Camp is more than just a place to play: Camp Builds Skills for Life!
Welcome back to our Skills for Life series!
We started off with grit and persistence, and how the toughness we learn at camp helps us in school, work, and life.
This week, we’ll look at imagination and creativity, and why camp is the perfect place for them to grow and thrive.
What are Imagination & Creativity?
Our imagination is our ability to form new ideas. The innovations, wild notions, and original concepts we dream up are thanks to us putting our imagination to work. Creativity is the process of realizing our imagination with action. It sets the processes in motion that bring a new idea to life.
Why Are They Skills For Life?
Most of us think of imagination and creativity in terms of entertainment or the arts, but creative people use their resourcefulness in any situation, starting at a very young age. Pretending and make-believe comes naturally to children, who create whole worlds in the blink of an eye. Pretending is where children first learn to engage their imagination and express their creativity. Children who are encouraged in imaginative play, making art, or solving problems and puzzles are more likely to use this creative thinking with confidence as they grow.
Imagination and creativity are essential in the workforce, too. A savvy executive has to imagine new solutions to problems. A therapist or doctor needs a creative approach when traditional remedies aren’t working. If it’s down to the employee that complains about the way things are, or the one who takes an innovative approach to make things better, who do you think will get the promotion?
In every field of work or study, imagination and creativity are assets to growth, positive change, and success. Have you ever heard the phrase, “think outside the box?” This means be creative and use your imagination to solve a problem. Creativity and imagination are essential to being more collaborative, open, and accepting with others. They allow us to see the big picture, learn to take initiative, and find a way to get things done when no one else can find a solution.
How Does Camp Teach Imagination & Creativity?
Like so many poets, explorers and artists before them, kids who come to camp will soon discover that nature inspires creativity. New places and experiences give our minds a fresh start by awakening the need for imagination and creative thinking.
When your child arrives for the first day of camp, they are surrounded by new people, places and ways to play. Counselors and new friends provide support to explore this newness, learn from it, and enjoy it. Whether it’s meeting a new friend, dealing with an obstacle on a hike, making art out of natural material, or working with their team to win a contest, relay or challenge, camp has opportunities for children to exercise creativity and use their imagination. Spending time in nature at camp gives children the time, freedom, and control to play in imaginative ways and collaborate creatively with other children, like building a fort or creating the back-story of the crayfish they caught in the creek. That energizing push to explore their ideas will help campers become better problem solvers, communicators, and collaborators.
At Leadership Academy, our nature day camps give your child freedom to learn, create, imagine, and grow. Your child will spend their summer days playing in a creek, catching crayfish, making a fort, learning to plant a garden, building a fire, and meeting new plants and wildlife.
Our summer adventure day camps are designed so that children and teens can choose their own adventure, and there are thousands of acres of forests and fields for them to explore. No matter their interests, our camps are where children’s creativity thrives, and their imaginations run wild.
To learn more, visit us online, email us at [email protected], or call us at 615-865-4772.
