Out-Of-The-Box Thinking
How a brainstorm session saved summer camp
By Chris Mackar
Photos: Kevin Cindric
Painesville Recreation Department in Ohio was prepping for its busiest time of the year, but with the news of the COVID-19 virus, summer camp was not going to start on time and was in jeopardy of being completely cancelled.
With additional cancellations announced daily, parks and recreation departments across Northeast Ohio reached out to each other to come up with new ideas. Zoom meetings with up to 60 people were held to discuss the future of the year’s recreation programming. Painesville Recreation Supervisor Kevin Cindric attended these meetings and considered doing classes on Zoom or Facebook Live. One city suggested delivering activities to children’s houses. Our group liked this idea immediately and created a “camp in a box.”
Crafty Contents
“Camp in a box” allowed us to keep the department going and continue its mission, “ to enrich the quality-of-life for our residents and surrounding communities while focusing on the family unit and promoting good health and well-being.” We wanted this new concept to be special and safe while providing social-distancing activities during this challenging time. Each box contained sports equipment to get children outdoors to be active. Since the boxes were intended to promote both physical and mental health as well as to inspire children’s imaginations, a science project, an arts-and-craft activity, and fun stuff like a hat that can be decorated and silly sunglasses were included. Each kit contained instructions as well as the department’s office number for parents to ask any questions about the activities.
We were assisted by local merchants who used their talents to help devise memorable activities. A local art studio—Ariel Inspired—prepared art kits and instructions for the kids to create their own masterpieces. They painted rocks shaped like bugs and did brushless paintings on canvas. Branches of Wellness, the town’s yoga studio, created video links for campers to get moving. It was exciting to work with these businesses as all were happy to help bring a smile to the people in the community. It is very important to continue to support each other during this questionable time.
Virtual Interaction
Each week concluded at 1 p.m. with a Zoom meeting and virtual field trips. The meetings consisted of a half-hour get-together, where the campers could share their projects with others in the program. Bird feeders, decorated hats, and large bubbles were featured during the video meetings. Week one had a trick-shot challenge. All campers were given a ping-pong ball and a plastic cup and were asked to come up with different ways to put the ball in the cup. Parents sent us videos of the challenge, and we showed them at the Zoom meeting. One child bounced the ball off a cooking pan, where it hit the wall and then went in the cup. We were all amazed by the children’s creativity. The group also took a virtual fieldtrip to the San Diego Zoo. Kids were asked animal trivia questions, given fun facts, and were told jokes. Week four concluded the program with an online talent show. Participants were encouraged to sing, dance, share a hobby, etc. Any activity could be used to show off their skills.
Packing Up
Weekly boxes cost $18. We kept the price down by buying in bulk and delivering the packages ourselves. The program featured a different box each week. Boxes were delivered on Monday mornings, and kids would wait by the window and scream with excitement when I arrived. The program was very popular, and most people signed up for all four weeks. Twenty-five to 30 campers attended each week, and we made deliveries up to 25 minutes away.
We used small, cardboard banker’s boxes (15” x 12” x 10”). To make the box look more attractive, we used colored markers and drew designs with “CAMP IN A BOX!” featured prominently. Each box was personalized with the child’s name. A label identifying the recreation department as the sender was placed on the box. The group required a week’s notice in order to place the correct number of items in each box.
Special Delivery
Delivering the boxes presented some minor issues. For instance, unleashed dogs sometimes posed problems. When I saw a dog, I called the home and indicated I was dropping off a “camp in a box.” The dog was moved so I could deliver the box. It also rained one day. I called the homes upon drop-off so the boxes wouldn’t sit in the rain. What was nice is that everyone knew I was arriving between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Monday morning, so people looked for me. Another challenge was figuring out the most efficient delivery route. With up to 30 kids receiving boxes, we wanted a route that would take fewer than three hours to complete. We used a free trial from an app that creates the most efficient routes. After each drop-off, the form was marked as delivered. Using this method, we made a delivery approximately every 10 minutes. Also, with the app information, we were able to load the van with the boxes being delivered first closest to the tailgate.
This program proved to be very popular and was featured in our local paper, The News Herald. There was such a positive reaction that we are considering offering boxes for winter vacation and spring break.
Chris Mackar, a Bowling Green State graduate, has worked in day care, summer camps, sports camps, and after-school programs. He is currently in his 14th year as Recreation Coordinator for the city of Painesville in Ohio. Reach him at cmackar@painesville.com.