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 (4:1) 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, Krysti and Natalie 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 follows and then 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 (King Tut mummy creation, 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.

More

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.