Read it Together with Author Vanessa Brantley-Newton: A Free Born to Read Program

Last summer, I was introduced to the wonders of modern-day sleep-away camp when my daughter spent a week at one for the first time. And let me tell you – these kids have it good. Real good. I went to sleep-away camp too, when I was a kid, and let's just say things have changed. Here are just a few of the differences between then and now.

Play comes naturally to kids. They use it as a way to express their feelings and learn new things. But in the age of electronics we live in, video games and screens can take over a child’s free time. Screen-free, or traditional play, offers benefits kids just don't get from playing on an iPad or on the latest game console.

The key to successfully going from one, to two, to three kids is really just learning how to determine whose immediate need is more life-threatening. Plus, you stop judging parents who put their kids on leashes.

A crayon or colored pencil isn’t just a tool for a child to draw. It’s the ignition switch to their imagination—where with every scribble and line they can picture themselves as anyone they want to be, in any world they can dream up. This summer, kids can turn that love of art into a real-life adventure to remember at Crayola® World of Design and Artist’s Passport Camps from Imagine Arts Academy of St. Louis.

I love the outdoors and could easily spend my days gleefully hiking through the countless breathtaking parks we're lucky to have in the St. Louis area. My kids? Not so much – yet.