Programming ideas for any age
By Silvana Clark
In the early 1980s, I had my first real job at a parks and recreation department. It had a strong sports program but lacked the typical day camps, craft programs, or dance classes that most other departments had. My official title was “Non-Sports Coordinator.” Pretty descriptive, isn’t it? Since summer was approaching, I set up an eight-week, fun, drop-in playground program. After finding a book titled Summer Fun Activities, I implemented one of the ideas. The instructions were to buy a 10-pound bag of asbestos powder and mix it with water to create the perfect slimy and goopy substance to make papier-mâché craft projects. For eight weeks, hundreds of elementary-aged kids helped me stir the asbestos in large buckets and create masks, flower pots, and misshapen dinosaurs. (Remember, people didn’t know about the danger of asbestos. The Ban Asbestos in America Act was introduced in 2002 but did not make it through Congress.)
Thankfully, my programming skills have improved! While some parks and recreation departments go all out with elaborate camp themes, there’s room in any lineup for a few back-to-basics activities as well!
When my daughter was eight, she attended a day camp where there was an afternoon fort-building activity. The camp sat on hundreds of heavily wooded acres, with an abundance of fallen logs and branches. She came home regaling me with stories of the amazing aspects of her cabin’s fort. She had my husband help her make a wooden sign reading “Sparkling Unicorns” (the cabin’s name) to be placed at the fort’s entrance. She also took our welcome mat because every fort needs a welcome mat at the front door. On Friday, we were finally allowed to see the completed fort. We passed by several of the fifth graders’ forts built with sturdy logs strategically placed for a solid enclosure. As for the Sparkling Unicorn fort, 10 third graders spent a week creating a fort that was massive in their minds. All we saw was an area about 3 feet by 4 feet with some branches on the ground to define the space. Oh, it had curtains and a sign and a welcome mat and a cozy carpet, but it certainly wasn’t a fort in the traditional sense. What’s important is those girls spent a fun-filled week strategizing and creating their one-of-a-kind fort. My daughter is 32 now and still mentions that fort. I don’t have the heart to tell her the truth! The camp counselors told me this was the most popular camp activity. At the end of each week, counselors took down the forts and spread the logs throughout the property to be used the following week.