Embrace Hands-On Learning
Refute the notion that academic components are “boring”
By Sheryl Gilmore
The big hall was bustling with people setting up tables, looking for the rare electrical outlet, and rushing to be ready before the doors opened. It was my first time at a camp fair. Unlike most of the other programs represented, the Acadia Institute of Oceanography (AIO) is an academic summer program that offers students the opportunity to explore their interests in marine science and help prepare them for a potential career in the field.
Pexels, Vanessa Loring
AIO skirts the line between camp and school. The main activities cover the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of oceanography, but there are also daily recreational activities. However, I’ve always struggled to find the right category for AIO when advertising. My first (and last) experience at a camp fair early in my tenure as the owner of this program helped me figure out our place.
I was setting up next to two gentlemen from a camp in the Northeast. As we spent the afternoon meeting potential campers, I recall only one exchange we had. After explaining what our program offered, one of the men said to me, “Oh, it’s a learning program. I would never want to go to your program if I was a kid.” In return, all I could think to say was, “Yes, but then we wouldn’t want you.” We seek a unique child—one who wants to have fun learning. That should sound like all kids to me, but I have come to realize it’s a special breed who chooses to study in the summer.
I left the encounter a little concerned with my ability to fill the program but have since found there are plenty of kids and parents clamoring for a fun and positive learning experience. In nearly 40 years, I have lost count of the many times parents have told of negative science-class experiences and that they wish to reignite the passion their child once had for science. But I’ve also had many kids leave saying they wish their regular school was more like AIO. I’m proud of the thousands of students who have gone on to careers working as teachers, politicians, lawyers, veterinarians, field biologists, and many other positions that are not science-related. So many alumni have returned to tell me they kept their certificate of completion (received at the end of each session), pictures, and friendships they established in their weeks in the program. Several have returned to work with me, which is a great resource for current students. A returning student/staff member has the experience of having been new to our program at some point and falling in love with it. That person can really relate to the kids.
So, I encourage other programs to consider adding an academic component, and I offer some advice on how to begin one. Very few of these programs exist, but there are many interested kids. My wait lists have convinced me of that. And, with the pandemic, students have fallen behind, socially and academically; we can help them make up some lost ground.
What Topics Translate Well To A Summer-Camp Setting?
Consider your location and the interests of the current camp population. Survey campers to find what types of activities they would like to see added to the current program. AIO focuses on the study of the ocean, and we are in a perfect place (Mount Desert Island, Maine). An organization might have beautiful forests, lakes, or mountains nearby that pair well with an environmental program (i.e., geology, astronomy, meteorology, or limnology). Those camps in urban areas may find engineering or sociology-type programs make more sense. Computer technology is always popular. Many sports camps have intensive programs, so try to focus on other types of learning.
Whatever course is selected, use the proper resources to make it hands-on instead of campers merely listening to someone talk about how to do something. AIO provides background information and then spends the bulk of the activity in the field, either on the shore or on a boat doing practical work. Campers learn how to measure the movement of a beach by measuring the profile. We don’t just talk about the importance of a chemical balance in the oceans; they measure it themselves and let see firsthand.
Begin by adding electives to determine their popularity among campers. Once there is interest, add a regular time block or advertise the offering.
Pexels, Kindel Media
Finding The Right Children For The Program
While many camps serve their local communities, AIO looks for students 10 to 18 years old with a strong interest in science and/or marine science. Consequently, I’m not going to find enough kids in my region to fill sessions, so I need to broadcast my message to a wider audience. I choose advertising that will be seen by as many people as possible, while keeping the cost reasonable. As AIO is a small program (200 total students each summer), I’m always mindful of the advertising budget. From my early experiences, I learned that camp fairs are wonderful but not especially for my program. Most people visiting camp fairs are looking for a local program or for more of a general curriculum, and attendees are generally younger than most of my students. I felt the travel to these fairs was too costly to find enough students to make the trips worth it.
While advertising has changed over the years, I find some of my best leads by advertising in general summer-camp sections since they garner the most views. I also target advertisements in publications that appeal to high schoolers and academically minded students. In addition, AIO works with New England Audubon societies to find interested students. But, like many summer programs, ours also relies on word-of-mouth advertising. After all these years, I’m beginning to see children and grandchildren of former students. Many siblings attend as well. Because we require a teacher’s recommendation for acceptance into the program, educators talk to students who show a proclivity towards science.
The Benefits Of Offering An Academic Program
An academic summer program isn’t for all kids. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be because there is a wide array of programs from which to choose. Like all camp directors, I take my responsibility to help children grow and thrive seriously. As the director of an academic program, I see a great opportunity not only to show kids that learning can be interesting and (dare I say) fun, but also to help them make up for some of the losses they’ve suffered educationally over the past two years. AIO is perfectly placed to help campers gain confidence in their learning without the pressure of a school setting. We still follow all COVID-19 protocols, but we’re able to take the kids outside where they can learn by doing. And nothing is more satisfying than seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of children interacting again.
After all these years, I still think of that brief encounter at the camp fair and chuckle. I wish I could have said to my younger self, “Ignore them. You have a wonderful and gratifying program that will give thousands of kids memories for a lifetime.”
Sheryl Christy Gilmore is the owner and executive director of the Acadia Institute of Oceanography, located in Seal Harbor, Maine. Reach her at explore@acadiainstitute.com.