Some participants of last year's PEAK Summer Day
Camp pose for a photo after painting the Kent State Rock
on Front Campus.

This year's PEAK Summer Day Camp staff has set the schedule and is excited about another fun-filled summer for young campers. New this year are additional weeks of themed activities for 6- to
12-year-olds in the camp, and a newly developed Leaders in Training (LIT) program for 13- to 15-year-olds.

"We had a great summer last year and we are hoping to expand upon it this year with new themes and by offering a completely new structure for our Leaders in Training program," says PEAK Camp Director John Krehnovi.

Some of the new themes include Little Engineers, Grade School Musical, Happy Holidays and Olympic Week. True to PEAK tradition, the new camps are in part a result of input from campers, such as the Happy Holidays week, which will focus on activities from different holidays over the course of the year, such as a day for Halloween and Valentine’s Day.

“Last year we had such great success getting new theme ideas from the campers that we had to use their ideas for this upcoming summer again,” says Krehnovi.

In addition to the new themes, the favorite themes of the campers will be back for another year. The campers will still get to have a fitness competition during Fit and Fun week and will paint the Kent State Rock on Front Campus during Artistic Minds week.

The newly added Leaders in Training program is designed for 13- to 15-year-olds who would like to engage in more skilled activities over the course of the week. Each week will have a specific training involved, such as Babysitters Training, Backpacking Basics and Basic Water Safety.

"We have so many exciting ideas and activities planned for the Leaders in Training that I almost wish I was taking the program myself," says PEAK Camp Supervisor Anna Myers. The participants will receive certifications during some weeks at no additional cost to the camp. In addition, the participants also will focus on activities that will help them become a leader such as activity planning for younger kids and leading team-building activities.”

PEAK camps benefit from a wide range of university resources and will again have much to offer to the campers. The children will eat a snack and lunch every day from Summit Café, which is included in the weekly camp fee. Campers will swim daily in the natatorium, which has a leisure pool and lap pool. They will also enjoy walks on the Kent Campus, hikes in the woods, making crafts in the meeting rooms, playing sports on the soccer field and all sorts of activities on the Student Recreation and Wellness Center's indoor courts.

In addition to having fun, safety is a primary concern of the camp experience. All camp counselors go through a thorough orientation process, submit to background checks, carry a two-way radio and a fanny pack of supplies and are trained in American Red Cross First Aid, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, and AED. The camp is currently ACA accredited and has proven it is in compliance with the key aspects of camp operation, program quality and protecting the health and safety of campers and staff.

PEAK is for children six to 12 years of age. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, with optional before and after camp care offered. The deadline to register for camp is the Wednesday before each week or when a camp reaches the maximum of 56 campers or eight LITs.

For more information, visit the Recreation Services website at www.kent.edu/recservices/youth/peak.cfm.