Rookie Camp
Rookie Camp is a blast! The natural outgrowth of both our
long-running year-round classes and the early success of Summer of
Fun, it is intended as a transition from pre-school and
kindergarten to frontiers beyond. We've imbued "Rookies" with the
familiar (story time, face painting) and the new (sports
instruction, activity choices), sprinkled in an enviable
camper-counselor ratio (5:1) and vigorously stirred in an ample
helping of fun.
1:00 or 3:30, That Is The Question...
It has been our experience that many campers who begin the
summer leaving right after lunch are soon ready to stay longer and
take advantage of the afternoon's wild and wacky activities. With
our flexible pick-up times the change is easy to accommodate.
The Rookie Day
At morning drop-off all children will need to be signed in. If
you yourself are not picking up at the end of the day, make sure
that we have the name of the intended chauffeur on the sign-in
sheet. The first day, you will receive two camp t-shirts. And then,
moving down the table, if you are taking advantage of our hot lunch
program, your camper will be given a colorful wrist band. It's not
quite like the collection garnered at waterslides at Hawaiian
hotels, but we've had several kids who after a few weeks had
wristbands running all the way up to their elbows!
Most kids will then race off with their friends or join our
staff in games, puzzles or pre-camp coloring. Inevitably there will
be some whimpering and clawing of mommy thighs by hesitant
participants but this is completely normal. School psychologists
around the world earn their keep by advocating a gentle but timely
departure and to that end we have the best corps of transition
coaches in town. Cooper, Natalie and Rachel could dislodge a
clinging bear cub from his mommy. They're magic.
Once everyone is settled we divide our charges into groups
(friends most certainly can stay with friends) and set off on the
day's adventures. Soccer, baseball, hockey, basketball, football,
rugby, gymnastics, tag, relays, go-carts, miniature golf ...the
list goes on. Fun is our number one consideration, participation is
always more important than the score and for these young campers,
teaching the skills of sports and games that are invariably new to
them will make them more willing and confident athletes as they get
older.
Snack time tumbles into story time and our daily arts and crafts
project. After lunch (for the 3:30 pick-up Rookies) we embark upon
our themed activity of the day (Stalking the mysterious Sigafoos X,
Sherlock Holmes' scavenger hunt, American Idol talent show) and
then finish up with our water play and ice cream. When you show up
to collect your kids they will be happy, exhausted, filthy,
probably drenched and wearing a smile that will last until
bedtime.
Coaches Cooper and Pete will again preside over the program.
Most of the kids coming to camp know them from classes and not one
has ever uttered a discouraging word about their warmth, humor and
skill. Those who don't know Pete yet will be instantly enthralled
by his indecipherable British accent and welcoming vibe. Cooper is
a Peyton Manning fan who lives and dies for the Indianapolis Colts.
Tell him blue is your favorite color and he'll be your best friend
for life. I could recite the resumes of the rest of our fabulous
coaches but I'll let your kids do that for you as they chatter
excitedly all the way home from camp.
The bottom line is that Rookie Camp will be even better than
ever - if that's possible. A stimulating environment with a
superior and familiar staff will certainly add up to the summer of
your kids' lives.
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