Apple Day Camp, a day camp located in Riverhead, recently announced its new camp director. The day camp on Long Island offers horse, adventure, and arts and drama day camp options.
In Apple Day Camp’s Equine Track, campers learn how to take care of and ride horses. |
Christine Johnson was recently appointed director of Apple Day Camp at the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch. She says that this year’s programs will be similar to previous years, but with more focus.
Johnson decided to come to Apple Day Camp because of her interest in the ranch. She previously taught third grade at the Christian School of York in York, PA for two years, where she was also co-director of the summer day camp in 2010. She has also worked in a middle school autistic support classroom for three years at The Vista School in Hershey, PA, and worked with various English language summer camps for children in Hungary and Iraq. She says her interests in the outdoors, teaching, and creativity made this an opportunity to blend all of her passions.
Campers can enroll in one of three tracks: Equine, Arts and Drama, or Adventure. The Equine track teaches children about horses, from taking care of them to riding them. Arts and Drama lets the campers partake in painting with watercolors, drawing with pencils and pastels, and creating a play by building the set, writing the script, and performing it. The Adventure track is for kids interested in the outdoors and learning survival skills, with activities such as rock climbing and learning how to tie knots.
Johnson says the location of the camp at the ranch is key to carrying out Apple Day Camp’s mission to Create, Discover, and Explore. “We have a lot of space for kids to interact with nature in a unique way,” she says. “It’s a place for their imagination to go and they just create their own adventures with the staff, together.”
Along with the track focuses, campers can choose to participate in a spiritual component called morning devotions, during which kids read the Bible and learn about the Christian faith. There will also be two field trips each week to locations such as the beach, Splish Splash Water Park in Calverton, parks, hiking trails, and museums.
The camp runs from June 29-Sept. 4, Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm for kids ages 5-15. Registration begins in March.
