Amazon brings summer camp experience home - virtually
Kids who cannot attend camp this summer due to COVID-19 concerns have a new digital option – “Camp Prime.”
Amazon is partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to launch Camp Prime, a free program open to everyone designed to virtually substitute for the in-person summer camp experience. Camp Prime includes the Camp Prime Handbook, a digital guide featuring activities using items from around the house, including building a classic campfire (minus the flames) visiting the camp canteen (the kitchen) to make healthy snacks and learning to garden with an upcycled box.
In addition to the handbook, starting on Tuesday, July 14, Amazon will start updating its corporate blog with how-to videos from experts who will walk families through summer activities that can be enhanced with Amazon devices. A new video will be posted every day between July 14-18 at 1pm EDT/10am PDT and be made available for the entire summer on the Amazon blog and on each expert host’s Instagram page. Activities will include building sailboats from pool noodles, family meditation, storytime, beatboxing, and dance class.
Chief Amazon rival Walmart is also running a virtual summer camp that provides families with access to 50 Camp by Walmart activities for free by visiting the Walmart app. Celebrity- and expert-led camp sessions will roll out across the summer.
Camp Prime attendees can further add to the experience by interacting with the Alexa voice assistant by saying, "Alexa, What is Camp Prime?" to get more information about the summer program and "Alexa, tell me the fun fact of the day" to start out their camp day with an educational anecdote. Prime members can also extend the Camp Prime experience through additional themed content with Prime Video, Prime Reading, and Amazon Music as part of their memberships.
"The past few months have challenged parents and kids alike, and I know many families, including my own, were looking forward to their summer traditions this year," said Jamil Ghani, VP of Amazon Prime. "That's why we partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to bring families the Camp Prime Handbook. The handbook is free for everyone and is full of activities families can do with supplies easily found around the house. With the Boys & Girls Clubs' 160 years of experience providing youth camps, we've created an experience that will help families make the most of this unique summer, building on Prime's year-round goal to help make people's lives a little easier, more convenient, and more fun every day."
As part of this initiative, Amazon will provide $500,000 in donations to Boys & Girls Clubs locations across the country to support summer programs.