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Summer Camp

Date: Aug 07 2009

Themes: Family, Holidays

Grammar: Be Able To

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Intro

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A typical American childhood just isn’t complete without a summer camp experience or two. In the summer, when most kids don’t have school, many parents choose to send them away to camp for a couple weeks, or even longer.

There are different kinds of special summer camps, like sports camp, music camp, or dance camp, where kids develop a particular interest or talent. There are even math camps for kids who love solving math problems—or whose parents are especially cruel. But the typical camp experience is all about sleeping in log cabins, eating in a communal mess hall, getting crushes on the camp counselors, hiking and swimming and doing other activities in the great outdoors.

Not everybody loves summer camp, though. For some kids, it can be a traumatic experience to be separated from their parents for a long time. Find out if Mason and Dale’s memories of camp are sweet or sad.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dale

Mason

Dale: Have you been to summer camp, Mason?

Mason: Dude, that was like the defining part of my youth, was every summer I went to a sleep-away camp for like three weeks.

Dale: So how was that, did you miss your parents, family?

Mason: You know, I remember being young and freaking out the first year about thinking three weeks away from home was a really long time. And no, it ended up…you end up having so much fun that it doesn’t really enter into your thoughts.

Dale: Do you believe that it’s like a rite of passage?

Mason: Definitely. It’s a formative experience to be able to, one, get away from parent supervision, two, kind of have this little space where you’ve got structured activity but still a lot of freedom. And you’re supervised enough to know that you’re not gonna get in trouble but can kind of just explore and feel adventurous.

Dale: Did you learn a lot about nature?

Mason: Yeah. The big thing, we did a fishing camp-away night. And we literally…we fished enough that we brought back food to feed the entire camp for a dinner, with all the fish that we caught. Which was like, “Man go out, man bring food.”

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Discussion

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Dale asks Mason about his summer camp experiences. Mason spent three weeks at a sleep-away camp every summer when he was a child. The first time he went, he thought he would miss his family. But he had so much fun at camp that he didn’t feel lonely or homesick.

Mason thinks summer camp is an important rite of passage for kids. It allows them to be away from home and experience freedom but still have some structure and supervision. It’s also a good opportunity for kids who live in the city to experience nature. When Mason was a camper, he went on a fishing trip and helped catch enough fish to feed the entire camp.

Have you ever been to summer camp? Do you think it would be fun? Is it important for children to spend time in nature?

Comments

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mayrelis

Dominican Republic

It`s very interesting but I couldn`t do it more than three days because I find it quite uncomfortable to sleep on the floor.

shocmatekero

Morocco

hi i have never been in a camp summer but anyway i want to try it one day coz the majority our summer holiday we spend it on together at home or on travelling

saeedjackson

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I've never been to a summer camp. But from what I've heard and seen in movies, I think it's an interesting experience. I want to go on vacation next week and I prefer to go to the wild and recharge my batteries for school. No I'm not a student. I'm a teacher and dealing with little kids requires vigor that you can gain from going to the great outdoors. So if you get itchy feet, hit the road and have a whale of time in mother nature.

Aus_LT

Lithuania

i was at many campsa and mostly i loved almost all. in camps i love to meet new friends do some activitys.

omrano1982eng

Syrian Arab Republic

if any one like to camp with me contact me my hotmail oelectro

omrano1982eng

Syrian Arab Republic

if any one like to camp with me contact me

omrano1982eng

Syrian Arab Republic

if any one like to camp with me contact me

white love

Viet Nam

my summer holiday had just come my home and enjoin it with my family, sometime i met my friends, but we just walk around and talk together about what happend with us.because we work or study far away our home. and long time to meet together.it very happy

but sometime i realy like a real summer camp. i like sunshine and beach, but we cant do that, we cant do that.

sukya

China

yeah,camps are important for children to learn special skills and make like-minded friends!!!

omrano1982eng

Syrian Arab Republic

I like summer camp and Ihave a tent for camp , but I prefer camping with grope

egudelci

Turkey

I have not been to a summer camp before . it is not so popular here , at least in the part of country I live, to sign children up for summer camps. Mostly parents who accept the contemparary way of life , or more liberal ones are likely to pursuie these kind of stuff.

I believe children have a chance to socialize with other children and the children can get through the period between youth and adulthood fast . They learn the basic elements of adulthood like taking responsibility or they learn how to balance between their own interest and group interest.They come to understand meaning of being a part of a group. besides, All the troubles that might confront them teach how to tackle them . these experinces all stimulate their growth for future

nguyenhuynh

Viet Nam

Hi Englishbaby, How can I listen the audio online?

I can not listen when I click on the Listen to Dialog. Does any problem with my computer or just simple It's not suported?

wedia

China

My vacation will last the end of this month ,during these days,I worked at fujian of china.Next month ,I will go to Da lian,which is a beautiful city of china..hehhe,,,The maritime university !

Rezon 邬

China

my summer vacation has come to a close,I'm going back to school on August 9.Senior year(senior 3),I will Bear down in my studies,and enter a good university next year,let my dream has become a reality!