Two Very Different Summer Camps

Summer 2018 was a year of transition for all of us.  As I mentioned in previous posts, Lewie's beloved Camp 565 was terminated, and we were left scrambling to fill the void.  Lewie's old camp director, Carrie, suggested a more outdoorsy camp called Eagle Rock Day Camp.  She told me the director and the counselors were wonderful, and the activities (archery, ropes courses, zip lines, swimming, hiking, theater, science, music, and art) would provide Lewie with a plethora of different offerings to choose from.  There were only two "minor" concerns: 1) He'd be in the woods all day.  (Could he handle it as this boy is still squeamish about bugs?) and 2) He'd have to travel an hour back and forth each day on a school bus as the camp isn't that close to us.

At the same time we started considering Eagle Rock, Lewie also begged to go to a computer camp.  The camp, ID Tech Camp, was held at a university only a few miles from my place of work.  (In fact, it was held at the same university where I received my master's degree!)  The disadvantage, however, was that 1) computer camp is almost twice as expensive as regular day camp, and 2) computer camp, for the most part, is indoors in front of a computer.

The transition to these two new camps was not perfect, as we still miss Camp 565, but we did decide the two of them were a perfect complement to each other.  Whereas one camp was all about continuous activity and the Great Outdoors, the other was about his favorite activity in the world: computers!  Here is just a snapshot of Lewie's Eagle Rock experience and then his ID Tech experience:

Little Lewie waiting for me on his third day of Eagle Rock Day Camp.

Eagle Rock provided Lewie with a shirt, a backpack, and a water bottle on his first day.  His backpack was blue, which corresponded to the "color" of his bus stop.  (Anyone getting picked up and dropped off at Middlebury Elementary School would be wearing blue.)  His bus trip was long without air-conditioning, so he needed a water bottle at all times.  (In fact, there would be no air-conditioning inside any of the little buildings at camp!)  Lunch was provided (like mac & cheese, peanut butter & jelly, hot dogs, pizza, etc.), but he was required to bring a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, and bug spray each day.  The poor boy was hosed down with sunscreen and bug spray each morning, which almost cancelled out his getting washed up.  I was particularly concerned about him getting bit by a deer tick, as Lyme disease is prevalent in our part of the country.

On the last Wednesday of his camp, all parents/family members were invited for a two-hour Open House.  Lew and I both left work early, so we could spend some time with Lewie at camp.  He showed us around, and, of course, we were able to partake in many of the same activities that he did each day.  I was shocked by the number of counselors.  I had no idea this camp had 300+ kids!

Getting read to zip line!

I joined the fun too!

The zip line.  (It goes right over the lake.)

We tried the rowboats, too.

Do you see the fun trampoline they have on the water?

Their logo or mascot--Eagle Rock

Big Lew and I had fun visiting Lewie at camp.  We went out on a row boat, zip-lined, did archery, had s'mores, and let Lewie give us the tour of his summer "home."  It was a fun day and glimpse into Little Lewie's daily camp experience.  His favorite part of this camp was the food, the zip line, the hiking, and the little theater skit they worked on for two weeks.  (My boy likes acting!)

The ID Tech Camp, unsurprisingly, was way different from Eagle Rock. On his first day, I drove him to one of the university residence halls, where he was whisked away to do some outside icebreakers with his new camp counselors.  The camp counselors had nicknames like Taco, Shoe, and Papyrus, and they were definitely clowns.  If anything, they showed Lewie that being a "computer geek" is cool, trendy, fun, and silly.

Lewie standing outside at his computer camp.

Lewie's computer camp only lasted a week, but he insisted he learned a lot.  Most of his time each day was spent on the computer going over lessons, but they did have some breaks outside.  For lunch, they crossed the street and ate at the same college cafeteria where I ate at more than a decade ago!

On Friday, parents were invited to come early to see what their children learned.  It was easy for me to drive there from work, so I went to see the "graduation ceremony," complete with a diploma and free tchotchkes.  After the ceremony, Lewie brought me back to his computer station where he created a PowerPoint to show me what he learned.  He took the "Roblox Entrepreneur" course, so he showed me all the backside coding and scripting he did to create the background and the action inside his game.  It was impressive, but I still wondered if the cost could have been less.

Lewie and his camp counselor, "Taco"

One proud kid.

Lewie insists that he enjoyed both camps; although, he admits to liking the computer camp the best.  I'm pretty sure we'll try to duplicate this experience for him next year, but I'm not certain.  For Eagle Rock, the long bus trip will continue to be a consideration while at ID Tech Camp, the cost will be.  Until then, I'll be looking to see if there is anything new to try next year...    For now, he received two very different experiences, and I know he's grown from both.