If you’ve got a boy, (or girl, for that matter) I don’t know what could possibly say “SUMMER” any more than spending a week at Outdoor Education Laboratory (OEL). My son was able to attend session 4 this summer, June 22-26, 2009; which just so happened to be that week of June when it was HOT. Ridiculously hot. I felt absolutely horrible as I sent him out the door that first day… ’til I remembered spending many hot weeks at YMCA Camp Gravois in Versailles, MO as a kid! Anyone else go there?!?
This camp was the perfect way for a young kid to “try out” the camping experience without having to sleep over. OEL has been around since 1976 and is really a nature and outdoor discovery program. (I think it’s even referred to as “bug camp” by a few of my son’s friends.) It was actually developed by KC-area teachers, and due to its location, serves mainly kids from southern Kansas City as well as from the Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Olathe school districts. K-6th graders are welcome. There are actually two campsites, and you sign up for one or the other. The day camp lasts 5 days and goes from approximately 9am until 3:30pm. Activities include fishing, canoeing, insect cages and flower identification to name a few.
My son came home each day absolutely FILTHY. And I don’t mean a few grass stains and dirt-under-the-nails filthy…I mean soaking wet with creek “debris” inside his shoes, socks and underpants. He was red-cheeked and smelled like, well, someone that had spent 6 hours in the relentless heat. When pressed as to why he didn’t choose to swim–and cool off–he said, “because I wanted to hold the snake/lizard/ferret/hedgehog/(insert random animal here).” And parents–don’t think you get to escape the experience–on the last day, we trekked out to camp to have a cookout lunch with our campers. Imagine how excited I was to cook over an open flame when the heat index was 110! An exercise in patience, to be sure.
OEL camp was a great experience for my son. It wasn’t cheap–$145 for the week–but I think he’d tell you it was well worth it. Also–word to the wise–like many summer camps in KC, this one books up quickly! Registration typically opens in March for the summer sessions and they are usually full within a few days (or hours). Even though it’s already July, you might still find spots at other KC camps for the rest of the summer. Check our 2009 Summer Camp Directory for lots of ideas!
The product arrived quickly and my Grandson can’t stop playing it. He says it’s awesome.