Camp, this year serving as head camp counselor and
organizing all of the activities for the five-week program.
Each week had a different theme, with the Kid’s
Camp running from June 22 to July 24. First up was
Transportation, a week devoted to vehicles. Kids made
paper airplanes, had Hot Wheels tournaments, built
rocket ships and more. The following week, called Game
On, was dedicated to everything from Battleship to laser
tag on the lawn and giant inflatable Twister. During the
third week, the camp was centered around all things
culinary, with the children touring the NBCC kitchen,
making pizza and roasting their own s’mores. Then,
during NBCC Idol week, the kids performed a talent
show, enjoyed crazy hair day and had their faces painted.
Finally, during the last week—with a Tiny Scientists
theme—participants made their own slime, went on a
nature walk, witnessed science experiments and more.
“This camp was successful because this year we had
several different stations for the kids to participate in,”
Martinez explains. “Each station was a different activity,
which made the kids able to partake in more crafts and
activities.”
According to Martinez, there were a lot of stations
that really captured the kids’ attention. “Laser tag on the
lawn was a big hit, because the company brought out
props to make a battlefield and the kids played against
each other,” she says. “… Another activity that the kids
enjoyed was the talent show we had. The kids practiced
all week and then performed their talents and dances
at the talent show. During our culinary week, the kids
had the opportunity to make their own pizza, which
they then ate for lunch.” She adds that they also really
enjoyed the inflatable jump houses and water slides.
Although the pandemic made things more challenging,
they were able to divide the children up into smaller
groups to ensure the Kid’s Camp could still take place.
“Next year, we are ready for any challenges that we
might face,” Martinez says about the changes that were
made for 2020.
It was important to the NBCC staff to keep the
experience alive in light of these times. “Camp benefits
kids to grow and allows them to make memories [and]
become independent all while socializing and making
new friends,” Martinez explains. She says in addition to
the socialization aspect, they were able to learn teamwork
as well as responsibility with money due to the
reward dollars given out each week.
Overall, both swim team and the Kid’s Camp were
able to prevail and celebrate a successful summer with
a group of great kids. The coaches and counselors look
forward to welcoming families back to these beloved
activities next summer.
32 BAY WINDOW