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Exploring 'Adventures in Cardboard' camp

With 30 week-long sessions across ten locations in the Twin Cities the camp focuses on being outside and being creative.

EAGAN, Minn. - Summer camp is a wonderful place to make great memories and life-long friends. You can find a camp to fit virtually any interest you might have, so when one particular camp started exploding in Minnesota, we wanted to find out more. What makes Adventures in Cardboard camp so special? The answer lies in its simplicity.

“Hear ye, hear ye, we have the official list of the rebellion,” someone yells in the woods.

It’s a strange thing to utter, but once you understand what’s happening, it all starts to make sense.

“There are probably 50 or 60 story lines here that are weaving together. Some of them drop off and disappear only to spring back with a vengeance the next day, and we can’t track it all, and it would be useless to try,” says Julian McFaul, creator of Adventures in Cardboard camp.

Julian McFaul, creator of Adventures in Cardboard camp. Credit: Ron Stover, KARE 11

This session of Cardboard camp is at Carponi Art Park in Eagan. It’s theatrical week, which means it’s a bit “extra”, if you will, in terms of antics.

One camper plays a homemade trombone, as another camper dressed in a suit of armor made completely out of cardboard, dances to the tune. It’s not just the armor made of cardboard, everything here is. The castle, the village bank, even the guillotine is formed out of stiff brown paper. All of it created by kids. Played with by kids. Allowing kids, to be truly kids. And that, says Julian, is the whole point.

“Sometimes I’ll ask them, “what’s your favorite thing about camp?” in front of their parents, and they’ll say, “oh you let us do anything we want,” and I’m like, “No, that’s not entirely true, but I’m glad you think that!” laughs Julian.

Adventures in Cardboard camp. Credit: Ron Stover, KARE 11

With a background in theater, and kids of his own, Julian felt imagination and exploration were becoming a thing of the past. That’s why he created this camp with the simple idea of getting kids outside, getting them to be creative and letting them be themselves. There are basically three activities. Campers are either building, playing games, or in free role play. That’s it. Once they are in an activity the rest is up to their imagination.

“I feel way more out there when I’m here because you can do crazy things, and no one cares. People can run around cutting people’s heads off and it’s like a normal thing, so I definitely feel like I can let my nerdy side out a little bit when I’m here,” says camper Tessa.

Don’t let the whole cutting people’s heads off thing scare you. This is medieval times after all and the swords, lest we forget, are made of cardboard. Also, there are two rules at camp: Be safe and be kind.

“I say, “I love you, and you, and you,” and they go, “Oh God Julian,” and then I say, “but if I see thee on the trail I shall slay thee,” but they know behind everything is this sense of love, and play and acceptance. They can be anybody they want out here and we just accept it and roll with it,” says Julian.

Adventures in Cardboard camp. Credit: Ron Stover, KARE 11

And that right there, is why this camp has become so popular. It started just five years ago with kids building sets and costumes. Next summer there will be 30 week-long sessions at ten locations around the Twin Cities.

All of them focused on the belief that being outside, being creative and energetic are all good, healthy things.

If you missed camp this summer, there are plenty of Fall programs coming up.

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