice cream on a hot day or experiencing much bigger lessons—such as those tied to survival skills in the outdoors—the know-how and self-empowerment directly tie to confidence and independence.

Loveaya McKurdy smiles in the sunshine on Water Wednesday.

Cayden Jones, Tumalo Day Camp’s 2024 Counselor in Training (CIT) director, says he’s loved working with kids and other volunteer counselors to help youth know how to problem-solve in nature. It’s something he was directly taught as a camper with us himself, and it’s important because when you’re out in nature, troubleshooting how to build a fire or hang food up in a tree, out of reach from a potential bear, “it’s something you can’t look up because there probably no wifi out there,” he says.

Our kids get it. The environment around us matters, not just because it’s beautiful but because it supports our very existence. As Loveaya McKurdy, another SummerKids camper sums it up: "It gives you fresh air, and the trees can actually give you more oxygen—nature is, like, for YOU!”