The Harker Summer Camp for students in grades 1-6 is both academically stimulating and tons of fun! In the morning, students grouped by age study language arts, math and an elective of their choice. The first session, June 20 through July 15, is in full swing and students are finding the work fun and interesting.
Classes don’t have homework and the second half of the day is pure fun. Students participate in group activities including arts and crafts, circus arts, slip and slide and relay races. In addition, students get a chance to spend time in the swimming pool both during group time and during Special Interest time, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., if desired. Students can play with friends outside their group and participate in crafts, games and more.
Christopher Smith, who will be going into grade 6 at Harker in the fall, has the usual morning regimen of Learning Opportunities in Literature (LOL), math and Truth or Folklore for an elective, and will take Go Green for his elective the last two weeks of his four-week session.
For him, the best thing about coming to Harker is “just the environment and the teachers, all the nice people you meet. My favorite part of the day is when we get together with the other classes and play games — it’s a rivalry, and swimming is fun because they teach you how to play water polo.”
Ilana Josephson, age 10 and going into grade 5, said she likes Harker camps because, “It is kind of fun meeting new people and not being bored at home,” and loves the swimming component because “it’s really hot!”
Brooklyn Cicero, who attends Harker during the school year and will be in grade 2, also likes the swimming. “I like friendship recess,” where groups of dfferent ages mix to play games, she added.
Field trips are a nice diversion for campers and include a variety of outings. Harker’s own transportation director organizes the bus, group leaders, counselors and camp directors lead and supervise. “Yesterday we went to LazerQuest,” said Smith. “That was so much fun.”
Fellow camper Sebastian Casellas also enjoyed the laser tag trip and looks forward to the other outings during his session. “In the third week, I think we have having an overnight here,” he noted, “and in the last week we are going to an ice rink.”
Casellas is in his fifth year at Harker Summer Camp. “This is actually my favorite camp here. In the morning I take LOL then math or Truth or Folklore.” In the afternoon, he enjoys the recreational activities. “I like hanging out with all my friends that I meet every day, I like going to the game room, I like swimming, I like playing on the playground,” said Casellas. And he clearly enjoys the overall experience! “The counselors are the nicest people on earth — they are really nice to me, they are really inviting and all the kids here are super-nice and they just speak to me really well — they are really nice to me,” he said.