Article by Elena Ferrarin
Communications Coordinator
Northbrook Park District
Summer camps at the Northbrook Park District are starting to fill up, but there are still plenty of options for children and teens to enjoy exploring, playing, learning and making new friends.
Regular season camps start June 8, with pre-season camps in the first week of June and post-season camps until mid-August. Extended camp care is available starting at 7am and ending at 6pm throughout the summer.
With pre-season camp kicking off in just a few weeks, this is a great time for families to finalize their plans, Northbrook Park District Superintendent of Arts and Recreation Erin Sweet said.
“A great summer doesn’t have to be complicated; sometimes it starts with a great camp, caring staff, and kids excited to come back each day,” she said. “From friendships to field trips, special guests to swimming, games, crafts and new experiences, we can’t wait to welcome campers to enjoy a fun and active summer at the Northbrook Park District.”
The Northbrook Park District summer camp lineup features:
- Camp Sunshine and World Explorers for ages 3-5
- Kaleidoscope Kids, Lil Artists and Little Champions for ages 5-7
- Artistic Explorers and Theatre Arts Workshop for ages 8-14
- Sports Mania for ages 8-10
- Summer Escapades for ages 8-11
- Athletic Adventures for ages 11-14
- Hockey Training Academy for ages 5-14
- Skate and Dance for ages 5-15
- Skateboarding for ages 6-13
- Cooking for ages 5-11
- Lacrosse for ages 4-16
- Soccer for ages 5-13
- Counselor in Training for ages 14-15
- One week enrichment classes taking place after summer camp include Cooking, Sewing, Dancing, Art, Lego, Magic, Chess, Acting and STEM for ages 5-11. The Park District will provide transportation from camp to enrichment classes.
Parent Natalie Rogozinsky has already enrolled her daughter Naomi, 7, in Skate and Dance camp, which was a hit last year.
“She loved ice skating every day and she improved drastically by the end of the summer,” Rogozinsky said. “She made some good friends and liked interacting with the older girls who are counselors. She liked having them to look up to and getting to know them.”
Parent Jennifer LaPlante also has re-enrolled her three children in camp after they had a great experience last summer.
Her son Leo, 9, loves Artistic Explorers. “He really likes having a smaller group with a lot of counselors that seem to really have experience in the art field,” LaPlante said. “He did ceramics and different other art projects every day, and he loves to show them off! He learned many different media forms.”
Her son Louie, 6, will participate again in Kaleidoscope Kids, which offers a variety of themes through activities and crafts, plus pool time and field trips. “He really liked the mix of outdoor play, indoor art projects and all the structured activities,” LaPlante said.
Her youngest child, Collette, 4, who attended World Explorers last summer, is also enrolled in Kaleidoscope Kids.
“They all seem to be comfortable in their camps, and the counselors all have been really nice,” LaPlante said. “I also really like the spaces that the Park District has, because other camps don’t have an indoor space.”
Camp is the perfect environment for kids to build self-confidence and further develop their social-emotional skills, she said. “It’s definitely a great experience for them!”
The cooking camps are an exciting new offering that will take place in June in the upgraded kitchen of the newly renovated Northbrook Community Center at 3323 Walters Avenue.
The half-day camps will be led by instructors from Schoolhouse Kitchen, while enrichment classes will be led by instructors from Sticky Fingers. To learn more and enroll children in summer camp, visit nbparks.org/summercamps.