SOUTH PLYMOUTH – For both parents and kids, it’s never too early to start thinking about summer vacation. But this is the case for different reasons. Parents are concerned with ensuring that their children are safe, supervised, and engaged in activities that keep their minds and bodies active when school lets out for the summer. Youngsters eagerly anticipate the free time, and simply want to have fun and learn something new. The Norwich Family YMCA day camp at YMCA Camp Thompson in South Plymouth has programs that offer a solution designed to keep everyone happy this summer.

Day camp for youth was the number one program offered by YMCAs in 2003, with more than 1,700 Ys offering it. Since YMCAs are independent, grassroots organizations, day camp activities vary at each YMCA. However, all programs are community-based, offering youngsters a unique opportunity to connect with their communities. And at Norwich Family YMCA day camp, our campers enjoy a broad range of age-appropriate programs, events and activities, from outdoor education to 4-H programming; arts and crafts to sports and recreation. Children are divided into four age groups: 5&6 year olds (chipmunks); 7&8 year olds (ravens); 9&10 year olds (eagles); and 11 to 16 year olds (falcons). These groups provide the best opportunity to provide age appropriate activities for all participants. Teen camp is a program for youth that are ages 11 to 16 (falcons). In its fifth year, Teen camp is a combination of team building, advanced camp crafts, mountain biking, movie making, overnight camping trips, and service learning activities. The participants in Teen camp actually take part in planning their activities for the week. “This program planning gives direct ownership in the program by the teens themselves,” said Lance Thorne, Teen & Camp Director at the Norwich Family YMCA.

“Gone are the days when day camp meant simply tying knots or making pot holders,” said Thorne. “Today, summer day camp programs at Camp Thompson are as unique as the campers themselves. We still provide arts and crafts, but we also offer kids exceptional opportunities to enjoy activities and resources that are often unavailable to them during the school year.”

In addition to Day Camp at Camp Thompson, YMCA staff created a three-day camping trip to the Adirondack Mountains titled Adventure Camping. This trip is designed for teenage campers and is limited to 10 campers. This trip is led by a New York State certified trail guide and Thorne. This trip consists of trail hiking, mountain climbing, and ethics of camping, camp cooking, ecology and much more.

In addition to the range of activities offered at the YMCA day camp, parents also have the flexibility of enrolling their youngsters during for the day, week, month or the entire summer. There are many options to meet the diverse needs of each family. For example, if a parent only wants a child to participate two days a week, our day camp can accommodate that schedule. Different levels of supervision are also available, depending on the age and interests of the parent and child. “YMCA programs are designed to meet the needs and schedules of today’s busy families,” Thorne added.