SUMMER CAMP AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING – A QUALITATIVE STUDY EXPLORING THE PERSPECTIVES OF SELECTED PARTICIPANTS, LIVING IN POVERTY, WHILE ATTENDING A SLEEP-AWAY SUMMER CAMP IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA

UNO Criss Library

Summer breaks vary in length and depth of experiences for many children and families. The summer learning gap has been widely researched as problematic to the cognitive, social, and emotional development for many children, especially children living in poverty. At the same time, best practices in summer learning initiatives have a narrow research scope. This qualitative phenomenological research study explores participants’ perceptions of their time at a sleep-away summer camp in Northern Minnesota. All participants were living in poverty during their time at summer camp. A major focus will examine summer learning opportunities and the importance of creating experiences for every child to learn, grow, and flourish during these long breaks.

Keywords: informal learning environments, experiential learning, sleep-away summer camp, summer learning, summer learning gap, play, brain development, executive functioning skills