Camper-Led Options | Summer Reflections with Maddy
I was scrolling through the answers to our post-camp survey the other day and I stumbled across a pretty exciting statistic: about half of the folks who took the survey either led or participated in a camper-led option this summer. How cool is that?!
At Stomping Ground we give campers an abundance of choice throughout their day, we trust them to spend their time in a way that feels fruitful and fun for them. All of the other childcare spaces I have worked in never created opportunities for kids to be the ones leading the activities, it was always adults deciding what they thought would be entertaining for kids.
Making space for campers to not only choose their activities but create them from scratch takes the concept of choice even further; it allows them to fully imagine and construct precisely how they want to spend their time, and then share their creations with the rest of camp.
One of my favorite memories from my first summer was supporting a camper who led an option called “DIY Fidget Toys.” She was one of our youngest campers that session, and after we had bonded over our love for Pop Its and Wacky Tracks, she shared with me that she knew how to create them out of materials from the Makerspace. So, we set up on the stage and she started teaching kids of all ages how to use paperclips, paper, and tape to make their very own homemade fidget toys, it was SO FUN! I remember feeling incredibly grateful to get to be a part of a community that intentionally creates space for kids to share all of their wacky ideas and hidden talents, a place where kids get to be the experts and the architects of their experiences.
Playing is vital to understanding ourselves and the world around us.
In our society we often think of play as something unproductive, it’s just for fun and has little value for learning how to live in the “real world.” But play is one of the most natural and important parts of our lives; it teaches us how to relate to others, helps us find what we’re passionate about, makes us creative problem solvers, and most importantly it teaches us to center joy. When was the last time you did something just because it was fun and for no other reason? If you spend any amount of time with young children and observe how they spend their time when given complete freedom, they will often focus on whatever brings them the most happiness at that moment. Kids are experts on play and camper-led options feel like an opportunity for us as staff to learn from the experts about just how fruitful and important play really is.
This past summer we had had campers of all ages courageous enough to lead an activity, they would come up to me at all times of the day bursting with excitement and I would scribble down their plans on whatever paper was closest to me, and later that week they would stand on the picnic table and tell the rest of camp about their magical idea.
Some of my favorite camper-led options from this summer included “The 2022 Annual Inaugural Stomping Ground Unicorn Press Conference” where they all came dressed as business casual unicorns and held a press conference regarding all things silly and outrageous. “Worldbuilding” helped campers learn how to create imaginary worlds and share them through writing, drawing, or storytelling. “Nature Parkour” had campers jumping and swinging through the woods. We had a “Drama Catastrophe” where campers had to go on an adventure around camp and perform different improv scenes to get the clue to the next location. Lastly, “Toe Painting” has become a classic and fan favorite at camp, just imagine finger painting but with your feet and a giant cardboard canvas. I also can’t forget to mention all of the incredibly fun and original options that our CITs came up with and ran this summer; I was blown away by their creativity.
Click the + below to see what campers led this summer!
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• Flower Crowns
• Help Brandon Find His Precious Baby Boy
• Anomaly Invention
• 2022 Annual Inaugural Stomping Ground Unicorn Press Conference
• Soccer
• Waterfront Gaga
• Prank My Mom
• DnD
• Gymnastics
• Earring Making
• Toe Painting
• Gaga Tournament
• Taylor Swift Fan Club
• Silks
• Drama Catastrophe
• Isaac Needs To Stretch
• Mushroom Adventure
• Card Games
• Creative Writing
• Movie Makeover
• Worldbuilding (Part 1)
• Worldbuilding (Part 2)
• Nature Parkour
• Science Lab
• Taylor Swift Fan Club
• Welcome To The Glove Factory
• Sponge Dodgeball
• Felting
• Bracelet Making
We all come to camp with some sort of buried treasure. During every closing ceremony, Laura shares a poem that asks us, “Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?” Creating a space where kids feel empowered and supported to lead options helps us celebrate our collective knowledge, promotes the power of play, and allows kids to find and share some of their own buried treasure.
Maddy is a director at Camp Stomping Ground. They love helping kids be creative, being outdoors, and embracing chaos. This year they are helping with registration, staffing, and connecting with camper families.
