Spontaneous Programming
My daughter squealed with delight as the black plastic wheels of our vintage Little Tykes Cozy Coupe lost their grip on the basement floor and sent us careening into the cement block wall. My son, skating too close behind to stop, crashed into my legs and we all fell to the ground in a pile of arms, helmets and laughter.
It was a scene ripped from my childhood in lower Wisconsin. Whenever the temperature dropped too low to play outside, my brothers, sister and I would head for the basement, strap on our roller skates and race around the furnace, my Dad's table saw and whatever other natural objects happened to be there that day.
The games rarely varied. Some version of tag was always a favorite, but we weren't opposed to a little "crash derby" where two skater-propelled toy cars carrying one of my siblings were intentionally crashed, head-on, at the highest possible speed. Sooner or later, somebody drew blood and my Mom showed up to stop the fun.
As I was unlacing my roller blades and herding my kids upstairs for baths and bed, it struck me that our improvised basement skating party met all the minimum requirements for good camp programming -– the experience was interactive, taught a lesson in a creative way and, most importantly, was fun.
Though not a conscious "program", our time together helped to strengthen our familial bond and allowed me to teach my kids how to play fair, take turns and keep the other person's welfare in mind.
In this issue, we’ve tried to help spark your creative programming juices by offering you 25 Programming Ideas. You'll find a general outline of the specific program and, if you're interested in implementing it, you can visit our Web site (www.camp-business.com) and talk directly with the camp director who submitted the idea.
While you're there, take a moment to access our back issues (broken down by subject), on-line buyer's guide (including e-mail and Web address links for your convenience) and, of course, renew/update your subscription.
Have a great New Year and thanks for your continuing support of Camp Business.
Sincerely,
Rodney J. Auth
President and Publisher