MOVEMENT. In its early days when Champ Camp was just an idea floating in space, the very general notion was to create a kids’ program that made moving around outside with your buddies a more intriguing option than time on the iPad. While it’s evolved and transformed in unimaginable ways since that initial Aha moment, movement of various types remains at the heart of everything we do.
As a self-proclaimed “activities-based kids’ program,” let’s begin by acknowledging the most obvious elephant in the room; Champ Campers move their bodies A LOT! In its crudest form, our approach to championing physical movement looks something like this: let’s think of as many engaging and innovative activities as possible and encourage our kids to give some of them a try. Then, hopefully, a handful of our activities strike an internal chord and campers choose to play Sharks & Minnows more often than Angry Birds going forward. Since the value of consistently moving one’s body through space cannot be overstated, it follows that discovering a movement practice that brings us joy is one of the most important to-do items that exists-- our lives depend on it!
Like you’ve probably guessed, bodies aren’t the only things moving at Champ Camp. Carefully woven into the fabric of our program are countless opportunities for our campers to move their minds. Given the autonomy available at Champ Camp, our kids are constantly required to consider their own interests and desires, and then make a choice accordingly. Not only does this process give our campers a dose of self-awareness, but considering one’s options and choosing accordingly is also very empowering. Moreover, the creative endeavors that we expose our kids to is a bottomless source of mind movement. Whether we’re playing a gripping game of charades, or building a larger than life fortress with our world famous Big Blue Blocks, Champ Campers can’t help but move their minds and look at the world in new ways.
We believe that the benefits of body and mind movement are necessary keys for getting the ball rolling down the path towards our kids developing into exceptional individuals. But, those benefits don’t fully account for what we’re getting at:
Champ Camp IS a movement.
The culture we’ve created makes it cool to think freely, talk differences out with each other, and let your thoughts be heard. More specifically, Champ Camp’s on a mission to do its part to help develop kind kids with confidence who care about each other and are ready to change the world.
-Trevor
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