Teen Ranch: Parent Interview with Robyn Johnstone

Watch our Parent interview with Robyn Johnstone to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Teen Ranch.

Transcript of the interview

What's unique about the program at Teen Ranch that made you want to enroll your children there?

I heard lots of great things about Teen Ranch in the community. The camp is mainly outdoors, which was a big draw this year, in particular, with COVID. I'd heard about the facilities, that they do horseback riding, there's a water slide, and a swimming pond. They do kayaking, canoeing, you name it, archery. Anything outside you could possibly dream of as a kid is at Teen Ranch. That made it different from day camps that were indoors with crafts and things like that.

Was this your child's first experience with camp?

It was their first experience with a full-day camp. They had done other camps that were nine to twelve and nine to two at the longest. This camp ran from 8:30 to 5 pm. I did sign them up for some other camps throughout the summer. My only regret was that I did Team Ranch first, because everything else kind of paled in comparison.

Was there any change or noticeable personal growth in your child after his time at camp?

Definitely confidence. They were doing things they've never done before. That alone gives kids a huge boost of confidence. 

There was a waterslide there with a generator, and it goes down a big hill, and it's scary, right? It's a big water slide! So my son, of course, was right in there, but my daughter was so hesitant. She's only five, so she held out. “I don't know if I can do it.” And on the last day, she decided, okay, I'm going to do it. One of the leaders had taken her up to the top and said, “You can do this. We believe in you, you can do this.” She did it and she was so excited. She was completely elated that she had conquered this fear she had throughout the week. It comes from just the support there. 

It's like a nurturing family, really. You see it even with the staff and all the counselors there. They come back year after year. A lot of them know the kids’ names by the second day. This one counselor supported her through it. 

The confidence and the change in her was amazing. My son, too. Socially, they’re meeting friends they’ll have for life. They're bonding. They’re meeting friends that they'll have for life. They're hoping that they'll see some of the same kids when they go back next year. Coming out of COVID, I felt like the kids lost so much in terms of socialization and being able to try new things and get excited. I said to my husband, “Everything the kids lost during COVID they found again.” 

It was the greatest experience for them. I could see that in them telling their other friends and their grandparents. They did indoor rock climbing in a barn that’s converted into a rock wall. My son made it all the way to the top and rang the bell and he was the first one of the group to do it. He just came home so excited to have done that. Confidence would be the number one thing.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of this camp?

Encouraging them to have an open mind, and to try new things and to trust that God looks over Teen Ranch in a special way. 

It is a faith-based camp. It doesn't just accept followers of Christ in the camp. It's for everybody but there is an element of faith as well to it. I just felt like it really encouraged them to try new things and do new things and not be afraid and trust that they're in the right place. You can feel it when you're there on the property: it's just a very special place. 

The other thing is sending multiple changes of clothing. That’s the other way they can prepare. Send boots, send extra clothes. Because they get dirty, even filthy. There's a frog pond and in the mornings when you drop them off, kids wait around the pond catching frogs with nets. And some kids have never been out of the city and have never held or touched a frog. They would come home filthy dirty! 

So send the clothes and encourage them to try new things! Pack the clothes, the extra shoes, all that kind of stuff, because they have filthy fun. They’re running up and down the BMX track there, so they're sandy and filthy. And you can tell they just had the time of their lives!

What does your child say about the camp, either to you or that you may have heard them say to friends or others?

They want to go back! They want to go all summer next year. They love it. 

They went back to school in September, and the teacher said, “What did everybody do over the summer? What was the highlight of your summer?” And they said it was Teen Ranch. Meeting new kids, making new friends, they absolutely loved it! 

One story: There was one boy who was afraid to go horseback riding. So all the other kids supported him and said, “You can do it, you can do it!” They ended up convincing him. “I'm just going to get on the horse, but I'm not going to ride anywhere. I'm just going to get on and take a picture maybe.” And he got on the horse and he waited, and he was nervous. He was going to get off. Then he said okay, I'll do it. Even when his mom had dropped him off, she said, “He's not going to go horse back riding. He's terrified of horses.” But he did it. And at the end of the day, the kids were all high fiving him and jumping all over him. They were so excited! 

They came home and told that story, and I thought: That sense of camaraderie, to be proud of another kid for doing something. They don't get a lot of opportunities to do that in their lives. The kids were the ones that encouraged him to do it, and he did it. 

I just thought, imagine how great that kid felt when he went home and how happy the parents were. When you say, “My kid is not going to ride a horse,” and then you hear they rode a horse, you're like, what happened? There's opportunities for them to grow outside of mom and dad and our home and their teachers and things that they're used to. They can grow together as a little tribe—a filthy tribe catching frogs.

There’s a faith aspect to that story, too, to be able to support each other at that age. My kids are five and seven. There's a lot of “You can't do it. I can do it and you can't” sort of thing. But they were so proud of how they encouraged this little guy. They still talk about it and how he rode the horse.

Final thoughts?

The cost is higher than other camps out there. Some parents will say, “Oh, I don't want to spend that.” It's not a lot higher, but it is higher. They include food. They give the kids two snacks and healthy lunches that the kids loved. They tried new foods they weren't eating at home as well, which was great. But honestly, if you have the means, it was worth every penny. 

I did other camps that were less costly and we just weren't getting the same experience. The old saying, “You get what you pay for” is true. So I wouldn't let that deter you from trying Teen Ranch or from sending your kids there, because, honestly, the only downfall is that you're going to have to send them back every year. 

There were kids that came and were there on a second week as well. They had asked grandparents to help out to pay for it, because it's an experience that they won't get anywhere else. When you incorporate nature and the property and everything about it, you can't put a price tag on that.

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