As summer rolls on in Yellowknife, multiple day camps are underway around the city, providing children with a variety of outdoor activities.
Yellowknifer had the chance to drop in on a couple to learn more about their programs and how they aim to benefit children’s lives.
The Yellowknife Gymnastics Club is operating a daily camp for the entire summer. Each day runs from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., with most of the morning dedicated to activities that focus on children’s gymnastic skills, according to Jessica Smith, the club’s manager.
Smith emphasized the importance of teaching children fundamental skills, regardless of their age.
“It’s important that they learn everything they can,” she said.
Children at the camp learn a range of skills, including strength, conditioning and flexibility on all apparatuses for both females and males.
In addition to indoor activities, the camp also offers outdoor activities on most afternoons. Children older than seven can go to the pool twice a week, while others can head outside with the city turning on the sprinklers for them.
“We utilize the local parks around us that are accessible by walking,” Smith said.
Smith also mentioned that there are times she has to deal with children who might feel homesick.
“There are a lot of younger children coming in; it might be their first experience with camp or even being away from mom and dad for the first time,” she said.
To help these children feel more comfortable, Smith said they are placed in groups of eight to 10 with their peers of similar age.
“Once we get started on the actual fun part of the games and activities, they can’t wait to come back the next day,” Smith added.
Another day camp provider is the Racquet Club, which also operates on a daily basis for much of July and August.
Katie White, the camp’s director, said that their goal is to keep children active through indoor activities like squash games or walks to Pilot’s Monument. The camp also introduces physical education games such as relay races, obstacle courses, and soccer.
The camp runs for nine weeks every summer and accommodates up to 20 youth per week with three leaders working with them.
Robin Gauchier, one of the camp leaders, said she enjoys working with children.
“I like how fun they are, and they make me feel young too,” she said.
White mentioned that last week, there was a Water Day theme, where kids had fun with water guns and water balloons.
“[The kids] got to run around the field and drench us with water balloons, and they really enjoyed that,” she said.
The camp has also planned a Summer Olympics theme day for this coming Friday, where winners will be determined at the end of the day and awarded medals.
