Why Summer Camp May be the Secret to a Longer Life
Last week, during my training with camp staff about friendship skills, I showed them this video (Susan Pinker’s TED Talk: The Secret to Living Longer May Be Your Social Life): I then asked our staff to share what similarities they found between summer camp and the small village in Sardinia Pinker describes in her TED…
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Ep. 178: Connecting More Deeply
HAPPY CAMPERS: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults is now available on Audible! Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In Episode 178, my daughter Gretchen and I share a few tips for connecting more deeply with friends, co-workers, family,…
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Ep. 127: The New Adolescence with Christine Carter, Ph.D.
ENCORE NOTES: This incredible book came out just prior to the start of the pandemic. I was privileged to read an early copy and hear Christine speak about it in February, 2020. If you have (or will eventually have) an adolescent, I highly recommend this book. Things have changed since we were their age, and…
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What are you going to do?
One thing I taught my kids last year was to ask “What else can I do?” to help them learn the important skill of finishing a job well. They still use it at the end of kitchen clean-up after dinner, and the question is music to my ears. And one of my favorite new questions…
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10 Simple Reflection & Connection Activities
Hi Friends, Does anyone else enjoy marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next? Maybe it’s because I’ve always loved calendars and planning, but I find it extremely psychologically satisfying to close the book on one year and open up a fresh page to a new one. I always feel there’s…
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Connection Tip #2: Start a Daily Family Sharing Habit
“Just like at camp, connections are the result of intentionally chosen, day-to-day family habits that create feelings of warmth and belonging.” –Happy Campers Secret #1: Connection Comes First One of my favorite connection tips (besides unplugging) is having a daily family sharing habit. I’ve honed my ideas on this topic over many years of practice around…
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[Encore] Ep. 121: The Power of Showing Up with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
Show notes & links available here. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. This is an encore presentation of one of my favorite episodes. Enjoy! Helpful short video messages from Tina A message for parents: https://vimeo.com/399730541 Fear Messaging vs. Safety Messaging: https://vimeo.com/402467778 Two Things that Increase Chronic Stress and Two Things that Reduce it in Our Kids: https://vimeo.com/402633303 Hit the Restart Button on Your Parenting: https://vimeo.com/402646808 DOWNLOAD Tina’s…
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36 Questions to Get Closer to Someone You Love
The art of asking good questions, and listening carefully to the person’s response, is an important skill for forming and maintaining positive, close relationships. Our social connections are the most important predictor of life-long happiness and health. Watch Susan Pinker’s TED Talk if you need convincing! Arthur Aron, a prominent social psychologist, discovered that he…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 85: Grit is Grown Outside the Comfort Zone (PEGtalk)
Today’s show, Episode 85, was recorded live at Pegasus School in Huntington Beach as part of their PEGtalks parent education series. I’m with my frequent guest, Sara Kuljis, the owner and director of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp. We talked about my book, Happy Campers and we discussed Camp Secret…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 87: The Impact of Camp Experiences with Laurie Browne, Ph.D.
Visit Sunshine Parenting for more episodes & resources. Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. In this episode of the podcast, I interview Dr. Laurie Browne, Director of Research for the American Camp Association, about the five-year camp impact study being done by an external research team through the University of Utah.…
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Ep. 172: Screen-Free Week with Jean Rogers
Visit Sunshine Parenting for more resources & episodes. In this episode, Jean Rogers, Director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, and I talk about children’s well-being, ways to maximize your family’s screen-free time together, and fun resources for celebrating Screen-Free Week. Jean and I talked about The Social Dilemma (documentary) in Ep. 159 of the…
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