By Adam Sarsfield & Amelie Arango
This summer, we worked at Campbell Recreation Day Camp as camp leaders. Every day from 9 to 4, we arrived at John D. Morgan Park to make memories for all the kids that attended the camp. Campbell Rec offers jobs for anyone over 16 who loves working with kids, and volunteer positions for anyone older than 14. There are 7 different groups of kids, ages ranging from 3 to 13. We donned our bright red t-shirts every day and became Taco (Amelie) and Bear (Adam).
We worked in a group of kids ages five to six, who were adorable but slightly annoying at times. Of course, there were incessant shouts of “I need to go potty!” and “He hit me,” but overall, we had a great time. We transformed our corner of the park and played games, sang songs, and did crafts every day. Each week had a different theme, from space to animals. Our crafts were based on those themes, even if you couldn’t really tell what the painted paper plate was supposed to be (they’re like five, it’s fine). Within the eight weeks of camp, we had a great time, even if the t-shirt tans refuse to go away.
My experience as “Bear” over the summer included mainly working with the younger five to six year olds however for certain time periods throughout the summer I worked with different age groups. In the beginning, I worked with the six to seven year olds and they were an amazing group to start the summer with (in my personal opinion) because there were some minor incidents that gave me experience in comforting a hurt kid, dealing with name-calling, and leading games and crafts with semi-mature kids. Also working with this age group gave me a good reference on how most kids near that age act and react to different situations. After two weeks in that group, I was moved to the five to six year olds for a total of five weeks where I became close to all my fellow co-workers and campers in that group.
We both recommend working at Campbell Rec Day Camp if you are looking for a summer job that’s fun, pays well, and impacts kids’ lives.