Colby-Hume Center

Colby College owns a 10-acre parcel of land, including some 350 feet of lakefront, seven miles from the campus on the east shore of Messalonskee Lake (also known as Snow Pond) in nearby Sidney. The property was given to Colby in 1991 by Alan and Dorothy Hume, who reside there in a private home. Facilities available for general College use include a picnic area, a small beach for swimming (there are no lifeguards on duty - swim at your own risk), croquet, horseshoes, and two small bath/changing houses with toilets.

How are the children supervised?

Their counselors supervise the children from 9:00 AM to NOON. This coincides with the scheduled activities offered them at Colby every day for that week. This supervision is direct and facilitates the child's involvement in and enjoyment of the recreational activities offered. In addition, the supervisors help provide a secure and overall supportive environment.

The book discussion groups meet from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. The children are also supervised when participating in other Great Books sponsored activities in the afternoon, e.g., when preparing for a performance in the talent show.

What happens in the evening and after camp programming?

The children reunite with their family member(s). And remember that, at nighttime, the children will be dormed in close proximity with their family members.

What is a typical day for a child in Kids Camp?

Breakfast is served for all before 9:00 AM followed by a range of activities offered on the college campus. These activities are supervised by Great Books camp counselors. These counselors, in turn, are supervised by Junior Great Books Committee parents. Activities are recreational in nature and include time spent outside - weather permitting - and indoors at arts and crafts projects and games. Lunch is served from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. The book discussion groups meet from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

The afternoon might include other activities, such as preparation for the talent show, playing chess, for example.

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Junior Great Books at Colby College - 2024

Due to Covid, Junior Great Books at Colby will not be active this summer.

Camp Information

There is plenty to do at Colby Kids Camp. The arts and crafts room is just for Colby Junior Great Books attendees and siblings. During the day, the counselors supervise fun activities for all Juniors and siblings age 3 and older. At 1:00 PM, book discussions begin. Afterwards there is time for other activities, such as rehearsal for the the Kids component of the talent show held Thursday night.

The Colby Kids Camp offers:

• Indoor and Outdoor games
• The Talent Show
• Full run of the campus
• Arts and Crafts
• College meals and dorm living
• Socializing with new and old friends
• Colby's gym, tennis courts, running track, olympic pool
• Access via a beautiful nearby lake for swimming at the Colby-Hume Center

Colby Kids Camp Story

What really is the story behind the Great Books Colby Camp for Kids? What’s going on for those boys and girls when they show up at Waterville in the first full week in August?

As parents and grandparents we know how brilliant and malleable young minds can be. We see kids at Colby operating at higher and higher levels through books that are both fun and challenging. That is exciting in and of itself but what is even more exciting is to see how much fun the Colby Kids Program can be for both the kids and us.

Something different and amazing happened this past August. One of our regular attendees, a computer scientist, expert chess player and chess book author introduced the children to the game of chess. Some might call it a way of life rather than a game, but for our present purposes, it’s a game.

To see the kids last summer, those bundles of brilliant energy take to the game the way they did was one of the highlights of the week. What happened? Those kids took their boards and pieces and began playing the game everywhere- on the green in front of the dorms, the Recreation Center lounge, the dining room, in alcoves scattered through the dorms.

One of the books the children had been discussing, Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, used the imagery of chess, but now the content of that book was being embraced as an integrated experience.  

But just how does it start out when first a young person shows up for the Junior Program at Colby? A recent attendee wrote

I had almost no idea of what to expect or what to do, but when I asked questions, the Great Books and the Colby people were very considerate. They explained and made me feel at ease. In the Junior group, we play games to get to know each other, which helps us to feel comfortable during the discussions. The discussions help me further understand the books. I always want the sessions to be quite fun and they are. I love the day I get my books in the mail and I am most excited to read this year’s books.

The Shared Inquiry method of Great Books weaves this together for all our Colby Kids. Children—and adults—learn and experience from each other during and after every book discussion.

It is fair to ask what is the chief goal for any child who attends this program? We expect the child out of his/her prior school experience to have assimilated a somewhat passive learning style, to understand what the teacher has presented as a concept or idea in the classroom.

What the Colby Junior program offers is something more, the opportunity to become a teacher too—to exchange ideas with peers and others. Through this back and forth process a child can learn to listen to what the others are saying and how hers or his ideas might best be understood by others. Reading widely then becomes a technical skill to be appreciated for the autonomy it confers on you now and for a lifetime.

We said before that chess is a fun and challenging game, but not really a “way of life.” That of course is true and what is just as true is that over time, Colby Great Books, for children and adults, becomes that “way of life” and may help another young child “sit on the wall and tell the story of all.”

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