SEMO camp sends children home tired

At Southeast Missouri State University's Redhawks Kids Camp, the goal is simple: Keep the children active.

"You will not see us showing a video in the morning," said Troy Vaughn, director of recreation services at Southeast. "We are about fun. We are about keeping them busy," he said as children slid down a wet black tarpaulin on a grassy hillside in front of the school's Student Recreation Center North. "The greatest compliment that we have is that kids come home tired."

The summer camp began in 2001, offering two weeks of games.

Camp Capaha, as it was called back then, started out as a camp for children of university faculty and staff, he said. Over the years, it expanded to include children from the rest of the community as well as those of university employees and others who are Student Recreation Center members.

Last year, the camp offered eight weeks of activities. This year, for the first time, the camp runs for nine weeks. The series of weeklong camps began June 4; the final camp ends Aug. 3.

Nick Essner splashed over the grass Tuesday at the Redhawks Kids Camp outside the Student Recreation Center. (Fred Lynch)

Each week has a different theme. This week's theme is water recreation. Thursday the children sprayed each other with squirt guns. Today's camp will feature a water balloon fight on the Academic Terraces.

On Tuesday, camp counselors hosed down a black tarpaulin to create an inexpensive water slide that had children slipping and sliding.

"That is all you need, black plastic and garden hoses," said Sally Smith, a graduate assistant in recreation and coordinator of the summer activities.

By the end of the activity, many of the children were covered in grass and mud from sliding off the wet plastic at the bottom of the hill.

"You can go down it pretty fast," said a smiling Linzee Rosen, 9, of McClure, Ill.

But getting wet is only part of the fun. "We play a lot of games and do crafts," Smith said.

Jenna Hale, 9, of Cape Girardeau had a ready answer when asked what she liked about camp. "The sports, basketball and kickball," she said as she took a break from the water slide.

Each week, the summer camp draws 20 to 30 children, ranging in age from those entering kindergarten this fall to those entering eighth grade. Many attend throughout the summer because parents can enroll their children in as many as nine weeks of camp. "Honestly, about a third of them we see every week," Smith said.

The cost ranges from $105 to $125 a week, depending on whether the children's parents or grandparents are Student Recreation Center members, Vaughn said.

"We are not going to get rich off this," he said.

Still, Vaughn said he knows many low-income families can't afford such an expense. He hopes to set up a scholarship program in the future to provide funding for low-income children to attend the summer camp.

At all of the camps, which run Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the afternoons are reserved for swimming at Capaha Pool.

"They love the pool more than anything," said Stephanie Cerami, a graduate assistant and camp counselor. "It's much better than sitting at home and watching TV."

Vaughn said the seven camp counselors have to participate with the children in the activities.

Camp counselor Abbi Kimmel, who graduated from Southeast in May and will be teaching elementary school students this fall at Nell Holcomb School, loves having fun with the children.

On Tuesday, she found time to try the water slide. "You get paid to play every day," she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123