More than 400 kids participating in summer camps put on by nonprofits throughout Maryland and the District met in Anacostia Park on Friday for a full day of field day fun.
There were about 100 volunteers spread across a giant field, overseeing campers from around a dozen different locations as they played soccer, inflatable sumo, football and tug of war. They also played with slime, did art projects and learned a few things about healthy living.
The 鈥渟ummer Olympics鈥� style of fun was a collaboration between So What Else and Mentoring Through Athletics. They do it every summer.
鈥淲e’re bringing kids back to the fun of outside. You won’t see any devices out here,鈥� said Ashley Montgomery, of Mentoring Through Athletics. 鈥淵ou’re going to see good old-fashioned fun. We have limbo. We have tug of war. We have slime making. We’re doing things that we did once as kids, and that our kids can actually experience it as well.鈥�
鈥淥ur camps are very 鈥� in some ways they’re basic,鈥� said Dave Silbert, of So What Else. 鈥淏ut in some ways they’re very holistic and well-rounded. All of our camps are free, so we have to meet kids where they are, and we have to build teamwork and build safety, fun.鈥�
鈥淭hen you kind of get up that pyramid into learning and education and skill building,鈥� he added.
As the day goes on and the air gets hotter, collaboration and sportsmanship also become lessons that the leaders here hope to impart.
鈥淭he larger lesson that I would love for kids to see is one: you can make relationships with people that you never met,鈥� said Montgomery. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with being social again. I think it’s also great to be able to connect with people from other camps, compete and still have fun.鈥�
Some of the kids who were participating all made clear that the fun and activities were the best part of the day. There was as much laughter during inflatable sumo wrestling as there was in tug of war. The social aspects was also something cited by the kids.
The afternoon is spent with a big kickball tournament, and that鈥檚 where the competition can get fierce, and Silbert said the staff can sometimes play a part in that.
鈥淪o you’re able to take those examples and take those lessons each and every day with these kids because every day there’s a there’s a crying child or an upset,鈥� said Silbert. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity to teach them some adversity and teach them how to handle adversity.鈥�
鈥淲hether it’s as an athlete, whether it’s as a student, whether as a parent, whether as a child, you have to be able to overcome adversity,鈥� agreed Montgomery.
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