Summertime play

Santa Clarita Valley children enjoy fun in the sun at Camp Clarita

Tuesday’s warm summer day did not stop elementary-aged children at Camp Clarita from making their own s’mores and crafted campfires at Valencia Meadows Park.

The group of children was one of many throughout the city of Santa Clarita who were playing games, making arts and crafts, singing songs and eating snacks as part of Camp Clarita’s “Great Outdoors” themed week.

“It [Camp Clarita] provides a fun environment for the campers, there’s something for everyone,” Recreation Supervisor Lisa Nikkila said.

Presented by the city’s Recreation and Community Services vision, Camp Clarita provides a variety of programs for children ages 3 to 15 that are geared toward different age groups.

Each day, children at one of four locations participate in a variety of activities from high-energy

games, skits and songs to swimming and field trips.

Camp directors at each of the locations plan the day’s activities for their campers in the Wee Folks, Little Folks, Junior Adventures Camp, Ranger Camp, Explorer Camp and Voyager Camp programs.

“We have a weekly theme so they base their activities on those themes and they vary very slightly on a day-to-day basis but the overall structure is the same at each location,” Nikkila said.

Recreation Coordinator Jennifer Lindstrom then plans the field trips to local locations and theme parks the campers go on each week.

“We have surveys that our parents complete at the end of each summer that give us suggestions and then we ask the staff for feedback, in addition to field trips we take historically such as our Disneyland field trip we go on each year,” Lindstrom said.

Both Lindstrom and Nikkila believe the camp provides a flexible schedule for campers and parents that can work for everyone in the city.

“There’s also different enrollment options for parents for working parents versus parents who want to give their children something to do during the day,” Lindstrom said.

Campers have the option of attending Camp Clarita from Monday to Friday, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or on Tuesday and Thursday.

Nikkila said most of the Camp Clarita locations are full for the remainder of the summer, but parents are always welcome to contact the camp to see if they have any openings.

Katharine Lotze/The Signal Counselors help campers glue cotton balls and pipecleaners to a campfire craft at Camp Clarita at Valencia Meadows Park on Tuesday.

Katharine Lotze/The Signal (See additional photos at signalscv.com) (Top) A camper makes a s’more during a campfire craft at Camp Clarita at Valencia Meadows Park on Tuesday. (Bottom) A camper throws a hula hoop over a cone during an obstacle course at Valencia Meadows Park as part of the city’s Camp Clarita on Tuesday.