A Mother’s Musing : Oh, the fun of summer camp and outdoor cooking
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/rhtn/Editorial/3939/
It’s actually a little late in the year to start thinking about summer camp, but I’ve never been known to do things on time. Luckily, my children are beyond the age when I arrange for their summer camp.
I remember years ago when I wanted my oldest daughter to go to summer camp for the first time, but I knew she needed to go with a friend. I called her friend’s parents and convinced them to sign their daughter up. I really meant to get my daughter signed up for the same session. It was so embarrassing when I had to call them back and admit that I had missed the deadline. Their daughter had to go to summer camp for the first time all alone.
This year even our youngest will probably spend the summer working at a “ real” job in between practicing with the cross country team and Ballet Westside. No more summer camp for her. But when I talked to director Jenny Harmon about the Ozark Natural Science Center Summer Camp Program, I was sorry that my children aren’t going.
The camps at the ONSC seem to be the perfect combination of education and fun. I suspect the campers will leave knowing more about Ozark ecology than most adults who have lived decades in the area, but I also suspect that they won’t mind learning it. Summer camp is always like that.
I learned to sail at a Girl Scout camp in Rhode Island. I also learned a lot about water safety, fire building and outdoor cooking. Two decades later, I sent my daughters to Girl Scout camp for some of the same lessons.
Actually the camps they attended didn’t have a learn-tosail program, but they did learn about fire building and outdoor cooking. They learned firsthand about mosquitoes and other outdoor pests. No Girl Scout has ever attended a sleep away camp without learning about water safety. As a bonus there are lessons in independence and conquering homesickness.
I remember the homesickness lesson from my own experience. We used to go to camp for two weeks, which was a long time for 9 or 10 year olds. I remember awakening one night to find a tent-mate sobbing quietly as she made her way to the fire circle where the college-aged counselors were still sitting. Soon they were joined by the rest of the tent and then the girls from the other tents. Homesickness had spread through the entire “ unit” of girls.
I don’t remember what the counselors told us, but I don’t think it really mattered. They seemed to realize that all they had to do was be there and let us get over it and then send us all back to bed. After a full day of outdoor activities, we were all so tired, it wasn’t hard to fall back to sleep.
I remember an outdoor cooking lesson well, too. It was raining out and we were trying to get small fires built under the oversized tin cans we had turned into our individual stoves. We had hamburger patties to cook on the top of the can but first we had to get a fire going under it. I guess the reason I remember that lesson so well was that it ended with a damp mustard sandwich before sleeping in a damp tent.
Every child should have the opportunity to cook their own meal in the rain and it really didn’t hurt any of us to go to bed hungry that one time. It made an impression on me that lasted decades.
Summer camp gives kids a safe way to experience lots of new things, including insects and rodents and warm summer nights outside. Where else can you find today’s sophisticated children enjoying corny old songs by a campfire just like their parents did ? Where else will kids learn how much better food tastes after you carry it through the woods in your backpack and cook it on an old tin can ? Those are lessons everyone of us can use. Forget the kids, I’m sorry I’m too old for summer camp.
Reporter Lynn Atkins can be contacted by e-mail at lynna @ nwanews. com.