Chore Camp for Teens is a unique experience that you'll talk about for years to come. Imagine how jealous your friends will be when they hear that you've gotten to fertilize plants, mow the lawn, clean the gas grill, scrape paint, wash the deck, clean and replace all the tools you've used, and a thousand other little things. No more boring days playing video games, watching TV and saying things like, "There's nothing to do around here!" There's plenty to do at Chore Camp and you'll be doing them!

The good news is that Chore Camp is FREE! That's right, you'll be living at home, sleeping in your own beds, eating the very same food you've come to know and love. No crazy surprises here at Chore Camp. And you know you'll love your counselors because you already know them as Mom and Dad!

The first week, campers will play the weed pulling game every morning, and in the afternoon they'll laugh and cheer as they enjoy the mulching competitions! By the second day, most campers should be able to do this by themselves without help from the counselors. But not to worry, campers who need extra instruction will get it. Every noon, there will be exciting motivational talks by Mom and Dad on such things as "Why I Can't Hear You When You Whine" and "When You're 18 You Can Move Out and Live in Your Own Filth and Squalor."

Most kids think the second week of camp is even more fun than the first. That's when we move from Yard Chore Camp to Home Chore Camp. You'll be in the "separating the laundry" challenge almost every day, competing with other teams (your brothers and sisters) to see who can be the fastest. Then you'll get to feed and clean your very own animals -- right down to the litter box. After that, there's art appreciation class, or as Counselor Mom likes to call it, dusting and vacuuming. There's nothing like it to make teens feel like adults do every day.

Summer camp doesn't get much more fun than this; there's never a dull moment. The counselors will lead campers in their favorite songs such as, "This is the way we load the dishwasher, load the dishwasher, this is the way we load the dishwasher early in the morning," and, "This is the way we clean the tub, clean the tub, clean the tub, this is the way we clean the tub, early in the morning."

And you'll learn many new songs to sing around the microwave at night, like "This Is the Way We Scrub the Floor" and "This Is the Way We Make the Bed," which are easy to learn and sure to put a smile on everyone's face. Campers will learn the names of many different cleaning products and how and when to use them.

By popular demand, there will a new feature this year called "Watch Dad Write Checks." Campers will sit quietly while Counselor Dad explains exactly how much it costs to run Chore Camp. He'll explain such things as kilowatt-hours, roaming charges, the price of gas, medicine and rising college tuitions. He may even get into the costs of food and clothing. New shoes are a particular favorite of his.

Many campers say they've never had two weeks fly by so fast.

Many ask what they have to do to come back to Chore Camp next year. They don't have to worry; enrollment next year is automatic because Chore Camp is a prerequisite, which must be completed before going off to soccer, baseball, football, swimming, horseback riding or any other kind of summer camp for many families.

And the greatest thing about Chore Camp is that it never really ends. After a few years, the campers want to do the things they've learned all the time, and many of them eventually become counselors themselves.

(Contact Jim Mullen at JimMullenBooks.com.)