Every June, millions of kids head off to summer camp. I, on the other hand, am facing the daunting tasks of stripping and resurfacing my hardwood floors, removing popcorn ceiling plaster, replacing an overhead fan, AND finally, applying fresh paint throughout the interior of my house. I was going to hire handymen do the job, but when the quote was over $4,000, I decided I’m a “handy-enough” man. Camp sounds much better!
There are currently more than 12,000 camps in the U.S. with over 11 million campers each year. In other words, summer camp is big business! While hiking, swimming, arts & crafts and capture-the-flag come to mind when you think of summer camp, there are some niche camps out there that go above and beyond the classic fun and give kids a chance to do things like fight zombies, swim with sharks, or even learn French.
I found some truly unique and interesting camps online. At Camp Jurassi, campers learn about dinosaurs, make a model T-Rex, and dig for fossils. Camp Fiji Shark lets campers swim alongside the sharks for hands-on experiences. Kids learn hand-to-hand combat and choreograph their own stunt show at Camp Hollywood Stunts. At Camp Wizards & Warriors, kids create their own armor, receive (foam) weapons training, hunt treasure, and write their own character for the duration of the session.
Then there’s my favorite camp: Camp Motorsport. This is where kids get behind the wheel at least twice a day! When kids aren’t driving on dirt or paved courses, they are playing paintball or exploring racing careers and motorsport science. I didn’t know there WAS a science behind motorsport, but it sure sounds like a fun summer camp!
As a kid, I attended Kamp Kanakuk in the Ozark mountains of Missouri for three summers. It was a great camp, but we didn’t get to drive cars, do Hollywood stunts, or create our own armor. It was more like another camp I saw online, Camp Plantation, where campers live outside without electricity (or WiFi) and work on a sustainable farm. Campers can choose from activities like bareback horse riding, building a fort, tie-dying a shirt, or playing capture the flag. At $4,400 for the four-week session, it sounds like a nice business for Camp Plantation! Think about it: no electricity bill, no need to buy saddles, and cabins made by the campers! These guys are on to something!
I’m thinking maybe I could start a camp here on St. Simons. As many older locals recall, there once was a terrific summer camp here called Camp Islander on the north end of the island, out past Fort Frederica. It’s about time for another. My camp would be called “Camp Nuts, Bolts, & Thingamajigs.” Kids will learn how to be household handymen. They’ll practice useful skills like stripping and resurfacing hardwood floors, removing popcorn ceiling plaster, replacing overhead fans, and painting the interiors of houses. And at $4,000 tuition each, I only need ONE camper!
