Akron Life March 2022

EDUCATION

C R E A T I V E B L A S T Canton camp combines outdoor fun and artistic education.

Summer is a great time to get kids outside — especially now, when some families don’t feel comfortable taking children to places like trampoline parks or laser tag arenas. Camp Country Day provides safe indoor and outdoor activities that put par ents at ease while providing kids a fun-filled time. “My biggest thing with summer camp is just providing that safe, fun, social interaction,” says Amber Cole, the director of Canton Country Day School’s lower school summer camp.

Cole says that field trips may include activities like mini golf and places like the Farm at Walnut Creek in Sugarcreek and Gorge Metro Park in Cuyahoga Falls. Walnut Creek has a pet ting zoo where kids can interact with animals such as giraffes and zebras. At Gorge Park, kids can walk through the woods and are free to take their shoes off and wade in the creeks. Each week on-site at the camp is different, with themes like Harry Potter, Star Wars, sci ence, music, hiking and more. Activities include learning how to play instruments, reading music, collecting bugs and examining them under micro scopes, roasting hot dogs for lunch, roasting marshmallows for dessert and much more.

This year, Cole is implementing a new activity — theater. She is brainstorming ideas for oppor tunities for kids to reenact a Shakespearean play, create cos tumes, learn lines and practice acting skills. This wide range of activities helps children be well-rounded, and Cole works to connect with kids of various learning styles, “We try to come up with activi ties that suit all the needs,” she says. “We try to do as many things hands-on as possible because that hits most kids. For some kids, hands-on is creating a model on the computer rather than creating a 3D model. And we absolutely are all for that.” whether they work best in groups or with a partner.

Cole aims to facilitate many outdoor activities to give the kids a break from masking and let them enjoy some fresh summer air. “We have them pack their own lunches. That adds a fun little layer to it,” Cole says. “We take lunch outside, we sit in the grass and we have a little picnic.” Overall, she wants to create expe riences kids will never forget. “I just want them to have mem ories that maybe they couldn’t have elsewhere,” Cole says. “I want them to have a blast.” Camp Country Day runs each week from June 13 to July 22. For more information, contact Amber Cole at 330-453-8279 or visit cantoncountryday.org . LG

Rising first through fifth graders can partake in an

exciting week of field trips and on-site activities that aim to be both educational and fun.

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