This week, we look at another popular vacation ritual. It’s time for Summer Camp!
I’m excited to be presenting at the St. Louis Writers Guild’s Virtual Summer Writers Camp for young writers! I’ll be giving workshops on Wednesday, June 20, from 12:00-2:00 pm, and speaking on a panel with my fellow faculty on Friday, 12:00-2:00.
Camp Hantesa (pronounced “Hannashaw”) in Boone, Iowa, was Iowa’s first permanent summer camp, founded in 1935. I don’t recall any peppy donkeys, but there were definitely horses.
As a kid, I absolutely loved summer camp! Whether day camp or sleepaway, it was a chance to explore nature and the outdoors, practice crafts, or hone my archery skills (they need more honing). And mostly it was a chance to let my imagination run wild! I was writing one of my very first novels at sleepaway camp, in my spiral notebook with my four-color clicky pen—and my rare opportunity to spend a week on horseback explains the proliferation of equine adventures in that tale.
America’s oldest summer camp, The Gunnery, opened in Connecticut in 1861.
You know what I’m going to say next. That’s right: summer camps trace their origin to the 19th century. Worried that their children’s lives were “too modern,” middle class families began looking for opportunities for their kids to spend more time outdoors in nature. (And, no doubt, give themselves a break during the summer holidays!)
Summer camps had a humble yet ambitious beginning. In the 1870s, Swiss minister Hermann Bion began sending underprivileged children to stay with farmers in the Swiss countryside for a while, to benefit from the healthful fresh air (think Heidi). The notion quickly caught on around Europe, and similar fresh-air programs were sponsored by churches and charitable institutions.
The rituals of camp life haven’t changed. These 19th century girls are learning the proper method of making their camp beds. (“Bounce those sixpence, girls!”)
These days, camps have a lot to offer beyond wilderness survival skills. There’s Space Camp (Ok, I guess that’s still wilderness survival), language camp, music camp—any passion kids might have, there’s a summer camp program devoted to it. And yep, that includes writing! I’m excited to meet my campers and share in this fun tradition.
See you at Summer Camp!
