Five weeks of fun at iKids Camp
By Joan Janzen
This summer, five weeks of fun for kids is happening at iKids camp, “where kids can be kids.” The camp runs at 800 - 12th Avenue East in Kindersley for the sixth consecutive year, directed by Chantal Palynchuk. The first two weeks of the camp took place in July, and the remaining three weeks will began on August 8th. Campers range in age from 4 to 10 years, with 30 to 35 kids attending each day, and there’s also a sponsorship program available.
Campers at iKids Camp making slime!
Along with the camp’s solid base of five adult volunteers, it offers volunteer opportunities for junior leaders, ten to thirteen years of age. This application-based program is new to camp this year, and there are currently eight volunteers enrolled in the program.
“We had a huge response, and it’s going very well,” Chantal said. “They all have different skill sets, and each gets a turn at running an activity. It’s been a really great addition to camp.” The junior leaders help the younger kids during reading time and assist with clean-up.
Each week of camp has a specific theme with related activities. The first camp week in July was called Chef Week, where the kids learned about kitchen safety and mastered some cooking skills. “They made soup one day and learned about making the broth, cutting up vegetables, and adding flavour,” Chantal explained. “Each group did a different part and put it all together. They also made cupcakes and had decorating contests.”
The second week of camp was Disney Week, where the kids enjoyed numerous crafts such as making slime and doing potato stamping. Each craft was associated with a movie. “They made slinky dogs, paper puppets, built construction projects and made flower bracelets,” Chantal said.
The theme employed beginning the week of August 8th was called ‘A Long Time Ago’. It’s all about dinosaurs, fossils and cave men, as the kids enjoyed building fossils and dinosaur bones. “There were lots of different take home prizes during that week, whereas the other weeks include a lot of outside activities,” Chantal said.
Spy Week is a fun theme that kids of all age groups can enjoy. The kids work together in teams, enjoying all kinds of competition and games. “There’s lots of teamwork. We create obstacles that they have to overcome; it requires a lot of setup for the volunteers,” Chantal added.
Sports Week involves mostly outdoor games, with some indoor games as well. Chantal noted this week engages the children in conflict resolution and learning respect for team members. “It’s a little bit more cooperative than some of the other weeks,” Chantal explained. “We did that on purpose because we not only want them to grow in their athletic skills but also want them to grow in their communication skills and teamwork.”
Overall, the camp is designed to encourage kids to become good citizens wherever they are, whether it’s at home, at school, or in recreational activities. At camp, the kids are learning how to work together and become good team members.
Most importantly, the kids are having fun at camp! So much fun that some of them don’t want to go home at the end of the day. They’re also tired when they leave, and that’s something all the parents appreciate.