Summer Writing Camp F.A.Q.s

• What is your experience working with children?

       I have worked with children for over twenty years in a variety of settings. Currently I am an Instructional Assistant in a special education classroom for kids with attention challenges.

• My child doesn’t like to write. Do you think your camp could help him/her?

      I keep Summer Writing Camp loosely structured. It is designed for kids who are motivated to write. Struggling writers are welcome and will probably have a great time, but they might not do much writing. That is fine with me, but it might not be fine with you. Let’s talk

• My child is a gifted writer, but she is younger than your age limit. May she come to your camp?

      My experience is that the loose structure of the camp works best for older kids. I prefer not to make exceptions to the age limit.

• You’ve mentioned “loose structure” twice now. What exactly do you mean by that?

      I show up every day with a plan, but it is flexible. I do not “make” anyone write. However, I strongly encourage campers to take advantage of the ideas, and freedom to write whatever they want, that Summer Writing Camp provides. Within the limits of safety, time, and a general focus on writing, I try to follow my camper’s lead.

• My child loves to write, but has difficulty with the mechanics of writing. Is he still welcome at your camp?

      Absolutely. If a laptop will help, he is welcome to bring one. I am also happy to scribe for him when I can.

• I would like to see my child work on word choice/grammar/writing quality/quantity. Is Summer Writing Camp good for that?

      Only if your child wants to work on those things. Summer School is probably a better place for that type of focus.

• Do boys ever go to your camp?

      The majority of participants are girls, but boys are extremely welcome!

• What do kids like about your camp?

       They like the games we play. They revel in getting to choose what to write. They think it is awesome that  I don’t “make” them write anything specific. They love the day we make “storyboxes” (like dioramas only less specific). They appreciate how flexible I am. They think making books is cool, especially when we do it out of food wrappers. They think it is fun when we go to a park to write. They absolutely think that going to a coffee house to write is extremely       groovy.

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