The Goodtimes Project/Camp Goodtimes
COCA Best Activity Category 2023
Where Has the Time (Machine) Gone
Stardate Summer 2023: campers have returned to a post-pandemic world (though let’s be real, we still required vaccinations and a negative COVID test) and it was camp’s 40th summer-versary which got us a little nostalgic. In honor of both those things, our camp theme was Goodtimes Time Machine: A Blast from the Past which played nicely into letting campers expand their horizons and think about times and places—past, present, and future—that they’d like to go to/experience. And, what better way to get there than a time machine! On the first night of camp, every cabin gathered its crew and were each given the following prompt, “Build a time machine. Give it a name, describe how it works, and share why you need the time machine—what’s the reason you’re time traveling, what point in time are you going to, and what happens when you get there?” Given the same construction materials—which included two differently sized cardboard boxes, colorful craft tubes and mini gift boxes, paper and plastic gears and knobs, plastic lightbulbs, recycled circuit boards, and supplies (tape, scissors, markers, and number and letter stickers)—and their imagination, every cabin transported us in time for an out-of-pocket per cabin cost of $16 (a portion of supplies were gifted to us by our supportive community via Amazon Wish List). But before any time machines could engage to warp speed, camp needed to create an energy portal that could only come from doing the Time Warp dance (from the Rocky Horror Picture Show), naturally. Some of the most memorable trips our campers concocted:
• Cretaceous Era to discover the “real” origins of Dino Nuggets (yep, turns out they’re made from real dinosaurs).
• Ice Age where burritos frozen in ice were thawed and brought to the future by the Burrito Bandits to become the fan favorite they are today.
• Travel via the Time Traveling Porta Potty (TTPP for short) that converted pizza into fuel (you don’t wanna know how!). :)
• Egypt in 30 BC to meet the goddess Isis/Aset, the Egyptian goddess of healing who could cure cancer.
• Year 3012 where Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj’s party (per their song) was indeed going strong, and so was Camp Goodtimes!
Why You Should Vote for Me
1. The time machine activity gave campers an immediate opportunity to bond and work as a team to create something imaginative, without a right or wrong answer, and contribute in different ways—some campers were keen on the build, others decoration/artistry, and others the storytelling.
a. Having multiple activity prompts also appealed to and accommodated for camper’s varying personality types and psychosocial needs.
2. The activity encouraged campers to embrace the camp week’s theme with light-speed quickness so buy-in, a sense of play, and permission to be goofy were established from the get-go.
3. The activity used simple materials/supplies which meant that camper’s imaginations were front and center as the super star of the evening. We let campers shine!
4. Who doesn’t love a cheap and easy activity that still packs a punch!