Camp Green Lane 100th Summer Blog Post, July 18th

There are two types of camp parents.

The first type sits down each evening and happily scrolls through every single photo we post. Every division. Every activity. Every blurry action shot where it’s impossible to tell if someone is catching a football or swatting a fly.

The second type has one mission: Find my kid.

If that’s you, we have good news.

This summer we’re using Waldo as our new photo platform, and it’s kind of amazing. Thanks to facial recognition technology, Waldo can identify your camper and create a personalized feed just for your family. No more endless scrolling. No more zooming in on a group of twenty campers trying to determine if that’s your child or just someone with the same haircut.

(Of course, if you’re the first type of parent, don’t worry. You can still scroll to your heart’s content. We won’t stop you.)

We know that camp photos are important. We know that seeing your child smiling, laughing, trying something new, or hanging out with friends can make your whole day.

But here’s a little secret.

If you really want to know what’s happening at camp…

The photos aren’t where the story is.

They’re just the highlights.

A picture can show your camper on the ropes course. It can’t tell you that five friends spent ten minutes cheering them on before they took that first step.

A picture can show everyone dressed in team colors for Olympics. It can’t capture 350 campers singing Marches at the top of their lungs.

A picture can show your child laughing at lunch. It can’t explain why an entire table is doubled over because someone accidentally called a spoon a “food shovel.”

(These things happen.)

That’s why we put so much time into our daily videos and blogs.

The videos let you hear the songs, see the three-pointer being made, watch the bunk jumping on the lake trampoline laughing hysterically, and check out some seriously amazing dance moves.

The blogs tell the stories behind the smiles. They explain our traditions, introduce you to the people your campers are talking about in their letters home, and hopefully help you feel like you’re experiencing a little piece of camp right alongside them.

So by all means, let Waldo do the hard work of finding your camper’s photos.

Smile every time a new one pops up.

But don’t stop there.

Watch the daily video.

Read the blog.

Because while the photos show you where your camper was…

The videos and blogs show you what camp feels like.

And that’s the part we really can’t wait to share with you.

— Aunt Robin