Early into the second session last summer I was giving a tour to a local school administrator when we happened upon a lemonade stand outside one of the cabins in Skunk Junction. The 10 year olds running the stand were offering “fresh” lemonade in exchange for snacks. They were feverishly making signs to hang around camp and genuinely excited to have potential customers walking by. Fortunately, my position afforded me a complimentary cup because I had come empty handed and void of a tasty treat to share.

I often get asked how Freedom of Choice really works. Even after a century of proven success, the principle seems so foreign. And not just in camps, but across childhood in general. The idea that kids can be trusted, the notion that they can be safe and make good decisions appears so far out of the realm of acceptability that people are stunned to hear that not only do our campers choose what activities they do, when they do them, and for how long, they can also choose not to do them all together.

So yeah, on a summer morning these campers chose to open a lemonade stand. In 2025, it was the forming of a softball league. For an entire afternoon campers went around promoting their new league and all the fun it was going to be and that the first practice was not to be missed.

In both cases, by the next day the campers had moved on to other things, primarily a return to activities, yet they had created shared memories with friends and a moment to look back at. They did it in an environment that was safe and they took the opportunity to be creative and spontaneous. 

In other words, they got to be kids. It sounds simple, and yet we’re living in a world where that is becoming harder and harder to do. I’m proud to be at a place where childhood is valued, celebrated, and provided for.  Young people deserve the opportunity for free play and spontaneity. Who knows what that will inspire in 2027, but I can’t wait to find out.

Brooks Johnson