So why would I offer a LEGO camp to folks who, if they are cheap like me, couldn't fathom paying money for something their kids could just do at home? How many LEGOs could you buy for the typical cost of camp? Being me, I would first try to find kits cheaper on eBay. Then I would surmise that even if I had to buy a kit for my kids, they would be able to build to their hearts content at home which would be cheaper than sending them to camp for a week. Hmmmm... now why would I want to sign up for camp?
COMMUNITY
Last week we had our first summer camp of the year. It was a great success. The children were so excited about all that they were able to build that they were playing as much as they were learning the relationships between gears, axles, motors, sails, pulleys, etc. However what the camp captured was a sense that it was OK to be curious and interested in all these mechanical things. One of the kids in the last camp said it was so much fun coming because it was OK to be smart. Wow! That's the best compliment this program could ever get! Sure he could have built in the privacy of his own home, but there's something to be said about the community that gets developed whenever you get together with like minded people.
COMPETITION
Although I didn't plan this, the week seemed like it was all about competition. Even though I wasn't keeping track of which car went the farthest or could pull the most chicken cans, kids were very in tune with trying to outdo others. They naturally gravitated towards competing and they were quite proud when they did well or improved on their old designs. Working on your own at home would not have fostered this. Weather or not others agree or disagree with this, kids just naturally do it. I didn't offer any prizes or anything, but just ask any 5 year old soccer player if they know the score at the "no scoring" game and you'd better believe they'll be able to spout off a score.
CHALLENGE
This kind of goes with community, but I was just reading the story of Dr. Ben Carson and after the 50 member team successfully completed the complex separation of the Siamese Binder twins Mark Rogers said, "We are capable of doing even better things than we believe we are, if we challenge each other to do it." I liked that thought. Sure, there are times we can build on our own, but there are also times having others around can push us beyond what we thought.
So here's a picture of my kitchen sink. Just didn't think this would sell well.
