Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 4-5-17

18 I SUMMER CAMPS & OPPORTUNITIES I
Camps:
LEGO® Mindstorms® Robotics
Minecraft TM • Super Heroes
Galaxy Far Away (Star Wars)
Bat League: Heroes and Villains
Teenage Brick Turtles
Jr Robotics (may include Remote Control)
Trip to the Zoo – Duplos® pre-K to 9
Extraordinary atmosphere for students
to build unique creations, play games,
and have loads of fun using
Bricks 4 Kidz Model Kits
Visit bricks4kidz.com/chesterfield
for West County &
St. Charles County locations
314-287-5876
Summer Camps • Birthday Parties
START PLANNING
YOUR SON’S
SUMMER TODAY!
Get more information
at www.desmet.org/
spartansummer,
or call the Spartan
Summer Camp office
at 314-567-3500,
or email Nancy at
nsokolik@desmet.org.
The Tidwell
Tennis Academy
Join Tennis Professional
Craig Tidwell
for an eight-class tennis session at
Francis Howell Central High School.
• Classes Begin June 8th
• Weekday and Weekend Classes offered.
• Junior and Adult Classes offered
- including a Cardio-Tennis Class.
• Excellent student to teacher ratio.
• Classes geared towards beginner
and intermediate level players.
Go to: www.tidwelltennis.com
for more information
Summer Camp
for Boys at
De Smet Jesuit
Spartan Summer is a brand new summer
camp program at centrally-located
De Smet Jesuit. It’s a great way for
middle school boys to learn, make new
friends, and play a variety of sports
where the emphasis is more on fun,
less on competition.
• 11 Academic Camps, including Arts
and Sciences
• 16 Sports Camps
• Mix and match to make it a full day
with lunch included
• All camps are led by De Smet
Jesuit faculty
TENNIS CLASSES
April 5, 2017
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
By GLENNA ALLEN
In today’s world where the only constant
is change, summer camps everywhere are
revising curricula and activities to embrace
new values, new technology and new experiences.
Designed to address the needs of
campers in a multi-generational, multi-cultural
and greater risk-taking society, camp
leaders are finding ways to fully engage
imaginations and creative processes and
turn them into opportunities for learning.
Here are some exciting activities and
programs appearing in resident camps and
day camps this summer.
Sustainability
The desire to leave a smaller environmental
footprint has reached the camping
industry. More and more camps are finding
ways to teach campers about recycling,
conservation and sustainable living.
Some camps have even eliminated the
use of paper plates and plastic utensils.
For years, the Girl Scout and Boy Scout
organizations have encouraged campers
not to disturb anything in its natural state,
whether a bird’s nest that appears empty,
a beehive that’s dormant or wildflowers
growing in the fields, and this concern for
the environment has expanded beyond
the outdoor camp experience. All types of
camps encourage recycling and some even
have their own gardens, cared for by the
campers, the produce is used in culinary
programs as well as in meal preparation at
camp.
Community service projects
Camps all across the country are organizing
community service projects that
give campers an opportunity to make a
difference in the lives of others. Campers
participate in endurance
feats to raise money for charities,
volunteer to help senior
citizens, donate their time to
paint and refurbish buildings
within a camp’s town and volunteer
at local homeless shelters,
all designed to promote
concern for the less fortunate.
Often kids who get a taste for
community service while at
camp want to continue volunteering
when they return
home – and that is a plus for
everyone involved.
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Summer camps keep pace with change
Adventurous fun
Day and resident camps
have always kept their eye
on new activities in which
children are interested. Some
of the latest activities introduced
at camps include skateboard parks,
go-karts, golf facilities, circus programs
and aquatic facilities. Most camps retain a
balance between traditional favorites and
the more adventurous and experimental
initiatives in order to provide a variety of
challenges for children with a wide range
of interests, while still delivering the core
programming for which summer camp is
known.
Visit days
Taking their cue from elementary
schools that offer meet-the-teacher days
and colleges that host high school juniors
and seniors for visits, many camps are
inviting new campers to spend a day or
an overnight at camp before committing
to attend for an extended period of time.
These visits allow campers and parents to
get a sense of the camp program prior to
deciding to register. It helps to build confidence
for future campers and they get
excited about the idea of going to overnight
camp, spending time on their own
away from their parents and sampling
camp life for a short period of time.
Nutritious snacks and meals
With all of the focus on childhood obesity
and nutrition, the trend toward offering
healthy food options has taken hold at
many camps. Resident camps incorporate
healthier food items and day camps encourage
healthy snack options such as fruit, raw
vegetables and plenty of water. The healthy
food choices can be found throughout the
dining areas, including salad bars with
grilled chicken, tuna, eggs and fresh vegetables,
baskets of fruit and other wholesome
selections. Parents can visit a camp’s
website or call the camp director for further
information about the camp’s menus.
233 NORTH NEW BALLAS
ST. LOUIS, MO 63141