A choice summer

Steve & Kate's Camp puts kids in the driver's seat

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Danette Riehle would like to tell you what your kid’s day will be like at Steve & Kate’s Camp in Boulder, but she won’t know exactly until that day is over.

At this camp, the campers are in charge.

“At Steve & Kate’s we put kids in the position to decide what they want to do and how long they want to do it,” says Riehle, “Self-Director” at Steve & Kate’s Camp at Manhattan School of Arts. The original Steve & Kate’s Camp opened in California in 1980, and now there are 38 locations nationwide.

Unlike summer camps scheduled with age-defined activities, Steve & Kate’s campers choose their fun from a broad menu. They can hang out in interest areas from the Arcade to the Media Lab, the Sewing Salon and the Bakery. They can head outside for sports or chill in the Library.

“For instance, say you want to sew something. We instruct about safety, but we don’t formally teach how to do any activity. We have pre-cut tank top and apron pieces, full-size sewing machines and instructions available on an iPad,” Riehle says.

Campers are encouraged to experiment and make mistakes. “They might end up sewing a pocket shut. We smile and problem-solve with them. It’s really up to the kids,” she says.

In the kitchen, there is pre-made dough the kids can shape and bake with various ingredients for a treat they can eat or take home.

Sometimes a chosen activity turns out to be less than captivating. “This isn’t school, so there art a lot of corrections along the way,” Riehle says. Some campers who are used to being micro-directed are challenged by freedom. “There are definitely children who are used to being instructed and are waiting on us. We’ll give them ideas, but mainly it’s: ‘Jump right in!’ The important thing is to get to know the children personally to help the ones that are a little hesitant,” Riehle says.

A day pass at the camp comes with lunch and multiple snacks (not to mention sunscreen). “Kids can basically eat what they want when they want. They order lunch in the morning, but they can change their mind,” she says.

Vegan, gluten-free pizza, salads and lunch specials such as pasta and burritos are available in the Market. Campers can also stop in for whole fruit, yogurt tubes, crackers and frozen snacks.

A rolling lunch period minimizes interruptions to projects. 

“When you treat kids like small adults and let them drive, power struggles go away. They always have choices. It almost eliminates behavior problems you sometimes have,” Riehle says.

Activities are not divided by age. Most of the campers at Steve & Kate’s Camp in Boulder are kindergarten through fourth grade. “After fifth grade, it starts to peter out as kids develop special interests. The older graders become mentors to the younger kids,” she says.

Steve & Kate’s Camp is famous for Pie Day, which is traditionally every Friday at camp. There are competitions with campers and staffers. The winners get to pie the losers in the face with non-dairy whipped cream with one caveat. “The campers always have to ask first — ‘Can I pie you?’ Some kids pie themselves, and of course everybody eats it,” Riehle says.

Making a mess is an intrinsic part of the day at this camp. Families send extra clothes along with the campers.

“It’s messy, but fortunately, we have a water feature every day, so they get washed off. We have different outdoor activities set up. They love the three-lane bungee run, the Nerf day, and we have a great slip-‘n’-slide that’s a lot more fun than the old ones,” Riehle says.

Riehle has been an educator, sports coach and arts camp counselor. She’s also a mom. “I was particularly attracted to Steve & Kate’s because it’s so flexible. Some campers stay all summer. We see another child a couple of days. You can use a day pass any day the camp is open. If a child is sick, you can use the pass another day. If you travel, you can use it at another camp,” she says.

That kind of flexibility for parents is highly unusual for summer camps, and the campers seem to like it, too.

“The biggest compliment we get is when we hear kids tell their parents, ‘Don’t pick me up until 6,’ when they arrive at camp at 7:30 a.m.,” Riehle says.

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