Introduction
"What activities should we include in our day camp?" "What can be done besides arts and crafts, music, and swimming?" "What can we do to broaden the retarded person's life experiences?" "What experiences would the retarded enjoy?" The inevitable questions that arise after the initial work of planning, funding, and hiring of staff has been accomplished may be answered in this manual. The manual will not tell you "why," nor "when," and, in most cases, not even "how." It will tell you "what." It contains no section on philosophy, for it is the authors' belief that readers are already convinced of the worth of day camps for retarded persons.
The manual is intended to be a "lift-off point" for your own imagination. To list and describe every activity which could be suited to the day camp situation would be limiting to your own creativity. Therefore, a small sampling of possible activities has been suggested. It is hoped that these suggestions will launch camp planners into a search for more activities in the many books available in libraries, and from the imaginations and experiences of camp volunteers.
To facilitate organization, application forms, lists of materials, and schedules are included. They will, of course, need to be modified to fit each camping situation.
To insure the success of the camp, two very important points must be kept in mind:
- (1) A camp will not run smoothly without prior careful planning and organization, months and weeks before the opening of camp, as well as the week, the day, and even the morning before an activity.
- (2) The success of a camp or activity is as great as the enthusiasm of the staff and volunteers. An activity's success or failure depends upon the efforts of the workers to interest and involve the campers.
A well-planned camp will be an enjoyable experience for all. Campers will be reluctant to leave, and will be anxious for summer and day camp to come again.
