The Birchmont Pillars: How We Build a Summer of Significance

June 14th, 2026

In the world of summer camping, people often focus on the “what”. The beautiful lake, or if the tennis courts are lit, or the number of activities. But at the best camps, like Birchmont, the most important focus is on the “why.”

Everything we do is built upon two foundational pillars: Community and Confidence. These aren’t just abstract ideas; they are active principles that guide every interaction, from the moment a camper steps off the bus and attends the lighting of their first campfire at Firelight, to the final embers of our closing campfire at Candlelight.

As I look toward the upcoming season, I want to share how these two pillars define the Birchmont experience.

Pillar I: Community

“There are no strangers within, only friends waiting to be met.”

Our camp motto is boldly emblazoned on a large sign right in the front of camp and is often the first thing everyone who arrives at Birchmont sees. But its true power lies in how our campers and counselors live it every day. In a world that can often feel fragmented, we provide a space where belonging is the default setting.

Building a true community is an intentional act. In my role as a speaker at American Camp Association conferences, I often speak about the intentional social architecture of camp. At Birchmont, this means:

The Bunk Family: Creating a micro-community where children learn to support one another, share space, celebrate each other’s successes, resolve conflicts when they arise, and lift each other up after a failure.
Being Part of Something that is Larger than Themselves: From our youngest campers to our most veteran staff, there is a shared thread of tradition in which we all partake. At our first campfire this summer, I will be sure to mention that 75 years ago, campers who are now older than their grandparents sat around this very same fire doing exactly what we are doing now. Imagining people their grandparents’ age as children always blows a few young minds, but it also makes everyone realize that they are part of something much larger than themselves.
Inclusivity by Design: We teach our campers that true friendship isn’t a closed circle; it’s an open invitation. When we are in a safe space to remove the barriers of strangerhood, we can allow children to develop the social intelligence and empathy that will serve them for a lifetime.

Pillar II: Confidence

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?”

At our very first Quiet Hour of the summer, we ask every camper this question. It is a challenge to set a goal for their time with us; not a goal defined by achievement, but one defined by the courage to make the attempt.

True confidence isn’t the absence of fear; it is the willingness to try something new despite it. We believe that a premier camp experience should be a brave space to take safe risks. We create an atmosphere where the stakes start off low, but the rewards of personal growth are high.

The Freedom to Fail: Whether it’s climbing to the top of the rock wall or auditioning for the camp play, we encourage campers to stretch. Because we have first built a supportive Community (Pillar I), campers can feel confident enough to take those risks.
Competence Leads to Confidence: When a child learns to hit a golf ball or get up on waterskis, they aren’t just gaining a skill; they are gathering evidence of their own capability.
The Goal-Setting Journey: By asking that Quiet Hour question, we empower campers to take ownership of their summer. We aren’t telling them who to be; we are asking them to ask themselves who they want to become.

The Director’s Perspective

When you combine a welcoming Community with the pursuit of Confidence, magic happens. You see a camper who arrived hesitant suddenly making a new friend or performing in the talent show. You see a child who was unsure of their swimming ability suddenly passing their deep-water test.

Kristie and I believe that these two pillars are what make Birchmont summers so transformative. We don’t just want our campers to have a great summer; we want them to return home with a stronger sense of who they are and a deeper appreciation for the people around them.

As we prepare for the 2026 season, I invite you to ask your own child that same question: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” Their answer might be the start of their greatest summer yet.

Yours in camping,

Will Pierce

Owner/Director, Pierce Camp Birchmont

The Gift of Confidence: Navigating the “Pre-Camp Jitters”

May 13th, 2026

Nervousness For First-Time Campers

There is a specific moment every June, usually just as the trunks are being packed, when the excitement of summer suddenly meets a wave of “What ifs?”

As the Director of Birchmont and a lifelong camp professional, I want you to know that this is a completely natural and expected part of the camp experience. Whether it is a child’s first summer or their fifth, pre-camp nerves are a sign that your child realizes they are about to embark on something significant. For parents, this is often the first real test of the season. You want them to be brave, but your heart aches when they ask, “What if I miss you too much?”

In my leadership role with the American Camp Association, other camp directors and I often discuss this moment as when the camp experience for a child truly begins. As camp professionals, we know that the greatest growth happens when a child stretches beyond their comfort zone; these feelings are the beginning of the developmental arc that allows camp to be such an impactful experience.

We expect children to encounter and overcome some level of homesickness; our staff are trained for it, and the experience is built to allow your child to have their first success at being truly independent. But as a parent, your job is to provide the steady ground from which they launch. The power of camp to bolster a child’s independence and confidence starts with the partnership between camp and home.

Below is my advice on how to talk about homesickness and nervousness to ensure your child has a successful camp experience.

1. Validate the Feeling, But Don’t Join the Worry

When a child says they are nervous, a natural inclination may be to minimize the concern by saying something like, “Don’t be silly, you’ll love it!” While well-intentioned, this can make a child feel like they aren’t being heard.

Instead, try something along the lines of: “It’s totally normal to feel nervous about something new. Even I get butterflies before the first day of camp! But I also know how much fun you’re going to have with your new friends on the lake.” You are acknowledging the emotion without giving it the power to stop the journey. If you or a family member has camp or similar experience, this is a great opportunity to share how you had the same feelings but then had a great experience once you were settled in.

2. Avoid the “Pick-Up Deal”

This is perhaps the most vital piece of advice I can offer. Never tell a child, “Try it for a week, and if you don’t like it, I’ll come get you.”

In the camping profession, we call this the “Bailout Clause”, and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It inadvertently tells the child that you don’t believe they can succeed. When the first inevitable wave of homesickness hits, your child won’t focus on making a new friend, talking to their counselor, or engaging in activities—they will focus on the “deal” to go home without ever giving the camp experience a chance.

Instead, talk to them about their “camp family”. Explain that at Birchmont, they aren’t just a camper; they are part of a community that looks out for one another. Reassure them: “There might be moments where you miss home, and that’s okay. But you have a whole camp family and counselors there to help you through it. I know you can do this.”

As parents ourselves, Kristie and I often serve in this surrogate parent role for children who may be homesick. Please let your camper know that if they are having trouble, they can come talk to us just like they would to their Mom or Dad. One of the most rewarding parts of our job as camp directors is helping a child get through those first few days to then see them return to camp for many happy summers.

3. Focus on the “Firsts”

To pivot from nervousness to excitement, talk about the specific “firsts” they are looking forward to. Is it the first time they’ll hit a bullseye in archery? The first campfire s’more? The first time they see the Milky Way and the stars in the light-pollution-free New Hampshire sky? Shifting the conversation toward these tangible milestones helps them visualize success rather than focusing on the unknown.

The Director’s Perspective

Homesickness isn’t a “problem” to be fixed; it’s a milestone to be managed. It is actually a beautiful sign that your child has a home they love. By navigating those feelings and coming out the other side, your camper will develop a level of resilience that stays with them long after the buses return home from camp.

At Birchmont, we are ready for them. We pride ourselves on creating an environment where every child feels seen and supported, and I can’t wait to see your child grow this summer.

Yours in camping,

Will Pierce
Owner/Director, Pierce Camp Birchmont

Anxiety About Sleeping Away At Camp? Here’s What We Can Do.

March 26th, 2023

It’s common for children to feel anxious or nervous about sleeping away at camp, especially if it’s their first time. Sometimes these feelings or expressions of anxiety don’t crop up until the start of camp draws closer. Here are some things you can do to help alleviate anxiety and prepare your child for the experience:

Talk about it: Discuss the experience with your child beforehand, including what to expect, what they’re looking forward to, and any concerns or fears they may have. Encourage your child to ask questions and express their feelings openly.

Practice separation: Practice separation by arranging sleepovers with family or friends beforehand. This can help your child get used to being away from home and build confidence in their ability to cope with new situations.

Involve your child in the packing process: Involve your child in the packing process, and make sure they have all necessary items and comforts from home, such as a favorite stuffed animal or pillow.

Communication: Let your camper know they can write you letters and that you will be writing to them too. Make sure they know they can always talk with camp staff or the camp director if they ever need anything or are having a hard time. Make sure they knowing that they will have a phone call with you after the first week of camp. Knowing this communication with home is on the horizon will help ease anxiety and get the camper to focus on the camp experience in the first few days of camp instead of focusing on calling home right away or talking to a parent at the first sign of homesickness.

Create a coping strategy: Work with your child to create a coping strategy for managing anxiety, such as deep breathing exercises or visualizing a peaceful place. Encourage your child to use this strategy if they feel overwhelmed or anxious.

Trust the staff: Most importantly, the camp staff is trained to handle a variety of situations and ensure the safety and well-being of campers including normal feelings of anxiety when being away from home for the first time. Trust that they will take care of your child and address any concerns or issues that arise and make sure your child knows they can always approach camp staff to help them too.

Stay positive and encouraging: Remind your child that sleepaway camp will be a fun and exciting experience and that they are capable of handling new situations and challenges. Stay positive and encouraging, and express confidence in their ability to thrive at camp.

Overall, it’s important to be supportive and understanding of your child’s feelings about sleeping away at camp. By preparing them for the experience, and fostering a positive attitude, you can help alleviate anxiety and ensure a positive and rewarding experience for your child.

What Is The Best Age To Go To Overnight Camp?

February 22nd, 2023

The best age to go to overnight camp depends on the individual child and their maturity level, interests, and comfort level with being away from home. However, many overnight camps typically accept children between the ages of 7 and 15. Here are some things to consider when determining the best age for your child to attend overnight camp:

Readiness for being away from home: Children who have previously attended sleepovers or been away from home for short periods of time may be more comfortable with the idea of overnight camp than those who have not. It’s important to consider your child’s comfort level with being away from home for an extended period of time and their ability to cope with homesickness.

Ability to follow rules and routines: Overnight camps have rules and routines that campers are expected to follow, such as set meal times and bedtimes, and regulations around personal conduct and behavior. Children who are able to follow rules and routines and understand the importance of respecting others may be better suited for overnight camp.

Interest in the camp’s activities: Overnight camps offer a wide variety of activities, from sports and outdoor adventure to arts and crafts and performing arts. It’s important to consider your child’s interests and whether the camp’s activities align with those interests. Children who are enthusiastic about the camp’s activities may be more likely to enjoy their time at camp and build strong relationships with their peers.

Maturity level: Some children may be more mature than others at a certain age, and it’s important to consider your child’s emotional maturity and ability to handle social situations, conflicts, and responsibility. A child who is mature for their age may be better suited for overnight camp than a child who is still developing these skills.

Overall, the best age to go to overnight camp varies from child to child, and it’s important to consider each child’s individual needs and interests when making the decision. It can be helpful to involve your child in the decision-making process and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings about attending overnight camp.

Ready??! Request information about overnight camp here.

First-Time Parent of a Sleepaway Summer Camper? Here’s What You Should Know.

January 12th, 2023

Sending your child to sleepaway summer camp for the first time can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially for first-time parents. Here are some things you should know to help ease your worries and ensure a positive experience for both you and your child:

Do your research: Before choosing a sleepaway camp, do your research and make sure it aligns with your child’s interests and needs. Look into the camp’s policies and procedures, safety measures, staff qualifications, and communication protocols.

Involve your child in the decision-making process: Involve your child in the decision to attend sleepaway camp without letting them be the decision maker. Discuss the camp’s activities, expectations, and rules together. This can help your child feel more comfortable and excited about the experience while the parents are ultimately making the decision based on the things they find most important.

Prepare your child for the experience: Talk to your child about what to expect at sleepaway camp, including the daily routine, accommodations, and activities. You can also practice separation by arranging sleepovers with family or friends beforehand.

Establish communication: Discuss the communication plan with your child beforehand, including how often you will communicate and through what channels. It’s important to balance staying connected with allowing your child to fully immerse in the camp experience.

Manage homesickness: It’s common for children to experience homesickness, especially during the first few days at camp. Remind your child that it’s normal to feel this way and encourage them to talk to their counselor or a trusted staff member if they need support.

Trust the staff: The camp staff is trained to handle a variety of situations and ensure the safety and well-being of campers. Trust that they will take care of your child and address any concerns or issues that arise.

Overall, sending your child to sleepaway summer camp can be a wonderful experience that can help them build independence, make new friends, and try new activities. By preparing yourself and your child for the experience and establishing open communication with the camp staff, you can help ensure a positive and rewarding experience for all involved.

We Have Arrived!

July 12th, 2019

After traveling in buses, planes, trains and automobiles, we are all here together getting comfortable in our cabins and learning to embrace camp life. Or as the kids say “ Living our best life!” 😎🌟💪🏻

Our first week has flown by and campers are not thinking so much now about their parents and pets they left behind, but rather have begun charting a new course making new friends, and trying new things here at camp…even for our many returning campers; this summer will be unique.

For some, leaving home is a bigger step than others. It takes time to make a friend. But we see connections happening all over camp. One of the great joys of camping is asking kids to take a leap and finding out they are flyers. Independence is a flight path with an upward trajectory, and this week we are onward and upwards to a great summer ahead.

After a hot and hazy opening week with lots of Double-Swim and melting ice cream, this week has been filled with perfect temperatures, clear blue skies and bright sunshine. 90% of our campers have now passed their laps at the waterfront and begun sailing, kayaking, paddle boarding and water skiing. Our waterfront staff is working hard with the campers who have yet to pass this deep water safety test. We have the luxury of time here at Birchmont; time to rise to a challenge and prevail. Campers who have chosen fishing or waterskiing club have had the extra privilege of seeing the sun dip behind the mountains as taps plays to end each evening.

Our waterski show was a huge hit as the whole camp gathered on our beach to watch some spectacular skiing which hopefully will inspire our campers to try to get up on skiis themselves. When you have been around kids long enough you come to realize it’s true that the young mind is not a vessel that needs filling but wood that needs igniting. We hope to provide the spark, the magic, the guidance, and the fun this summer.

We have begun our Inter Camp Competition schedule with teams in swimming, soccer, basketball, and baseball. Our youngest girls and boys have met their Big Sisters and Brothers so they can greet each other throughout the camp day.

Our trip program began this week with Aquaboggan, Ogunquit Beach and Perkins Cove, Tubing down the Saco River, and our Pioneer and Explorer groups are having their overnights in the Orchard. We hope they see a moonrise and a thousand stars. It’s the best place on camp to take in a lake view and vast night sky.

On Saturday, we look forward to Spirit Day, a full day of fun and games with a rival camp with whom we have been enjoying spirited competition for many years. The silver spirit day trophy still rests on our Dining Hall shelf but it is ours to win or lose on Saturday. We are ready.

We hope you are enjoying our photos and first weekly video which should serve to give you a glimpse of what we are doing in this special place called Birchmont.

Still So Much To See And Do

July 29th, 2016

frisbee-dog-hiphop2

We are now officially into our second half of the summer, and all of us are here after arriving by cars, buses and planes. We hosted our 65th Parent Visiting Day on Saturday, and greeted our new campers on Sunday, and we are in full swing with camp activities and trips.

We enjoyed some great post Visiting Day entertainment this weekend with blow up rides, frisbee catching dogs and an outrageously great hip hop dance artist who involved our campers and counselors whose enthusiasm carried the night.

softball-girls2

Our girls Birchmont Braves softball team placed as finalists in the Tri-State softball tournament taking second place in a full day tournament off grounds with 5 other camps, bringing back lots of pride and a beautiful trophy we held high in our Dining Hall. Congrats to Paige Lind, Erin Ahern and Sophie Cowen for their dominating pitching skills.

Our weekly trips are still underway with our Super Senior group , climbing Mt Chocorua this morning. This legendary peak in the White Mountain range will give the climbers a view of three states from the summit. Our campers know the legend of Chief Chocoura as it is one of the most well told tragic tales in regard to Native American history in New Hampshire. Then it’s on to enjoy a dinner together to celebrate the climbers’ accomplishment at the popular restaurant, Poor People’s Pub.

The Senior boys and girls are enjoying a day at the beach. The Ogunquit beach in Maine just an hour away, offers some of the most beautiful coastline in New England, the swimming beach is vast and gorgeous, with the artist colony of Perkins Cove nearby waiting to be explored, many of our campers will be enjoying a classic “lobsta” dinner in the cove under a setting sun.
Our Pioneers and Explorers will be heading out to play on the water rides at Aquaboggan and Splashtown, followed by next weeks trips to the Polar Caves, and Lost River, both amazing natural sites in the area.

kayaking-lower-explorer-boys

Greg and I went kayaking yesterday afternoon with the Lower Explorer Boys. We were a colorful flotilla of 12 boats, some more experienced than others. We took off from our lake on a stunning day of sunshine and still waters. Everyone paddled down to the tributary about 1/4 mile away, portaging over a spit of sand leading us into the brook where we kayaked a few miles, through yellow flowered lily pads, to a beaver damn, seeing some painted turtles along the way.

I don’t bring my cell phone while kayaking, we have our radios, but I wish I had the phone as a camera. We saw a majestic eagle in the tree tops above us when we finished our paddle and went for a swim on the beach nearby. The eagle then soared over our heads, and we were all in awe, just for a moment , before splashing around and boarding our boats back to camp.

boys-water-fight

Pioneer girls enjoyed a campfire and some raspberry picking this week. And we know they had fun because we could hear their squealing to a campy combo of jokes and storytelling around the fire. The Pioneer boys and Super Senior boys bonded over water games on the field in front of their cabins with Head of boys camp Scott Shallcross and Group Leaders, Harris and Gary overseeing the fun.

We have so many camp highlights coming up… Bagel Sunday, Dance Socials, Aladin, the camp musical production, Booth Carnival, Color War, Song Fest, Banquet , and other surprises. We have many days of fun on the fields with our friends, and time in the lake to swim, sail, ski and relax. I could write more, but then I would be missing more of this wonderful camp day. Hope you are all enjoying your summer days too. We will try to keep you posted…

Words From Our Woods

July 26th, 2016

Lake Sunset

“When I see birches bend to the left and right…
I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.”
– Robert Frost

“We have not merely escaped from something, but also into something…We have joined the greatest of all communities, which is not that of man alone, but of everything which shares with us the great adventure of being alive.”
– Joseph Wood Krutch

Lake and Field

“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountain.”
– John Muir

“Children learning about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives.”
– Thomas Berry

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
– John Muir

words-from-our-woods
These quotes are just a few of the many powerful and poignant statements made about our natural world, and really fall under the “I couldn’t have said it better myself” category.

When you see the impact, both subtle and profound that is made upon a child who is discovering the woods, and mountains around them, it is impossible not to take notice.

That our campers enjoy a lot of time outdoors is no surprise, but the amount of time we spend plunging into lakes, running in the rain, watching wind in trees, seeing the light of day fade away, tramping up trails, sailing in sunlight, feeling firelight, as part of our daily experience might surprise you; we sometimes surprises ourselves, and that’s a good thing.

Because we are aware, that we have something very precious here; it’s the luxury of time in the beauty of nature. Unlike computers and television … Nature does not steal time, it amplifies it. The camp community is about taking time to make friends, time to experience all the nature that surrounds us everyday and every night. Sure we are busy till the setting sun, but what sunsets they are, and what peace comes with knowing we will wake up with our friends the next day and be able to play with them in this beautiful place where the air always smells of fresh pine, and we notice things like moss on trees and flowers falling over fences, and dragonflies and frogs and robins having babies up in the rafters of Notches… For this we are grateful!

Week Four And There’s So Much More…

July 25th, 2016

Week 3; Hitting Our Stride

July 18th, 2016