Fall is always a bittersweet time of year for me. It’s sweet because our busy summer has wrapped up and I finally get a chance to catch my breath, and it’s bitter because everything suddenly screeches to a halt. I taught elementary school for fourteen years, and it still feels a little strange that everyone heads back to school in the fall except me.
I’m so grateful to be a co-owner of Club SciKidz MD, and I haven’t regretted leaving the classroom for a second. Still, this time of year always gets me thinking about my teaching days and “what I left behind.” It never takes long, though, before my mind wanders back to the summer we just finished, everything camp has given me over the years, and everything that’s still to come.
The simple truth is that I love these camps, and that’s why I do what I do (and why everyone on our team does what they do). My “Top 5” felt too good not to share, so here they are. I’ll admit I have a favorite, and I don’t think it will take you long to figure out why.
- They Keep Coming Back
One of the best parts of this job is watching campers return summer after summer. They grow, they change, and in some wonderful ways they stay exactly the same, and I feel lucky to have a small part in that. Lately, our alumni have started coming back in a whole new way. Over the past few summers, we’ve hired counselors who were in our preschool camp when I first started! I was walking them into camp when they were five, and now I’m interviewing them to come back as staff. Almost every one of them tells me the same thing: they had such a great experience as a camper that they want to create that same experience for other campers. I’m not sure there’s a better compliment than that.
- They Don’t Even Know They’re Learning
Ten months of school can sometimes give learning a bad rap, but something magical happens when kids get the chance to explore, discover, and try new things at camp. Their eyes light up when they see the robot they get to build and code, and they “ooh” and “ahh” when a chemical reaction surprises them. They’re tossing around vocabulary that’s usually saved for high school and college, and they’re figuring out how real experimenting works by doing it with their own hands. They’re learning so much, and most of the time they don’t even realize it because they’re too busy having fun. After fourteen years in the classroom, that is music to my ears!
- A New Adventure Every Week
On any given day at camp, I might go from watching campers launch rockets, to excavating a dinosaur, to designing their own video game, to learning all about the digestive system. There truly is something for every kiddo, whether they’re diving deeper into something they already love, trying something they think they might like, or discovering something completely new. The best part is that there’s no long-term commitment. We’ve all seen the clarinet that seemed like a great idea in September end up in the back of the closet by June, after a whole lot of tears along the way. At Club SciKidz, it’s one week and twenty hands-on activities, and the next week the fun starts all over again with a brand-new theme!
- “Ms. Andrea, It’s a Polymer!”
We underestimate kids way too often. They can do more than we think and understand more than we realize, and camp gives them the chance to prove it. Spend a few minutes in our carpool line at the end of the day, and you’ll hear some version of the same reaction over and over: “You did that all by yourself?!” “You made that?!” “How do you know that?!”
My favorite example happened during my second or third summer. I walked into our preschool room while the campers were experimenting with colored jelly crystals to see how the colors would mix. They couldn’t wait to show me the “rainbows” in their tubes and tell me all about the colors they were making. I asked one little girl what was in her tube, and without even looking up from her mixing, she said, “Ms. Andrea, it’s a polymer!” She was four years old. I still smile every time I think about it, and it’s exactly why this one is my favorite.
- The Best of Both Worlds
The school year is long, and kids truly need a break from the demands of school. But my years in the classroom also taught me what can happen when summer turns into weeks of unstructured time and screens. Every teacher has seen the “summer slide” in September, and every parent knows how quickly “I’m bored” can set in once summer starts. Camp is where those two needs meet. Every week is built around a carefully designed curriculum, and our directors and counselors are the ones who bring it to life. Our directors keep each camp running smoothly, and our counselors bring the energy, encouragement, and silliness that turn a science activity into the highlight of each camper’s day. Kids get to build, experiment, laugh with new friends, and come home tired in the best possible way, with their brains still switched on. To me, that’s what summer should be: a real break that still sends kids back in the fall a little more curious than when they left.
Looking back on another summer, I’m reminded how lucky I am to get to do this, and how lucky I am to do it alongside an incredible team of directors and counselors who pour their hearts into camp every single day. If you’ve joined us at camp before, thank you. We truly couldn’t do what we do without families like yours. If you’re brand new to Club SciKidz, I’d love to tell you more about our STEM day camps and find the perfect camp for your kiddo(s)!