Two evenings spent at "Rec Fairs" talking up the summer camp for which I somehow ended up being on the board of directors. It's a crazy place out there in the world of recreation! Do you want to send your kid to residential camp or day camp, soccer camp, computer camp, science camp, arts camp, Lego camp, invention camp, horseback riding camp, circus camp, "Y" camp ...?
Oh yeah, and my favorite: respite camp. (I want someone to send me to Respite Camp. I can see it now -- nightly bubble baths, someone else does the cooking, time to read and do art, go to the latrine with no interruptions ...)
These 2 evenings were local, sponsored by our rec department, and had a nice, friendly, homegrown feeling. A few weeks ago I went to a camp fair in a suburb of Chicago, and felt like a fish out of water. We were in an enormous tent-like structure with every kind of camp imaginable (even camps for overweight kids -- I can't believe those still exist -- and kids with ADHD) and many, many rich people "shopping". Our camp is a very small camp that emphasizes Quaker-inspired values of simplicity, harmony, service and earth stewardship ... but somehow in that room with the big glitzy displays of tree-rimmed Northwoods lakes, air-conditioned cabins and brand new Olympic-sized swimming pools, our rustic, open-fronted cabins looked run-down and our tiny pond looked like a muddy haven for snapping turtles and leeches. Passersby would turn up their noses and say things like, "My daughter wants sailing lessons."
They certainly didn't want to know about low camper:counselor ratio, building fairy houses in the woods, feeding the goats, or digging your own clay from the stream bed!
No, these two days were much better. People seemed genuinely interested in what we have to offer and I hope we got some campers out of it (because we're about to ink the deal to buy the property!!!)
Currently Reading ...
Dexter, an unofficial sponsor of Occupy Wall Street says,
"Tax the rich!"
Scientists say that Luminiferous Ether isn't real, but we know better!
Don't tell anyone I told you ...
- Suzy
- Proud to be a public school teacher for 26 years, I see teaching as a radical act. Practitioner of Neo-schoolmarmism. School Library Media Specialist. I am a convinced Quaker, born again agnostic, mother of 3 daughters, passionate about issues of peace and social justice. My mom was a "red diaper baby", my dad was a conscientious objector during WW2, and I grew up in the thick of anti-war protests in Madison, Wisconsin in the sixties. Not a Republican bone in my body and not many Democratic ones either.
Peculiar, and (Quietly) Proud Of It!
Molly, loved and missed.
The Stack Next To My Bed
Let's see, that means I'm 32% evil! Bwahahaha.
Wall of Shame ...
8 comments:
Hi Luminiferous,
Anxiety-driven insomnia led me to the keyboard and to your spanking-new post.
Exceptionally well written description of the camp fair. Funny, clever, it reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. somehow. Po-tweet.
Your camp in Richland Center sounds just great. Simpler is better. You know I went to so much trouble to provide a meaningful learning experience during the February history camp. One mom called the other day to say that her daughter's favorite part of the whole week was helping me take the trash out to the back alley every day.
Oh my god, you're a trustee? What would Pete Seeger say?
I bet it's going to be a great camp no matter what. I loved camps that got a great balance between activity and down time. A lot of them are so activity-driven I just couldn't keep up. I also HATED mandatory swimming lessons. I didn't like that things were divided up between boys and girls "stuff", like learning to make a campfire was boys stuff and cooking and entertainment girls. That makes me feel very old, I bet they don't do that any more.
I hope that helps.
Can you imagine -- Chores Camp, offering such unique activities as "taking the garbage to the back alley", "doing laundry", "cleaning the litterboxes" ... ? Kids would love it, for about a week.
Suzie, one thing I love about this camp is the slow pace. There is NOT a frenetic dash from one activity to the next. You don't have to finish your laced together fake leather wallet in time to go to swimming lessons, before the evening's campfire and marshmallow roast!
Under the previous ownership, kids DID have to eat every raisin in their oatmeal, and I know of a couple of kids who did not return for another year because of that.
Kids need some choices and they need time to make good choices.
You guys can both pretend to be 12 and sign up ...
Hey, I LIKE laced together fake wallets! But I did mine at home for $2.95 so didn't have to spend $1000 to go to camp and do it.
On a more serious note, did you see any camps for kids who want to study eyeball diseases? General pathology? Zombies? My son could be interested.
Zombie Camp -- there's something a little Ankh Morporkian about that!
ooookk!!!
Ook, ook. (Don't call him a monkey!)
Your camp sounds like heaven. I have a 4 yr old grandaughter who's "leisure" time is so scripted by her mother and other grandmother that the poor child hardly ever gets a time to just be herself. My son has her every Sat. during the day and they do things like walk at the reservoir and feed ducks, plant some seeds in his garden or just read to each other. She loves the simple things like are taught at your camp. I wish it were closer.
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