The final bell for the school year is just around the corner, and the Washington Township Parks and Recreation Department has the answer to the question, “What should my children do this summer?”
With a list of summer camps for any age and interest, the department is looking to make things as easy as possible for parents.
“It’s very convenient for the kids,” administrative assistant in the parks and recreation department Denise Kowalski said. “It’s convenient because it’s close to home, it keeps them all together in the township. It helps the parents, it’s very convenient.”
While accessibility is key, it’s also important to keep the activities centered around things kids like. Administrative assistant in the parks and recreation department Gianna Tarasevich expanded on this thought.
“It really gives the children something to do during the summer instead of sitting in the house,” she said. “I feel it also gives them an opportunity to explore a sport or maybe make new friends as well at some of these different camps.”
The summer camps are broken into three categories: Activities, athletic camps and sports camps/leagues. The activity category includes camps for acting, dance, arts and crafts STEM and police work for folks as young as 1 year old. The athletic category has some traditional camps held at Birches and Bells elementary schools, as well as camps that focus on physical education. These camps are for children ages 5 to 12 or 5 to 13. The sports leagues category focuses on specific sports such as basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and volleyball. There are camps for elementary and high school aged students.
According to Tarasevich, a lot of the summer programs are run by teachers or former teachers in the Washington Township School District. This familiar setting can be beneficial for the students.
“It really helps with building friendships,” she said. “A lot of camps run from elementary age through middle school. The kids are transitioning, they can make friends in different schools.”
Kowalski noticed in the past camps at Bells and Birches schools, the sports camps and game time camps are usually the most popular. She recommends to sign up sooner rather than later.
For a complete list of summer camps, including age range, dates, times, locations and cost, visit www.twp.washington.nj.us. To register and pay for the camps, visit the parks and recreation office in the municipal building on Egg Harbor Road.
