I am super excited that today for Blogtember's Guest Post prompt my Solidarity Sister, Ashley, is sharing a few of her thoughts about summer camp! The first guest post for 'Blogging Around the Campfire', which some of you might remember me writing about earlier in the spring. If you have your own camp thoughts and experiences and would like to share let me know!
I’m Ashley and I blog over at Keeping Up With Ashley and Cody. I’m so excited to be here on Donna’s space sharing my opinion. I know Donna spent the summer at a camp with a whole bunch of kiddos. Well I did too!
I enjoy running our local youth club’s summer program. I spent endless hours for three months planning and replanning the activities and crafts. I worked hard to get special guests and did tons of shopping sprees. Preparing and running a club is exhausting, but worth every minute. The kids are the focus and priority everyday at the youth club because a summer camp offers many experiences kids don’t get.
Summer camps open up a whole new look on community and friendships. Our camp is a day to day camp meaning that we run 11 hours and then all the kids go home. The plus side of this is that they don’t all get bored and exhausted on each other. We do run into the sibling bickering, even though most of the kids are not siblings. When you are together for 11 hours a day, 5 days a week, and for three months the buttons get pushed. However, this teaches the kids the reality of community and friendships. They learn how to express their opinion nicely, how to remove themselves from conflict, and socialization skills. Our kids also learn how to work as a team, because we strive on community and being one whole body.
Summer camps allow kids to explore arts and crafts. Most of our children either come from parents who work hard but don’t have funds, or just work countless hours. Both of these situations doesn’t always allow the kids to go explore different arts and crafts like pottery and painting. Our camp allows them try different activities because of the guest teachers and our planned activities.
Summer camps provides the kids with structure and a safe place. We run on routines and a planned our calendar. Some kids don’t get the joy of having an organized life or a sense of feeling safe. Our camp provides the kids with teachers and staff members that bring in a welcoming atmosphere. We want the the kids to feel loved and important. We set expectations high, but reachable for each child to grow and prosper into a wonderful adult.
Summer camps are full of fun activities, community, and provide structure. Did you attend a summer camp with your kids this summer? If you have been to a camp, why did you enjoy it so much?
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