With hot summer temperatures in the upper 90s and low 100s, being outdoors may not be your first choice. However, the dozen youngsters that participated in the week long Outdoor Adventure Camp last week in Riverbank made the best of their time being out in nature, keeping cool with visits each day to the community pool, doing activities in the shade, and enjoying some water games.
“Another incredible camp with 12 very fun, energetic kiddos,” said Julia Petit, Parks and Recreation Supervisor. “(There were) Lots of crafts and outdoor activities at Jacob Myers Park conducted by our leaders, Vanessa, Gerrick, Dulce, and Tyler.”
The camp was offered from July 9 through July 13 at the Burney Pavilion at Jacob Myers Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children between the ages of six and 12. The campers enjoyed the great outdoors and made the best of it with a morning hike where they observed nature, starting each day with the walk while the air was cool.
Joining the campers for their morning hike last Tuesday was Scott McRitchie, a Friends of Jacob Myers Park member, where he shared some fun facts about the park. During the hike they also had a visit with the city’s raccoon mascot, whom they met along the trail.
“We were honored to have Scott McRitchie take a hike with the kids on Tuesday and tell them all about hidden treasures at Jacob Myers Park,” noted Petit.
Wednesday was a treat for the campers as well, as Dinosaur Rock Museum spent a few hours giving them a presentation of different dinosaur bones and other relics.
They had many projects that included making crafts with items they found in the park like sticks and leaves. Some of the creations that the campers made were bracelets out of parachute cord, they made dream catchers with pipe cleaners and leaves, jelly fish with plastic bowls and beads, and a galaxy out of cups, paint, and cotton balls. They also painted rocks and made a paint brush using a stick and leaves.
Kids from Modesto, Riverbank, and Oakdale participated in the camp and to beat the heat this year the kids were transported by shuttle to the community pool for a few hours in the late afternoon each day.
The final day of camp the weather was a little cooler in the morning with a nice breeze and the campers were enjoying some bubble fun using different tools to make bubbles. Some even used their hands to create some big bubbles. The day was filled with water fun and games like water balloon baseball that wrapped the week long Outdoor Adventure Camp.
