Like hundreds of thousands of American teenagers, Jennifer Babb went to summer camp last year. She learnt all about how to prime dynamite, stood close enough to a controlled explosion to feel its percussive blast and finally blew up a frozen chicken.
Forget about swimming and barbecues: American children's summer camps are increasingly turning to adult pursuits to entice a new generation of tech-savvy teenagers.
In place of traditional summer fare such as canoeing and volley-ball, the camps are offering ever more sophisticated pursuits, from computer programming courses to espionage - otherwise known as "spy camp".
At the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST), a summer course in handling explosives has proved so popular that the 2008 sessions sold out months ago. "A bunch of my friends were really jealous when they found out I was going to explosives camp," said Babb.
Sceptics might think this the ideal training ground for a budding terrorist, but the organisers emphasise that the $500 (£250) week-long course is limited to teenagers who express an interest in studying engineering.
"You will have a behind-the-scenes look at how explosives are used in industry and entertainment," says the MST brochure. "But the number one thing you will do at the explosives summer camp is have fun!"
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