After the Boys & Girls Club flings open its doors next week for their annual summer club, the kiddos are sure to ask for s’more.
With the theme of a traditional summer camp, the friendly faces of the Corvallis club staff are set to welcome young campers starting June 20 with enough daily adventures to fill a canoe. Each week features a different motif of activities in arts and crafts, STEM-based projects, literacy, and sports to work off the wiggles in the gym and outdoors, said Casey Higgins, Teen Center director.
Junior jetsetters like Evie, 11, and Olivia, 8, are looking forward to setting their compass to fun with event themes ranging from Around the World in 80 Days to Harry Potter, from madcap scientists to savvy sleuths. Olympic-size play awaits campers at the end of the 10-week program with games, challenges, and an awards ceremony.
“My favorites are the Water Day outside, making towers out of marshmallows and eating them, and field trips like to the bowling alley,” said Evie, a six-year veteran of summer club. “It’s really fun.”
Meanwhile, club newbie Olivia hopes to get in a lot of time focusing on science, art, sewing and curling up with a good book.
Summer club hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, June 20-Aug. 26, with the exception of Monday, July 4. Campers are grouped by grade, first through third, and fourth to eighth. Registration is required and the weekly cost is $155, which includes lunch, snack, and supper at the club, with breakfast served at the Osborn Center, said Camryn Kimberly, STARS director. And thanks to grants and gracious donors, scholarships are available to those in need.
“We don’t want cost to be a barrier to the program,” Branden Todd, Clubhouse director, said.
Club staff partnered with local teachers to imbue the activities and curriculum with education to help prevent the “summer slide” of their academics, said Amanda Garcia, Club Experience director. “They’re playing games and having fun, but they’re learning, too.”
Health and safety protocols are in place year-round to protect the staff and children; all staff are vaccinated against Covid-19.
For more information, call the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis at (541) 757-1909. To register online, go to bgccorvallis.org. The club is located at 1112 NW Circle Blvd.
By Patty Reyes
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