Summer day camps offer fun, instruction
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — For more than 30 years, Community Care Connections has hosted summer day camps for Butler County children with intellectual and physical disabilities.
Offering things like field trips, arts and crafts, and outdoor play activities, Camp Apple provides a place to have fun, learn and make friends. Eighteen children are signed up so far, and registration is still open for children and young adults ages 5 to 21.
Now into their second week of camp, children spent Monday morning cooking rock candy and making Popsicle stick airplanes, which hones in on this week's science theme.
Jazmine Pisor, 13, carefully painted each stick for her plane a bright shade of pink.
“Pink is my favorite color,” she said, which was also evident by what she was wearing: Her top, shorts, glasses and hair scrunchie were all pink, too.
Jazmine said she has attended camp during the last few years, and enjoys all of the activities.
Meckeye Hill, 14, was most excited about basketball, which he had just played outside. He also was excited to talk about his Xbox games.
He said he'll play sports “whenever we can.”
Meanwhile, another group worked as a team to make rock candy. The members took turns measuring out cups of sugar and water, and then put it on the stove to heat.“We have to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved,” Lynda Christy, an activity aide, told the children. “But we're not going to boil it.”When the syrupy, sugary liquid was ready, each child got a jar to pour the liquid sugar in, and dipped a piece of string to hang inside the jar. The sugar crystallizes over time.“Everyday, you'll be able to see crystals growing on your string,” Christy said.The day camp continues throughout the summer and includes cooking and nature themed weeks.Community Care Connections also offers physical therapy, speech, group home and drop-in programs.
