What's Your Favorite Camp Memory?

Summer brings with it visions of campfires and s’mores and swimming and… well… Summer Camp! This ideal of childhood Summer is super nostalgic, even for those of us who never actually went to this kind of camp. I was a distinctly indoorsy child. However, my favorite camp memory is a huge part of who I am today!

As a child, I wanted to do fun things, but I was anxious and introverted. One of my first Summer camp experiences was at the Joe Miner Sports Camp. If you know me know, you might be laughing. I am not, and have not ever been, a traditional athlete. I danced, but please don’t hand me a ball – which is probably why my parents made me go. I never loved it, but I did get pretty good at swimming and archery!

My second try at camp was another failure. Taking place on the college campus in my hometown, I spent one day at Space Camp. I got to meet Buzz Aldrin, and then called my Mom, crying, because I didn’t want to spend the night anywhere but my own bed. I was so embarrassed that I wasn’t brave enough to spend the night, that I didn’t go back.

But finally, the Summer after my Junior year of high school, my drama teacher told my best friend and me that we needed to apply to Missouri Fine Arts Academy (the cool kids call it MoFAA) and we could pick whether we wanted to do acting or dance – she ended up flipping a coin because we couldn’t decide! At MoFAA, I found my people. I got to spend the day with artsy people, creating art, talking about art, experimenting with different mediums and techniques and getting critiques for improvement, and being surround by other students who were excellent at their craft. I’m serious, it was like being in the movie “Fame” – people would be beatboxing, playing cello, dancing, or doing standup in the hallways as we waited for classes to start. Not only did it spark my inspiration (and I finally slept away from my house for 3 weeks), but I also met the person who would become my college roommate and bestie for life!

As an adult, I have the opportunity to be a teacher at a Summer camp now – theatre camp! Even though I’m much more outdoorsy and willing to try whatever new thing comes my way, my favorite thing is to hang out with kids who are a lot like me and want to be on stage. This is what’s so great about Kivity! You can sign your child up for anything from theatre camp to rowing camp to tae kwon do to art camp to dance and more! 

What’s your favorite Summer camp memory? Share them with us!

Originally posted on Kivity.com on June 28, 2022