Most participants have been affected by an illness, developmental delay, death of a family member, poverty, racism, or incarceration. First, campers are encouraged to invite family and friends, and most campers have at least one sibling, parent, cousin or grandparent accompanying them. The camp is special in many ways, but there are several unique facets that really stand out in my mind. My second stint as a volunteer at Camp Klicek in Malejovice, Czech Republic was as joyful and soul-filling as my time there last year. And I feel so blessed to witness and participate in this play at Camp Klicek! Happy Summer!ĭrawing by Markéta Královcová A Diverse Community You can see the pride glowing as their self esteem grows by the second. Nothing raises kids up to their potential the way play does. I watched with admiration as this 6-year-old moved with the utmost patience and precision in a game of pick up sticks. Whether it was my lunch-mate practicing his English, or a shy kid joining in on a new ly introduced American game of “Happy Salmon”, the kids never ceased to amaze me with their willingness to take risks, learn and share. This artist created a virtual masterpiece depicting several scenes on one ceramic pot.Īnd even the youngest of the campers showed their talents. This young magician taught us all how to get a 100 Crown bill out from under a beer bottle without touching the money or the beer. Here he is teaching another teen how to shoot a bow and arrow. One 14-year-old camper had a lot of skills, including bugle playing, fire breathing (So sad I didn’t get that on film!!), and archery. My favorite station was the accounting department, where the employee had to take a fist-full of invoices and chase after the client to whack them with the papers to make them pay their bills! In the afternoon, the company volunteers set up an activity course in the forest, replicating what is entailed in working for a big company. Kids explored their artistic sides and wore their art with pride. In the morning, they set up tables in the summer garden and mess tent, including paper arts and crafts, flower pot decorating, a drink mixing table with great recipes for virgin mojitos, margaritas and pina coladas, and a beauty salon station with face, body, and nail painting. On another day, volunteers from the Accace Corporation brought a day of activities to the campers. The camp was alive with children gathering sticks, pouring water, scooping sand into sacks and counting out loud and in their heads, as the teams competed to see who could get the closest to the actual measurement. They had to find a way to measure a liter of liquid, a kilo of sand, the length of a meter, and the span of a minute, all without the use of measuring devices. On this day, the campers were divided into three teams, and each team had four tasks to compete. Sometimes structured games can lend themselves to learning through play that is so much fun that kids forget that they are learning. These are some of the attributes of spontaneous play that adults should take note of as we consider the developmental, social and emotional needs of all children Their self esteem gets a healthy boost as they accomplish something new and contribute the the camp community. Besides being fun, the boys are building their muscles and coordination, getting some great proprioceptive feedback, practicing cooperation and self regulation, not to mention problem solving. In the photo above, two seven-year-old boys get their hands on a saw, as they break down a tree branch in preparation for the campfire that all the campers will enjoy. Time for free play and exploration is a commodity during our workaday, technology-filled lives, but Camp Klicek in Malejovice, Czech Republic provides exactly this to children and families affected by illness and loss. These hours can hold many opportunities for children and adults to engage in unfamiliar activities and discover new skills. The long days of summer, with the sun rising at 6:30 AM and setting close to 10:00 PM, lend themselves to unhurried, lengthy swatches of time.
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