Making Modern Childhood, the Natural Way: Psychology, Mental Hygiene, and Progressive Education at Ontario Summer Camps, 1920-1955

Abstract

In the first half of the twentieth century, summer camps in Ontario were promoted as a much-needed escape from city living and the pathway to a world of natural, pre-modern simplicity. This paper demonstrates that, by the late 1920s, camp administrators and promoters were, in fact, pulled in two directions; they treasured the idea of antimodern escape, but, they also sought to make the camp programming “truly modern” by integrating the latest psychological and educational wisdom. At all sorts of camps, the language and aims of educational psychology and the mental hygiene movement influenced the nature of camp goals, camp programming, and thinking about campers themselves. Camp was regarded as providing the ideal environment for fostering psychological health and for applying the principles of progressive education. This paper explores administrators’ view of the value of psychological and educational expertise, the extent to which they were able to apply these at camp, and, to a lesser extent, children’s reactions to the modern, psychologized camp.

Stigma, stereotypes, and status: How North American outdoor educators understand and experience masculinity

“…Another factor influencing outdoor programs and the outdoor adventure education culture is class. Wall (2008) notes how private, longer-stay summer camps were designed for middleand upper-class patrons to encourage leadership, character, and networking opportunities. In contrast, day camps, outdoor centres, and a few wilderness-based programs such as D.A.R.E.…”

“…In contrast, day camps, outdoor centres, and a few wilderness-based programs such as D.A.R.E. (Development through Adventure, Recreation, and Education) were created to discourage delinquency and promote the moral rehabilitation of working-class children (Nicol, 2002a;Wall, 2008). One can still detect this classed legacy in many outdoor program objectives and a concomitant inattention to privilege (Warren, 2002).…”

“…The scorn for the hypermasculine may also be classed since physical aggression has been associated with the working class (Kemper, 1990;Wall, 2008;Willis, 1981). It is easily marked and pathologized whereas upper-and middle-class masculinity is less easily identifiable (Lindisfarnē & Neale, 2016).…”