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As summer nears, three Marietta summer camps will be available to keep children engaged, educated, and entertained.
The Ely Chapman Educational Foundation will host its annual Sensational Summer Camp from June 7 to August 13 ages 3-14. The ten week camp is $105 per week with scholarships available through the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS).
The camp will feature a different theme each week, and the children will have the opportunity to have hands-on experiences, work with people from around Marietta and travel to museums.
"For bugs' life, we are trying to acquire butterflies and an ant farm," said Lori Ullman, executive director at the Chapman Educational Foundation. "For the great space race, we have reached out to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The kids are going to be creating their own constellation and putting it in."
Three ninth grade students can sign up for a media arts course where they will be taking photos and videos of the camp and learn to produce a video which shows what the camp looks like.
Instructors at the camp will be working with Fourteen55 Media to teach the students.
Children who wish to pursue culinary arts can be signed up for a program where they will be working with the culinary team at the Elie Chapman Campus to cook, clean and serve meals. By the end, the children will receive a food handlers card.
There are only 3 slots for ninth grade students.
Ullman said the goal of the summer camp is to give children back skills which were lost with virtual schooling.
"Hopefully we can reinstill that thirst for knowledge. Knowledge is not a spectator sport," Ullman said.
The Betsey Mills Club will have a summer camp program for 11 weeks, from June 1 to the middle of August. It is open to K-11. The weekly non-member rate is $100.
Tiffany Ferguson, childcare director at Betsey Mills Club, said each week the children take part in themed lessons, science experiments, and art activities. They also go to local parks once a week, visit museums, and skating rinks.
Parents can choose to send their child only to a specific week of the summer camp if they like the week's theme. They do not have to sign up for the entire summer.
Ferguson said the camp continues a child's education through socialization and play.
"(Parents) can feel comfortable that their child is in a safe learning environment and they also get extra experiences with the community and children their age," Ferguson said.
The Boys and Girls Club of Washington County will have a ten week summer program, June 1 to mid-August
The cost is $10 per day for part time and $45 per week for full time. The Boys and Girls Club will furnish lunch and snacks.
The summer program will teach children many different skills.
Some of these are the basics of baseball, a triple play program which focuses on mind, body and spirit and gardening.
In the garden, children will have the opportunity to nurture five raised garden beds and pick what they planted.
Angie Scott, program director at the Boys and Girls Club Washington County, said children from different schools get to come together and learn new things.
"The parents know that the kids are safe, they are having fun, and being active. Not sitting on screen time all day," Scott said.
Because of COVID-19 mandates, the Boys and Girls Club had to scale their activities back last year. The summer camp this year is hoping for more activities, even looking forward to field trips.
"Other than the mask mandate and social distancing, it's going to be a bigger and better summer this year," Scott said.
Kyle Nichols may be reached at knichols@newsandsentinel.com