The Town of Niverville’s Recreation Department has been in full swing planning summer day camps since early spring. Jane Fast, summer camp coordinator, has spent two months planning every activity, craft, and game for the eight weeks of camps.
In July and August, Fast was joined by recent graduate Meghan McIntyre as a camp leader. The two staff were also joined by three volunteers—Norma Scarpetta, Jalen Sabourin, and Katie Matula—who helped photograph the camps.
“Summer camps are a way for kids to make friends, be outside, and enjoy being creative and having fun,” says Fast. “As a camp leader, I feel the responsibility to get to know each and every child as an individual; they are all so unique, and it brings me so much joy to watch how each personality contributes to the group.”
This year’s camps ranged in age group from as early as three years old to 13 years old. Fast planned a variety of the camps, such as Creative Camp, Just Girls Camp, Kinder Camp, Hollywood Acting Camp, Amazing Race, CSI Detective Camp, and Sports Camp.
“Some of the highlights from our camps this year have been making bath bombs, playing giant water balloon squirt gun whip cream twister, making ice cream in a bag, racing around town on bikes, and getting sprayed by the fire fighters,” Fast says.
McIntyre says that the best part of leading the camps is watching kids make friends and memories. “It’s amazing watching the kids open up, play and bond with each other,” she says. “Our goal is for everyone to have fun from the minute they get dropped off till they get picked up. At the end of every day we ask the kids their favourite part and to rate their day with a thumbs down or a thumbs up. We have never gotten thumbs down!”
“My passion for kids is what drives me,” Fast concludes. “Kids are so unique in so many ways; they surprise you with questions about things I would never think of, and their laughter can light up the room. It’s so exciting to meet the kids at the beginning of the week and so hard to say goodbye at the end. It’s been a joy to serve as a summer camp coordinator this year, and I have exciting aspirations for next year.”
