Kids Keep Busy at Local Summer Camps

Written by Megan Malloy

School may be out, but East Windsor, Hightstown, and Cranbury students have no reason to be bored this summer. Most townships offer a number of affordable day camps that solve the problem that many parents face of keeping kids busy and safe during the summer months. For kids who are more athletically, artistically, or academically inclined, an array of extracurricular programs can be found in East Windsor, Hightstown, and Cranbury. 

East Windsor residents in kindergarten and first grade are staying active at the township's Sunny Day Camp, which is held at the McKnight School and the Walter C. Black Elementary School. Kids in second through sixth grade can participate in the Recreation Day Camp, which features games, arts and crafts, daily swimming, special events and weekly trips. 

For more adventurous students, East Windsor township’s travel camp is venturing to Seaside Heights beach, Hurricane Harbor, Great Adventure, Hershey Park, Dorney Park, and more. The travel camp is offered to kids in fourth through tenth grades, and students at either the recreation camp or the travel camp can opt in for day care.

Cedarville Country Day Camp, located in East Windsor, is another local favorite, and boasts multiple swimming pools and a 30-foot climbing wall. Each week is themed, and this year’s repertoire has an international flavor with events featuring henna tattoos, kayak races, and golfing. Cedarville is also celebrating some perennial camp traditions like a mock Olympics, carnival, and, of course, color war.

“Each week, we do activities from different countries,” said Donna Edington of the Cedarville Country Day Camp. “This week, our focus was France and the Cannes Film Festival. Each camper group put together a skit, song, dance, (and) commercial which was filmed for presentation at the end of the week.” The camp has also explored Wimbledon through playing tennis, Spain with the running of the bulls, and Venice, Italy with gondola rides, Edington said. 

In Hightstown, Peddie is offering a number of summer programs to area students. The Summer Athletic Program features golf, basketball, strength training, swimming, football, and field hockey camps, which are each held for a week on Peddie’s 280-acre campus. Peddie also offers theater programs to students between the ages of eight and 15, and internships in acting, dance, musical theater, and technical production to students over 15. 

Peddie also offers intensive six-week academic programs to middle and high school students. Students can attend classes in traditional high school and middle school courses, as well as advanced math courses and electives. An SAT preparation workshop is also among the program's offerings for those looking to up their standardized test scores. 

The Hightstown YMCA is holding a Kiddie Camp for children between the ages of six and 10, where kids can participate in arts and crafts, music, and swimming instruction. 

Cranbury Township is hosting their own summer program for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. Campers swim three times a week at the Cranbury Swim Club and take weekly trips to everywhere from Build-A-Bear, to mini golf courses, to bowling alleys.

Cranbury is also offering a number of weekly sports camps from basketball to tennis, which are run in concert with the US Sports Institute. Camps are run out of Village Park in Cranbury.

With the multitude of offerings there is no reason your child should mutter "I'm bored" even once this summer!