how is camp like an ice cream cone?

By Laura Marrocco, Program Innovation and Evaluation Fellow

Ice cream (n) - a well-loved summertime treat. The flavors are limitless. Among thousands of choices, you have the traditional; chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, the popular; cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, and Chunky Monkey, and the innovative; honey jalapeño, strawberry basil, and cinnamon toast. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, "What in the world does ice cream have to do with camp?" Well, let’s take a look at the story of the ice cream cone:

The first ice cream cone was created at the St. Louis World’s Fair by Ernest Hamwi in 1904. His waffle booth was next to an ice cream vendor who ran short of dishes. Hamwi rolled a waffle to contain the ice cream, and voila! The cone was born.

Essentially, both the ice cream cone and the incredible experiences that take place at camp are a result of the same process – INNOVATION!

At SeriousFun Children’s Network, we value the traditions of camp; but there is also a well-researched, well-executed method behind the "magic" of camp that can always be improved upon. Want a better way to serve ice cream? --Innovate and you get a cone. Want to make a deeper, longer lasting impact on kids? --Innovate and you get a richer camp experience.

Here are three reasons we channel our inner ice cream cone:

1. We Want More Sundaes: Innovative ideas can allow us to serve more children and families. Innovation allows us to continue encouraging the positive impact, while also increasing the benefits of our camp programs. With this in mind, SeriousFun Children's Network has created their first ever Program Innovation Grant program, which will provide additional funding to two member camps, allowing them to test new programs that, if successful, can be adopted by other camps in the Network.

2. Innovation Keeps it Relevant: The needs of our campers change, and new ideas create more relevant activities. We know that camp encourages our campers to engage in more friendships; so how can we increase that impact with more intentional programming? Our Outcomes Evaluation Study, conducted in partnership with the Yale University Child Study Center, showed positive impact across a variety of categories including, increased confidence, increased self-esteem, increased independence, and new friendships. Check out the full study here.

3. Churning the Creative Minds of Tomorrow: How often have you heard that children are more creative than adults? At camp, we want to keep creativity flowing. Innovation is all about thinking differently. We think differently in our approach with campers so that our campers also feel encouraged to think differently, embrace their individuality, and learn to love what makes them unique. In the words of our founder Paul, "Know who you are and what’s special about you."