The final camp of the summer wrapped this past Friday, reminding all of us that the beginning of school is right around the corner. Myth Busters Summer Camp was a week long and a bit smaller than previous camps with 12 youngsters attending between the ages of 10 and 13. Parks and Recreation Teen Center Coordinator and Recreation Leader Claire Nakano led the camp with help from Recreation Leaders Magali Murguia and Tyler Williams.
“The final Myth Busters Camp was a smaller group this year,” stated Recreation Supervisor Julia Petit. “I was excited that this group was at the Teen Center for the camp because they are just entering into the age where the Teen Center is available for them.”
The camp was filled with activities, science experiments, games, and a trip to the pool. The Recreation Leaders planned the experiments and several of the activities which included some free play time as well.
“With this age group, it’s important that the staff is dynamic,” added Petit. “Activities often do not take as long because the group is older and a little more mature. I felt the staff did a wonderful job of involving the students, rolling with schedule changes throughout the week, and even coming up with games on the fly to fill time.”
There were kids from Oakdale, Modesto and Riverbank that attended camp and a few that had been to other camps this summer and ones in the past. They engaged in a marble wall competition, an exploding lemon, the Mentos and Coke explosion, attempted to make rock candy, created slime, and turned an egg silver.
“Overall, I was very happy with the way the camps turned out this year,” said Petit. “We tried new activities, we had adequate numbers, and the staff created a really positive atmosphere for the kids to have fun and be kids. I’m so grateful for our Recreation Staff and all their hard work this summer.”
Some of the campers expressed that they really enjoyed playing with water balloons, going to the pool, some of the experiments, and the free play.
The City of Riverbank’s Parks and Recreation team will be offering summer camps next summer and will be trying to spread the word on a bigger scale to get more youngsters involved.
