Sleeping on a public walkway and having to bathe using only taps in a public toilet don’t sound like anybody’s idea of a fun-filled weekend, surely? And yet, 20 children and their parents who did just that recently had a blast of a time.
They were part of a “camp in” event at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur and any discomfort they experienced was but small beans in the face of spending time together as a family and learning new skills like pitching a tent.
Of course, actually camping out in a wilderness area would be the ideal, but event organiser Explorer Outfitter had a reason for setting the family camp indoors, explains Thomas Foo, co-owner of the outdoor gear retailer: “The first step in introducing city children to the great outdoors is to begin with subtle introductions. If you throw them out into the wild straight away, they may lose interest.”
Business partner Brandon Chee, who was part of the games and activities committee for the event, adds that the event’s goal is to introduce children to basic wilderness survival skills – not only how to set up camp, tie knots and perform basic first aid but also things like the environmentally responsible way of disposing of rubbish.
The inspiration for the event came from an experience Foo had. During one of the overland driving and camping holiday trips he organises, he witnessed an estranged father mending fences with a bitter son. So when the management of the shopping mall, Publika at Solaris Dutamas, approached Foo about
introducing a play element into its weekend activities, Foo’s first thought was to organise a camp night so parents and children could bond.
For one father it was, indeed, the perfect opportunity to do just that with his daughter. Jovey Lee, 41, a managing director at a software solutions company, says the camp in gave him a chance to “win back his daughter’s heart”.
About a week ago, Lee and Yi Rou, five, had a falling out, and as the debris settled after the father versus daughter bout, the little girl brought home a drawing she had made in school. In the family picture, everyone was drawn wearing a crown except Daddy. Lee was devastated and determined to make up with his little girl.
The first few hours after registration was nerve-racking, as Yi Rou sulked and regarded everything with disdain. Love kept the devoted father going. He repeatedly sang Yi Rou her favourite song, a cute ditty about jungle animals washing their clothes. He even performed it during the bonfire gathering at night,
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
