Kids enjoy Summer Camp

During the summer, Harrison Elementary School takes on a new task when it acts as the city's Summer Camp central location.

Around 55 students participate in the summer camp and the theme changes from week to week.

Laken Mitchell, recreation assistant, said the program runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and is open to children from kindergarten through sixth grade. She said even though the program runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the kids don't have to be dropped off or picked up at those times. A parent can drop them off later or pick them up earlier, but the employees must be informed ahead of time.

On a regular day, students can pick which stations they want to visit. Mitchell said there are several to choose from, including creativity, gaming room, relaxation and the playground.

Certain stations can only be visited by a few kids at a time due to the amount of space that particular area has.

This week, the camp attendees were busy making all sorts of crafts to go with the art theme. They were making string art on Monday morning, by using wood, nails and string. Mitchell said the staff finds ideas online or from their own experiences they had as kids. Then they get the supplies to make the craft. For the string art, kids could pick a star, butterfly, flower, circle or square to design.

While some campers were making crafts, others were playing dress up, air hockey, Wii Bowling, Legos, Jenga or other board games.

For Mitchell, the best part of her job is having fun with the kids and getting to know them.

"The kids are the same all summer. We get to know them pretty well," Mitchell said.

She said some of the children come year after year. For example: one kindergartener has been coming every year and he is now in the fourth grade.

"It gets the kids out of the house, keeps them active and they make new friends," she said.

They even have visitors from out of town come to the camp while they are visiting their grandparents, she said.

The camp will run until Aug. 3. For more information on the camp, visit the city's website at cityofgreenriver.org.