FAMILY CAMP
Updated July 28, 2026ALMOST FAMILY CAMP SEASON! Even with 2 weeks to go in our summer camp season, I can say to you with confidence that one of the best things we do at camp is still to come…IN SEPTEMBER. Picture the fun of camp activities, meals in the dining hall, skits and s’mores at the…
LET IT BE CAMP! LET IT BE US!
Updated June 6, 2026Thursday night we finished our “O week” (Staff Orientation week) with our traditional responsive reading by Michael Brandwein. The text includes a declaration of how difficult it is to be a camp counselor, how magical camp is for a child, and why. This brilliant piece, written in 1994, shines relevant still today as it…
AWE
Updated May 7, 2026I know many of you followed the amazing sights and reports from the Artemis ii mission last month. Yesterday I heard the interview with the crew on The Daily where they answered questions from kids. It was such a delight that I found myself smiling in my car, even sitting in traffic on I-75. …
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is:
Updated April 6, 2026“You’re a camp director–so what do you do the rest of the year?” It truly takes the whole year to get this camp going–raising money, planning and executing projects, recruiting and hiring the summer team, and registering all the campers. But when spring hits, it’s GO TIME. So… we’re turning back on the water, finishing…
Camp Director Book Report: The Amazing Generation
Updated March 13, 2026In 2024, psychologist Jonathan Haidt published New York Times #1 Bestseller The Anxious Generation. It sparked book club discussions, TED talks, and a whole new movement advocating for delaying kids’ first smart phones and encouraging freeplay. This book and its conclusions have come up for me while on vacation with college friends, phone calls with camp parents, business meetings with other…
Have you heard our new podcast?
Posted March 4, 2026We are so excited to launch a Camp Ernst podcast this spring! “Amari and Buzz: Talking Camp” features two beloved camp leaders bantering about all their favorite things about Camp Ernst–best cabins, best activities, best camp food, and more. Amari and Buzz are ready to help new camp families get more familiar with the Camp…
FREEZIN’ FOR A REASON
Posted February 16, 2026“Freezin’ for a Reason” –that’s the tagline for this Saturday’s POLAR LEAP event, a fundraiser for camper scholarships hosted by the Camp Ernst Junior Board. I have been mentally preparing for (dreading?) this year’s Polar Leap. My parents love to remind me that I was born during the blizzard of 1977 (when the Ohio River froze…
A confession:
Posted January 22, 2026My favorite TV Show is SURVIVOR. When I admitted that to a colleague recently, he said, “That show’s still on?” Yes, still on, still compelling, lots of old episodes archived for streaming, and season 50 is coming in February! But I didn’t come here to advertise for Jeff Probst. Last week…
Happy New Year!
Updated January 13, 2026We’ve had a great start to the new year! Our property team has a big list ahead of them, and lots of work already done, including: Cabin 1 ready to re-roof Expanded horse pasture Day Camp/Ropes Course area bathroom 50% complete Our registrar (Jeannie) has been processing fee assistance applications and answering lots of camp…
Lost and Found–the blog
Updated January 13, 2026It’s been two weeks since summer 2025 ended. Tihana has been working tirelessly to get through the lost and found and I (Eli) was reminded of this blog entry I wrote eight years ago (feels like yesterday!). Some things have changed: My kids are all grown up so these days, post-summer life means going on…