What do kids do over the summer? Learn!

Between long warm days, no school, and more freedom than ever, there’s no season a kid loves more than summer — that is, if they have something to do. Lynbrook and East Rockaway’s summer camps have made sure that the children in their communities are having the fun, safe, enriching summer that they deserve.

The Lynbrook Summer Playground program at West End Elementary School and South Middle School is open to all Lynbrook kids in kindergarten through 8th grade. East Rockaway’s Summer Climb program is open to kids in grades 1-11, and is tailored depending on age range. These programs give kids a place to go, stay social and active, and learn — and have fun doing it all.

“It’s really a summer camp with an emphasis on education,” said Joseph Polite, the Summer Climb program coordinator, in a July Herald story. “We want them to come here and have fun, and learn in the process. That’s the big thing: we can learn and have fun.”

The Lynbrook and East Rockaway programs both learn hard and play hard. They built stronger bonds with their friends, teachers, and the school district as a whole, but they also avoided that “summer slide” that is so dreaded by parents and educators alike. The kids in each summer camp remained stimulated through art, literature and — as summer calls for — just plain fun. The kids at the Lynbrook Summer Playground have gone bowling at Woodmere Lanes, took home custom-made tie-dye shirts, learned martial arts, and more.

Their hands-on learning experiences are unique adventures that they otherwise might not have had within the traditional classroom setting. Summer camp attendees in Lynbrook had up-close learning experiences with animals thanks to a partnership with Tanglewood Preserve. Kids at East Rockaway simulated oil spills as part of the STEM program to see a representation of its effects and its clean up process. They also used toothpicks and marshmallows to engineer structures (and likely have a snack in the process.)

All the while, kids are becoming more comfortable in their school buildings and with their peers. The ultimate goal of each summer camp is that kids may enter school this September with comfort, confidence, and the skills to succeed.

“You definitely can see it socially and emotionally,” Polite said. “It’s vital for students to have a safe place to go to hang out with friends, and build the connection with the school, the community, and with their teachers.”