A couple of things I learned from several summers doing camps with kids. Policy is often determined by the insurance company. No matter how dumb an idea seems, or over the top protective, that insurance is the only thing that matters. I carried a knife all the time when working at camp. sometimes very ridiculous knives. But everyone knew me, and that was sort of "my" thing, and I had secure storage overnight since I had my own place to stay away from the kids.
I've heard lots of talk about "well 20-30 years ago we used to" and never, never take that at face value. Remember that times have changed. I've worked with gang kids that we were not told had violent backgrounds. I've had kids with FAE go from calm to stabby the moment they got near a pair of scissors (that was not fun when someone found out a box of stanley blades was missing......) One of the big things that I had to work against was older staff saying "we used to do it that way" and even the camps board of directors giving well meaning but foolish ideas based on their experiences in the 70s and 80s. A whole lot of that stuff is just plain not legal anymore, or the kids have no context in which to understand it. Remember, you don't know these kids. You don't know who has the anger control issues, or only has movie bad-asses for adult role models. I had kids get very disappointed that the air guns we used were not styled after video game guns. You also don't know which of you co-workers has the tendency to act like a 13 year old, or forgets which side of a knife is sharp.
Teach all kinds of skills, but be aware that you may be responsible for what those kids do with those skills. Traps are cool, but what is that going to look like in a newspaper? that kid might be totally cool with it, and maybe even their parents. But unless that is okay with the folks running the camp, its too big a nest of bees to mess with.
I'm not saying that its not a good idea to teach. I really enjoy teaching kids skills that are outside of their day to day lives. I've taught kids fire making, and how to use knives, archery and airguns. But I had the cover of my leadership team, and approval under the liability coverage. I've also seen the most innocent comment, or action get taken out of context and good people get blacklisted from working at camps. I know people who have been brought up on charges (ultimately they were dropped) because they stepped outside of the set boundary. If the kids are coming to the camp to learn wilderness skills, and the parents have sent them knowing what kind of skills those are, then thats cool, if its the kind of camp where everyone hangs out in tents for a week and goes on "nature walks" then just be mindful of what might offend someone. Its crappy, but its the world we find ourselves in.
And if the leadership want you to teach skills that are not part of the regular program, ask about the insurance. Because there is always that chance that something can go wrong, and you don't want to be the guy out in the cold on it. I really don't mean to be a spoil-sport. Just be very aware of what you are doing, and how it can be viewed out of context. Document stuff, and make sure you are covered, make sure the leadership are okay with what you are doing. Then have fun, I'm sure you will learn a lot, and it will be a great time.
