MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood Kids Camp has long been a way for Maplewood and South Orange residents to make long-lasting memories and friendships. This summer, Maplewood Kids Camp decided to spice things up with some themed weeks to engage and educate its campers. Appealing to the children’s interests, Kids Camp Director Claire Sinclair and new Assistant Director Neyden Sousa worked tirelessly with program supervisor Jamie Miranda to ensure that the camp featured projects and vendors to coincide with that week’s theme.
“Maplewood Kids Camp is a summer highlight for the department, and myself,” Maplewood Director of Community Services Melissa Mancuso said. “It’s a time when our campers can have a more relaxed schedule, but still a programmed day that includes both mental stimulation and physical activity. Getting off screens after a lot of virtual time has been critical to our planning, and masked, in-person engagement, including fun weekly themes, keeps our youth excited and connected. From our morning meeting dubbed ‘Community Building,’ to garden time, playground fun, nostalgic games of four square, traditional crafts, and trips to the park and pool, we see smiling faces all day long, reminding us what both summertime and recreation camps are all about. Every week had a fun itinerary and theme planned, so it’s impossible to pick a favorite. Pool days are always a highlight of our township services from the jitney rides, to the amazing pool staff working in tandem with our dedicated and energized Kids Camp team.”
Starting camp off, superhero week allowed campers to feel like real-life superheroes. From cape making to conquering obstacle courses, Maplewood Recreation reminded campers anyone can be a hero. During animal week, campers got to hang out with llamas, pigs and even a turkey in a visiting petting zoo, and made jellyfish and other animals out of paper plates. Household items were used to make instruments for campers’ very-own parade in Kids Camp’s music week. Making maracas from rice, toilet paper banjos and even wind chimes from broken xylophone parts, campers learned that a multitude of recycled materials can be used to make instruments. Not only did they get to make their own music, but a DJ dance party and Zumbini had campers bumping to music all week long. A face painter, balloon artist and one-man circus came to visit the campers this year for the funky, floaty and carnival weeks, respectively. In addition to learning magic tricks and seeing a magician, magic week even included making unicorn horns out of ice cream cones, aka making “uni-cones.” During the final week of camp, campers enjoyed a carnival week with an inflatable party, cotton candy and more.
The campers weren’t the only ones who had a great time at Kids Camp.
“As a first-year assistant director with Kids Camp, it has truly been a fun and insightful experience thus far,” Sousa, who hails from Orange, said. “Getting to work with such great staff, who day in and day out do what’s best for the children, has made this experience even more worthwhile. What I enjoy most is playing a part in planning a fun and safe summer for our campers. The Kids Camp community and Maplewood Department of Community Services taking a chance with me has truly made this a summer to remember.”
Even though she has only been camp director for two years, Sinclair has been involved with Maplewood Recreation’s camp for a long time. The Maplewood native attended the camp as a child, before it was ever called Kids Camp, and was even a camp counselor as a teenager.
“I like to describe working here now as ‘a blast from the past,’” Sinclair said. “We used to go to one of the parks in Maplewood and counselors would be there providing activities for the campers. We would play kickball and Nok Hockey, then make lanyards and bracelets. We would be outside all day. It has come full circle for me. This is the kind of camp experience we are giving our campers. The pandemic forced all of us to slow down but, from the feedback I am hearing from grownups, the kids are loving it. Being outside, playing on the playground, and getting off of computers and devices is really showing kids how much fun it can be to just be a kid.”
For more information on Maplewood Recreation offerings, visit https://maplewood.recdesk.com/Community/Program.
Photos Courtesy of Melissa Mancuso
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