Oakdale Joint Unified School District’s summer camp has just finished up its fourth week of activity for the season.
Each week is packed with lessons, crafts, clubs, and field trips and the camp sessions run through July 28. The first week of camp began on Monday, June 5.
Mondays are designated for activity enrichment and lead into field trips on Tuesdays. Based on the themes for each week, activities can range from “cooking and nutrition lessons, science experiments, and sports clinics” as Summer Camp Supervisor Kacie Conover explained.
Just this past week, students had a lesson on infrared lights to lead into their field trip to Laser Quest. In this way, each theme outlines a mini-curriculum.
Conover expressed that one of her favorite parts of the camp are the field trips that the kids take.
“I think the field trips expose our kids to new experiences, new memories, and a lot of them are still exploring where we live,” Conover noted.
Their aim to keep their trips local ensures that students are getting to learn about their community and can possibly return to field trip destinations later on with their families.
The farthest trip will be in Week 7, July 17 to July 21, where students will visit The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and will get to further their hands-on experiences.
On a more local level, students visited Jessop Farms and picked their own blueberries to bring home and eat for snack during the camp.
“The fact that they got to be a part of and see a local family’s farm in full operation so that was cool for them, knowing where their food comes from,” Conover relayed.
Wednesday through Friday, students spend the day visiting The Plunge, engaged in clubs, participating in free play, and more.
Three times a week, the supervisors and students walk to the local pool to play for an hour.
“Not only do they love swimming, but they get an hour of physical activity,” Conover explained, “and if the kids look like they’re having a good time, then we’re having a good time too.”
When they’re back at the school, there are three clubs to be involved in: engineering, computers, and art.
“I love Engineering Club because you get to build with Legos,” student Elissandra Digino said. When asked what her favorite part of the program was, she responded: “We get to hang out with our old friends and make new friends.”
Students and supervisors alike get the chance to make connections outside of their home schools – Cloverland, Fair Oaks, Magnolia, and Sierra View.
“We all come from all the sites and merge together,” Conover noted, “and you can tell people love what they do here.”
For more information about enrollment and pricing on the Super Summer Camp, call 209-848-4884, or visit www.ojusd.org.
Super Summer Camp has its headquarters at Magnolia Elementary School and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is open to kindergarten through sixth grade students. Campers must bring their own lunch, but snacks are provided.
