Breaking Bread at Maine Camps

This week is Thanksgiving, a time family and friends will gather together for a traditional meal for which we are thankful. We enjoy each other’s company and we appreciate the food we have on the table. This reminds us of meals at Maine Camps. Whether in dining halls (often breakfast and dinner) or in picnic areas (often lunch), and whether as buffets or seated and served meals, the importance of eating together is incredible in so many ways. These are meaningful times that foster connection and cooperation.

When I was growing up, my family had dinner together every night at 6:30. Nowadays, that seems to be much tougher as time seems more fragmented and family time seems more fractured. As many families can attest, kids who play sports, for example, are often grabbing meals on-the-go or even having “first dinner” at around 4 or 4:30pm and “second dinner” around 9pm or later. Parents’ hectic work and/or travel schedules, commuting, and other factors can also lead to families eating apart. 

At Maine Camps, it’s wonderful that there are set meal times when campers come from their different activities and places on camp grounds to dine together. Everyone at camp is able to take time out of their busy activity schedules to enjoy some face-to-face time with friends and counselors to talk about their day, enjoy good food, have fun with rowdy songs and cheers, and create memories. It’s a very anchoring act of taking this time to appreciate the food we have and the people with whom we are sharing it. This act of eating together should not be understated. Meals together at Maine Camps are a wonderful way to create community, which builds happiness, confidence, and more.

Another benefit to eating together is that campers expand their palettes. We often see campers transform from “picky eaters” to more adventurous eaters from the “good” peer pressure of seeing friends eating things they may not have previously tried. Parents are often pleasantly surprised when their campers return home that their children will now eat and ask for new foods.

So at this tasty time of the year – we give thanks for the friends, family, and food we can enjoy, as well as the other treats in life like summer camp in Maine.

We wish everyone a warm, wonderful, delicious, bonding Thanksgiving meal. And, we look forward to the summer when we will be dining with our Maine campers once again.

Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools

You can share your own Maine camps memories & expressions of gratitude on our Memories of Camp section of our website.

Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child?  Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks).  It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates.  Then you can research these camps in more depth.  

Next, be sure to  to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.