Day camp ? my daughter?s great idea for a wonderful summer in Brooklyn

Posted by jennycooper on June 15th, 2016

Looking into summer day camps? Me too. I am just learning about what Mill Basin Day Camp, a summer camp in Brooklyn, has to offer. My daughter suggested it and it sounds absolutely fabulous to me. They have very affordable prices and the camp staff will keep my little girl busy when I am not around and she is out of school. She will meet kids her age, from different ethnic, racial and social backgrounds. She will learn from them more than I ever learned when I was her age. Aside from developing skills that she would never acquire at home, on her own and in front of a computer, she will enjoy her time in a community, doing outdoor activities which she loves.

I remember a time when I was young and my parents came up with this wonderful idea for my summer time. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Of course, at the time I was not keen on going because I feared a multitude of things that overwhelmed me. When my mom suggested a day camp for me, I instinctively thought of all the new faces I would meet there and I feared rejection, possible bullies and simply not fitting in. I imagined myself away from the safe haven at home, without my bed and usual comforts. Naturally, being shy never helped me socialize well and somehow, I managed to meet a lot of kids who picked on me for my kindness, polite attitude and reserved behavior. A whole camp of young people nearly terrified me. I say “nearly” because there was also some curiosity in my mind. My parents noticed it and brought forward the idea that it could be an unforgettable “adventure”, a new challenge which would make me grow as a person - both intriguing thoughts for a child who wants to become a grown up quickly. It was settled: I would go to day camp. And I did - it was fabulous. The summer passed too quickly for me…One thing I learned is that I loved it and I would like my kids to attend as well, when they are the appropriate age.

I was not born in Brooklyn, so my day camp experience was somewhere else, but now that I live in New York, I have to look at my new horizons and learn about the opportunities that are in my area. My daughter Amanda is now in 5th grade and she is a little explorer. She reminded me about my experience when she started talking about her friends and what they would be doing over summer. She said kids at school were chatting about Mill Basin Day Camp - a summer camp in Brooklyn and, unlike me at her age, she seemed quite interested in it. I like to think she is more mature than I was at her age because she always seems more open to meeting new people and learning new things. She never has problems fitting in. Needless to say I am very proud of her. So I am now considering Mill Basin.

I just looked up their website and I am pleasantly surprised with their online statement of what their day camp is all about. They support values that I would like my daughter to have as well. According to their message towards parents, they are all about developing a community sense in kids, teaching them to be actively involved in activities which can develop their skills and critical thinking, and teaching them to embrace the natural environment and improve themselves without impacting others in a negative way. I completely see eye to eye on their ideas about what camp should be all about. So it seems like Mill Basin Day Camp, a summer camp in Brooklyn that my daughter suggested, will be a winner for Amanda’s spare time this summer!

Resource box: Kids are very intelligent nowadays, more than their parents ever were at the same age as them. This is why, I know my daughter’s choice for a day camp is better than anything I could find online on my own. She knows it from her classmates who have already been at Mill Basin Day Camp, a summer camp in Brooklyn, at much younger ages than her (in pre-school and entering grades). So I know I have the right choice figured out!