Handicraft

It is safe to say that Camp Ozanam is a very active place. From the moment a child steps off the bus, the week is full of near constant physical activity. Be playing games on the field, biking, basketball, swimming, or any other number of things, there is certainly no shortage of opportunity to tap into the seemingly endless well of energy that children famously have. However, amidst all the chaotic fun, sometimes you need a moment to catch your breath and give some exercise to the mind instead. 

I was always a very artsy person, so as a camper my favourite activity was handicraft. This is a pattern that would continue throughout my career at camp, and remains true to this day. Handicraft is a very interesting case, as it can oftentimes be difficult to keep children engaged if one is not properly prepared to adapt on the fly. Younger children may lack the fine motor skills required for some crafts, while older children may be too busy thinking about what sports or games they’d rather be playing, making it hard to have them sit still for the full period. The necessity for flexibility when running handicraft gives it maybe the widest range of options of any activity when deciding how to run it. A real blank canvas. However, blank canvases can be very intimidating.

Art is usually not the primary extracurricular assigned to young boys. As a result, campers, and even the occasional counsellor, can be hesitant to try something that they don't believe they’ll excel at immediately. Without proper instruction, a camper can become so focused on making the end product ‘right’ that they forget that the process is supposed to be fun too! This is where your skills as a counsellor really come into play. Having two or three ideas prepared is essential to a smooth operation. Be it your own ideas, or one from the booklet so handily stored in the handicraft building with entries both recent and decades old. This is useful both as backup in case the children aren’t enjoying the current activity, or as a way to provide agency, giving the campers a choice as a group on what they would like to do. Some campers will naturally be more adept at certain crafts than others, and this can be an opportunity to build both leadership and teamwork skills! Encouraging the campers that are further ahead to teach the ones that are taking a bit longer to understand not only makes your life easier as the counselor running the activity, but builds essential skills and friendships amongst the cabin. All of this together can turn an activity that can be discouraging into one that engages the whole cabin in a unique way.

Maybe my favourite function of handicraft, however, is its role in sentimentality and the memories held on to. While a shared trait, primarily and often hand in hand with woodcraft, handicraft gives children a piece of camp that they can carry with them wherever they go, even after they return home. Painting a racecar from woodcraft to sit beside a bunk, making a sign to bring to lineup cheers, or even a homesick letter to take home to a waiting parent. These are all ways to show that camp is something that goes beyond a hazy childhood memory of a week in August. It can be something tangible that you can reach out, hold, and change as it changes you. The laughter you have with friends you may never see again as you paint each other's space ships. The kinship you feel as a group of strangers turns into a cabin of brothers working together to prove they’re the best. . A companion to inspire bravery for the first time you’re away from home.

Whenever the years get tough and I lose focus on what matters, I can always count on a little craft and a memory to bring a smile to my face.