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Summer Camp

Date: Aug 07 2009

Themes: Family, Holidays

Grammar: Be Able To

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Intro

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A typical American childhood just isn’t complete without a summer camp experience or two. In the summer, when most kids don’t have school, many parents choose to send them away to camp for a couple weeks, or even longer.

There are different kinds of special summer camps, like sports camp, music camp, or dance camp, where kids develop a particular interest or talent. There are even math camps for kids who love solving math problems—or whose parents are especially cruel. But the typical camp experience is all about sleeping in log cabins, eating in a communal mess hall, getting crushes on the camp counselors, hiking and swimming and doing other activities in the great outdoors.

Not everybody loves summer camp, though. For some kids, it can be a traumatic experience to be separated from their parents for a long time. Find out if Mason and Dale’s memories of camp are sweet or sad.

Dialog

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Dale

Mason

Dale: Have you been to summer camp, Mason?

Mason: Dude, that was like the defining part of my youth, was every summer I went to a sleep-away camp for like three weeks.

Dale: So how was that, did you miss your parents, family?

Mason: You know, I remember being young and freaking out the first year about thinking three weeks away from home was a really long time. And no, it ended up…you end up having so much fun that it doesn’t really enter into your thoughts.

Dale: Do you believe that it’s like a rite of passage?

Mason: Definitely. It’s a formative experience to be able to, one, get away from parent supervision, two, kind of have this little space where you’ve got structured activity but still a lot of freedom. And you’re supervised enough to know that you’re not gonna get in trouble but can kind of just explore and feel adventurous.

Dale: Did you learn a lot about nature?

Mason: Yeah. The big thing, we did a fishing camp-away night. And we literally…we fished enough that we brought back food to feed the entire camp for a dinner, with all the fish that we caught. Which was like, “Man go out, man bring food.”

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Discussion

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Dale asks Mason about his summer camp experiences. Mason spent three weeks at a sleep-away camp every summer when he was a child. The first time he went, he thought he would miss his family. But he had so much fun at camp that he didn’t feel lonely or homesick.

Mason thinks summer camp is an important rite of passage for kids. It allows them to be away from home and experience freedom but still have some structure and supervision. It’s also a good opportunity for kids who live in the city to experience nature. When Mason was a camper, he went on a fishing trip and helped catch enough fish to feed the entire camp.

Have you ever been to summer camp? Do you think it would be fun? Is it important for children to spend time in nature?

Comments

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DominikLi

China

I just joined some camps some years ago.Camps can bring you many kinds of experience,which you can not get by just reading books or surfing in the Internet.Anyway,camps are precious chances for one to understand both the world and his life,try it more.

aquamariиe

Germany

summer camps are so great, i was in one when i was younger, the only problem was the boys wanted to show us how strong, independent and male they are…

"men go out, men bring food", it's so real sometimes ^^

the shame was they never took me with them when they were trying to get food for us… the end of the story was: we were sitting hungry around the fire and the boys blushed because they failed (but all in all it was great there though)

well viva la independence :D

warrior13

Syrian Arab Republic

also when i was in primary school (now i have gratuaed from the university since 2007) i went to a summer comp for 1 week with my classmates ,it was exciting week to me and i didn't miss to my family but it was laughable that most of my friens start crying coz they miss theier family .

warrior13

Syrian Arab Republic

I liked to be in a summer comp specialy when we start talking about frightful story at the midnight then the girls entreat us to stop talking

hhhhhhhhhaaaaaaa

natuzzi

Ukraine

I haven`t been in camps as a child, but I have been in the camp as an adult and it`s really great!

kukuka

Ukraine

I wonder about such a thing as harassment. have you ever heard of that stuff? have you ever suffered from it? could you offer any way out?

Marcelolic

Brazil

I have never been in camp in my childhood,I would like to have experienced it :)

Marcelolic

Brazil

I think here in Brazil there is something similar "summer camp" and is called "cologne vacation" Parents leave their children on a cologne vacation for them experience several activities,like in a summer camp,but usually is in a high school or college and not in a camp…I think is a great idea for kids spend their time making nice and useful things instead making "wrong things" ;)

raquel1011

Colombia

When i was 10 years old my father sent me to a camp close to my city for two weeks, it was really exciting experience i lern a lot of things overthere we went to sleep-away for two nights or so…then we went to do some fishing, climbing . We were busy all the time.. Definitely it was a rite passage that i will never forget..!!!

rebel lee

China

I had a computer camp when I was in high school!

I learnd so many wonderful skills and had lots of fun.

So I think it is quite important for children to go in nature!

@slı

Turkey

I wanna come summercamp but I always busy

esmir

Turkey

yeah it is very significant for our freedom

sofree

China

Never, I wish I had, but we don't have camp in China when I was in school.

In these years, I see a lot camp on advertisement, I think it must be fun. Children of nowadays, they really need to leave city and see real nature, it's very good for them.

max1983

Germany

I've never been at the summer camp too, because I was living in the very beautiful area with lake, wood around.

Rahma MD

Indonesia

I have never been to summer camp, because in Indonesia we just have 2 seasons, dry season and wet season.There r 3 kind of holidays here, 2 of them are long holidays- more less 1 month. They are holiday after finishing second semester and holiday in fasting month. The rest is a short holiday, only 1 week. it's usually after finishing the first semester. I think fun or not, it depends on the schedule make by the committees. If they can make an interesting one, then it would be fun for the children. But i do believe, it's important for children to get closer with the nature in order to make them care to the environtment.

Shugopy

Paraguay

I had my first camp when I was eleven years old, my school do a camp every year in the same place "Camp Jack Norment" since you are 11, the last one is when you are 14, so I went to the camp in five occasions, but just for three days each one (was short camps) The camp experience has been definitely a rite of passage for me, I learned so much things, I laughed, I cried, I being freaking out and I had lots of fun, that's why I will never forget a so magnificent experience. In my personal opinion is fundamental to children to go to this kind of camps where they can improve their talents and share with the nature environment and with other kids.

tuyetnhungftu

Viet Nam

I have never taken part in summer camp but I think summer camp is interesting and necessary to Kids to make friends with many people, be close to the nature… Kids will have the chance to enjoy the attract outdoor activities… If there were a summer camp, i would want to join it

joaco

Argentina

i have been in a lot of summer camps, but just me and my friends, we didnt have any supervision at all. I will encourage my son to the the same. I think we have to bring back our connectin with nature, that is something that we have painfuly lost and is the cause of a lot of problems in the world today.

Rahma MD

Indonesia

I think fun or not, it depends on the schedule make by the committees. If they can make an interesting one, then it would be fun for the children. But i do believe, it's important for children to get closer with the nature in order to make them care to the environtment.

lxjlily

China

I have never been to a summer camp because I grew up in the countryside, and it was not common that the children had a summer camp. Children didn’t need to go to school in summer; but we must help our parents to work in the farm.