Re-Imagining Summer
About two years ago, Meme and Amelia had the realization that they wanted to shake up summer camp. Yes, we know. It’s shocking, scandalous even. How could we redesign a 25 plus year tradition at the History Center? The routine of same but different and the frankly overwhelming nature of filling 7 hours a day for 5 days made us realize we were ready for a change, and if we were ready, the campers had to be too, right?
Remembering the fun of a 2021 Fall Break camp where we threw out the schedule and followed our imaginations inspired us to shift our way of thinking. We came up with a few basic principles that guide our planning: “Do” more than listen; Schedule the unscheduled; Busy does not prevent boredom; and sometimes, outside voices belong inside too. Above all, we began to prioritize experiences and activities that only the History Center could provide versus replicating school activities or filling the schedule with crafts and activities that may or may not meet the camper’s needs or interests.
From there, we restructured our camp day. Looking at this year’s Camp Dawson schedule, you’d see time designated for handling and investigating Indigenous artifacts alongside free play in the backyard; shelling peas on the porch of the Smith Homestead paired with a visit from Fun Sized Farms, a new petting zoo farm in Boston; construction of wooden toolboxes and flower arranging with Mrs. Leiann; a day-long visit to Gentian Creek Preserve with time allocated for watching birds through the big window of the observation room, and much, much more. We spent less on “stuff” and more on skills, experiences, and memory making.
In the unscheduled, we’ve found time to embrace some small joys and big learning opportunities for the campers and for us. From daily tracking of tadpole growth in the Ethel Flowers Neel fountain on the History Center’s grounds, to a daily property walk to see what’s blooming and learning more about pollinators, the campers are more engaged with our property. When they return on field trips with school through the year, they’re excited to share their knowledge with their teachers and classmates and become mini-ambassadors to the History Center for their families.
This year, we had 26 campers, an increase of 73% over last year. This growth tested our new model in terms of balancing the needs of more campers, but with the help of our amazing teen volunteers and adult volunteers, we pulled it off! So, if you visited the History Center in the first week of June and heard the cacophony of 26 young voices playing and laughing in the backyard, we hope you’ll excuse us: fun, and memories were in progress.
Published in The Hourglass, Summer 2023
