How it all began.
Ernst and Ilse Bulova, European educators who had studied under Maria Montessori, founded Buck's Rock in 1942. Dr. and Mrs. Bulova left Nazi Germany for England, and from there, came to the United States. Here they chose a camp setting to apply their convictions about how young people learn. Their approach, at a time when summer camps were highly regimented institutions, was daring.
In its early years, Buck's Rock emphasized farming, crafts, music, and drama. Gradually, fine arts and additional crafts were introduced, with studios and workshops built to house them. The performing arts--music, drama, dance, clowning, and improvisation--flourished, as did programs in science and technology, sports, and creative and journalistic writing for the camp's many publications.
From the beginning, Buck's Rock has recognized both creativity and work as educational values and as a way of life. Young people here discover that one cannot create by being inactive. One creates and is productive by doing: by painting a picture, writing a poem, performing on stage or in an orchestra, or by playing softball. With dedication and enthusiasm, campers plunge into designing and creating skillfully crafted works of art that show no sign of their former lack of expertise.
