by Beverley Paine
I’ve planned and organised a few camps in my time, including
complex ones that combine parent sessions, conference programs, specialist
activities as well as simple bush camping retreats. If you are planning your
first camp and want to keep it simple but still fun, engaging and inviting, the
best advice is to keep it simple – sometimes it is difficult to keep them
small, especially if you advertise them through your local or regional home
education networks!
For a first camp I'd say aim for autumn, make it a caravan
park that has lots of natural areas and good tent sites (some powered, some
unpowered - not many caravan parks seem to cater to for tents anymore, so be
choosy). Cabins will increase the number of people who will come - some with
little children don't like camping and some who have disabilities find it too
difficult. Access to hot showers also boosts attendance!
Weekends are good because it allows working partners to
attend. Mid-week is great because parks are usually less full... especially
during the tourist season.
An extensive playground and trees suitable for clambering
over or sitting in the shade under are essential. If the weather is going to be
at all warm, water play is a good idea - either a pool, creek, beach, but
remember that you can create safe water play areas with sprinklers, plastic
sheet water slides, etc if the park allows that.
Children love to play chasey and hide and seek - keep that in
mind when choosing a venue. Safety is a big concern, but look for areas that
have lots of neat places that encourage fantasy play.
Start each day with a morning circle for everyone. Some
people will do yoga, etc before the circle, but if everyone comes together and
play a few circle games that really helps people to meet each other. Plus it
gives an opportunity for everyone to have a say what they'd like to do that day
- plan the games and any activities, say if they are going on an excursion
(fishing, walking, etc) and invite others along.
If the camp has a communal kitchen, plan to use it for
cooking meals. It is so much easier for everyone to prepare their own, but you
can pool food for one celebratory meal without too much hassle. Using the camp
kitchen brings everyone together. For a short camp I would simply use the BBQs
and see how inventive we can all get with recipes and menus!
Quiz nights are hugely popular. They don't have to be
elaborate, like the ones local clubs do for fundraising. They can be less
'academic/intellectual' and more physical, role playing, etc. If two families
live close to each other they can take on organising this - better if a couple
of parents take on this responsibility as it is a reasonably sized task!
If everyone who goes brings an activity to share - and it
could be as simple as getting a game of french cricket started - you will have
enough to fill every day. Someone could bring a box of books and a rug for a
reading nook under a beach umbrella... Networking beforehand allows for
brainstorming ideas like this.
I personally like the idea of everyone wearing name labels
for the first few days. An early activity could be to make labels and perhaps
play a few games so that people begin to recognise who is who. Name labels also
helps late arrivals feel part of the group faster.
Two to three nights is a great short camp and whets the
appetite for more. Longer camps can be exhausting for younger children as well
as for large families. Nothing beats spending five days away with like-minded
families though – the bonding and friendships that are made at a long camp last
years, if not forever.
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