Shaffer's High Sierra Camp is a children's residential summer camp in the Tahoe National Forest, about an hour north of Lake Tahoe. It is the embodiment of getting kids outdoors and connecting them with nature.
For most kids, life is different these days. Parents seem afraid of letting their kids out of sight. Kids seem to have more demands placed on their time, and when they do have time they often prefer to "play" in front of a TV or computer screen. They don't get outdoors as much.
Health professionals are concerned. They point out all the benefits kids get from playing outside, letting their imaginations run wild, challenging their bodies in new ways, developing social skills impossible to learn indoors in front of a TV. Kids have always needed that as part of growing up, and now they are not getting it enough.
Remember that sense of awe and wonder you felt as a kid in the woods, up close and personal with nature? There is no substitute for touching a pine cone, watching what ants do, listening to the cascade of a river or smelling a forest after it has rained. There is no substitute for assessing the risks of climbing a tree or crossing a creek and maybe skinning a knee and getting dirty. Kids need these things. Isn't it time for some outdoor fun? Thanks, Scott and Lisa Shaffer for providing such an outstanding camp and for getting 'Kids Outdoors!'
For more information on Shaffer's High Sierra Camp, to go: www.HighSierraCamp.com