by Barbara Gilmour
The kids all came to class excited. When Ms. Gilmour asked them why they were so happy, one by one they said, “No more school!” “No homework!” “It’s summer!” “It’s fun time!”
Ms. Gilmour added, “It’s also CAMP time!” Everyone cheered for camp.
She then added, “What are some types of camps that you may be going to this summer?”
Tanner was first to say, “I’m excited to go to sleep away camp for two weeks.” Nicole said, “I’m going to Girl Scout Camp with Carmen.” Carmen added, “I can’t wait. It will be so much fun.”
Rudy shared, “My school has a cool day camp that lasts the whole summer. We do lots of fun things.” Steven, who is crazy about sports, added, “I’m going to a sports camp with my whole team. We learn and practice every day. That sounds like it’s hard, but it really is fun.”
Truman, who had been quiet while the other kids talked, said that he was going to be part of a neighborhood camp. Some of the kids asked what that was about. He said, “We have a lot of
kids in my neighborhood, and other nearby ones, so our town has a cool camp that anyone can go to. We swim, play sports, do crafts, go on field trips, and other fun stuff. We even work on a play that we perform at the end of the camp.” The kids all agreed that Truman was going to have a good time this summer.
Ms. Gilmour then mentioned, “In our last few classes, we were talking about being Cool Kind Kid Challengers in school, especially in the classroom. What do you think are some ways to be Cool Kind Kid Challengers when at camp?” Nicole said, “I think many of the things we said about school apply to camp. We should be respectful to the counselor or instructor, just like our teacher.” Carmen added, “We should be respectful to other kids, just like in school. That means being accepting, kind, and caring.”
Rudy was waving his hand, “We should be respectful of camp property, just like school property.” Everyone high-fived Rudy. Carmen added, “And we should do our best at camp, in sports, games, swimming, whatever; just like in school.”
Truman was eager to share, “We can definitely challenge our friends at camp to be accepting, kind, caring, and respectful, just as we should be in school. We can help kids learn that being mean, rude, teasing, and bullying aren’t cool. We can each be a good example for other kids. We can challenge kids to be friends with everyone, even if they are different from us.” The kids all cheered for Truman.
Ms. Gilmour then added, “Many of you will be at camp for the 4th of July; so how should Cool Kind Kid Challengers celebrate that holiday?” “With respect!” “With flags!” “With a parade!”
“With fireworks!” were some of the kids’ lively suggestions as they left class.
(C) Cool Kind Kid
Barbara Gilmour, Tanner’s grandmother, is the creator and developer of the “Cool Kind Kid” Social Skills, Character Values and Anti-Bullying educational materials and the award-winning “Cool Kind Kid” Audio CD. She also writes the Children’s Manners Blog, offering tips for teaching your children manners and social skills. www.CoolKindKid.com.
