St. Olaf Summer Camp engages kids in activities

Intermountain Catholic

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BOUNTIFUL — It is difficult to pull kids away from Saint Olaf Catholic School’s summer camp at the end of the day. For seven years St. Olaf has been offering daily adventures for kids from the school and in the neighborhood. Every morning the kids spend some time reading, playing outside, making arts and crafts, and playing organized games. Spending time with their friends is what the kids love, but having a safe, inexpensive place for their kids to go is what the parents love. Then every afternoon, after lunch, they board a Judge Memorial school bus that takes them on a field trip. The kids become accomplished travelers, going north to Ogden, south to Lehi, east to Park City, and west to Tooele. There isn’t anywhere they won’t go to find a fun destination. Several times a week the summer campers go swimming. And they will go all over the valley visiting the best swimming pools. One summer camper, Canyon, age 7, said, "I have lots of fun here and I love to swim all the time."

In addition to the many pools the campers visit to cool down in the hot summer months, they also visit places like the Living Planet Aquarium, Discovery Gateway, Thanksgiving Point Gardens, Olympic Park, and the Utah Arts Festival. While seasoned summer campers have been to some places before, there are always new destinations and old favorites.

Four-year camp veteran Daniel said, "I like all the field trips, especially the aquarium. I like swimming a lot, especially since I got to go off the high dive for the first time ever this year!" The campers stay physically active on non-swimming days too, going bowling, ice skating, and exploring a new hiking trail up Big Cottonwood Canyon, experiencing firsthand Utah’s natural beauty.

The counselors at St. Olaf’s summer camp make sure the kids’ education continues beyond the classroom, as well as making sure they are ready for school the next year by planning educational field trips, teaching them new challenging games, and reading with them. Second year summer camper Madeleine, age 6, said, "I like to have fun and swim, but I also like to listen to stories."

And while some enjoy sleeping on the bus after a long afternoon of fun, when they arrive back at St. Olaf, the kids are still asking for just a little more time at the end of the day to play.