The LBI camp where we are working has eight weekly sessions per summer. Parents or grandparents sign up their kids for one or more weeks depending on how long they are present on the island. I think it’s pretty evenly split between families who opt for a single week and those who send their kids here for more.
Tomorrow is the end of our first week. Yes, I’ll be glad for a weekend break, but I will also miss this group of wonderful children. Some are returning next week, but half of them will be going home or going somewhere else.
Friday is also the day when every group is expected to do a short show or demonstration for the parents. It’s our least favorite part of the week because our philosophy is to make camp (unlike school) non-performative. We are all about having fun and making friends with a dollop of learning. For us, putting on a show feels like we have to shift into performance mode.
Our compromise is to engage the families as if they were campers, too. If we sing, dance or play instruments with their kids, we encourage the family members to shake a shaker along with us. As you may imagine, this is greeted with a mixture of mild enthusiasm or outright fear by the adults. But that’s okay. We are here to create community, not make anyone feel uncomfortable. If they don’t want to join in the fun, that’s fine, but we invite them to act like a kid, again!
I think tomorrow’s demonstration will include the kids’ favorite song (The Carrot Seed), a percussion jam and a Native American dance that honors the beauty of our surroundings and our inner selves. In all cases, we will encourage participation and hope it works. If not, we will still hug the kids, thank the parents and know we had a blast AND made some new pint-sized friends.
P.S. My favorite moment today was watching and listening as the kids came to understand dynamics and listening to one another during our percussion circle. And when one of our kids, Jack, complained about the loud volume, we created something calm and peaceful that showcased an understanding of “the power of less.” Jack was pleased and so was I.