Typical Day

  • I can’t believe how much fun I have on the bus to camp! A few of my friends are driven to camp by their parents.
  • When we arrive under the Bright Beginnings division tent, fun for all starts. We have so many fun games to play while our friends arrive. Then the whole camp has flag salute and I even learned how to say it!!! The BB head counselor (she’s a teacher but we don’t call her that) is so nice and all the counselors love to talk and play with us!
  • First we go to our cheerful classroom and have circle time. We sing, learn, move around A LOT and do the calendar, weather and today’s schedule. We use words and pictures---that is so good for me ‘cause it helps me to know what I’m doing next! Then every half hour we go to a different part of camp where we have so many different activities like sports, gymnastics, Zumba for kids, or bicycle riding (I’m getting so good at it!)
  • Bright Beginners like me have swim in the big pool and I’m really learning how to swim there with all the great swim counselors.
  • Some days I bring lunch that mommy makes for me and some days we order sandwiches that are delivered to camp from a Kosher deli. The camp lunches served to everyone on Friday are so yummy! I have a food allergy but there is always something special for me that I can eat. I really love eating lunch with my friends and counselors!
  • I am working on some things at camp that mommy and daddy told me are very important like learning how to talk more to my friends, paying more attention, finishing my projects, running---jumping---writing---buttoning, AND learning school stuff too! I have special people who work with me on social skills, speech and occupational therapy and learning. Sometimes we practice our “special skills” in the Clubhouse----the best place in camp--- or the playground! I’m getting ready to do my best when I start school again!
  • There are so many activities throughout the week that it’s hard to remember all of them. Let’s see---creative arts, nature and science, computers, music, drama, cooking and photography!
  • Wow---the day goes fast when I’m having so much fun! Snack and division fun time are a great way to end the day. We sing, hear stories, and pack up our camp bags while having the BEST snacks EVER!
  • Then, it’s time to go home so we can have a good night’s sleep and come back to do it all over again. I can’t wait!
  • I hear the bus coming down the street. Yay, it’s time for camp. My bus counselor and bus driver are really nice.
  • When we get to camp awesome counselors help me get to my group. I love hearing about the exciting things we’re going to do each day. I can’t wait to get started!
  • I love getting a little dirty in creative arts because we make such fun projects. Sports on the field, tennis in the gym, karate, computers, nature, music, dance and more are so amazing---it’s really hard to tell you about ALL of it!
  • I swim every day! My lifeguard makes swim instruction soooo much fun! Today I’m going to learn to do a back float.
  • Lunch outside under the “lunch tent” is so cool! On Fridays food for everyone is brought in from great restaurants. Other days I either bring a yummy lunch from home (it gets refrigerated) or Mom has already ordered deli sandwiches through the camp.
  • Occupational therapy group (we call it OT) and speech therapy group are really great parts of our weekly schedule. We do really fun things and learn at the same time. I also LOVE our social skills time---our group leader (I think he’s called a psychologist or something like that) does a great job of helping us to be better friends. Sometimes school stuff is hard for me, so everyday at camp we practice math, reading and writing so we can do better when we go back to school.
  • Ok, I’ll try to tell you about more activities: cooking, drama, Fun Zone, Challenge Sector, playground, Clubhouse (that’s the best of all---every toy you can think of for my age is there and I learn how to play with my friends), special events and more. There are so many things to do!
  • By the time 3:00 comes I am so happy it is snack time. We have awesome snacks like ice cream, Italian ices, pretzels, cookies and more! I’m glad we have snack just before we go home so I’m not hungry on the way home.
  • I hate to leave camp at the end of the day, but the great snacks we have and the fun activities that end the day are a good way to say, “so long-see you tomorrow” to my friends.
  • I thought my bus ride to camp and back everyday was going to be long and boring, but boy was I wrong. It’s cool!
  • I love when we get to camp and I meet up with my friends in my group. We have fun with our supervisor leading us in great beginning of the day stuff!
  • It’s hard to say what my favorite activity at camp is---there are so many! Sports, bikes, science and nature, drama, music and more!
  • My swim teacher really knows how to teach me---she is so patient and shows me how to do so many cool moves in the pool. “Free swim” is great ‘cause I get to play all kinds of pool games with my friends and counselors.
  • I love where we eat lunch---it’s like a picnic area! The Friday lunches are my FAVORITES - pizza and chicken nuggets! But I also like the days when I bring my lunch from home. I even help pack it! A couple of times a week, Dad has ordered food for me from the deli that delivers to camp---I can even get a hot dog or hamburger. The best is that my counselors eat lunch with us and help us to know how to be social at lunch time. That will really help in the cafeteria at school.
  • Let’s face it---being able to go to OT and Speech group at camp and to have it by myself too is really great. I don’t have to go somewhere else early in the morning or after camp when I’m really tired. It’s fun and I’m with my friends and counselors! Even having “Learning Center” every day is fun when you go with friends. I’m working on things in my IEP! Sometimes we get to have special outings and workshops every week, like a puppet-making workshop, and a trip to the dinosaur place. We also have “Hobbies” where I learn how to do and like things that kids my age do. Our instructor helps us every week to learn how to be more “social” and talkative---we have groups that include Fun Zone and Challenge Sector activities to practice!
  • What didn’t I tell you about yet? Let’s see: computers, yoga, tennis, karate, creative arts, cooking and I’m sure I forgot something!!!! Oh, yeah, I love special events like Olympics, the Happy Birthday event, Talent Show and so on!
  • I really love our afternoon snack time---ice cream, ice pops, cookies, watermelon and so much more! I also love, love, love the games our supervisor leads us in before we leave.
  • Our supervisor is really cool and thinks of such fun things to do under our division's tent while we eat our snack.
  • I’ve been a camper at Harbor Haven for 3 years and I’m so excited to be one of the older ones on my bus so I can lead some of the songs and travel games with my counselor!
  • Division fun time with my group is AWESOME! Talking with my friends and participating in group games while everyone arrives is very cool.
  • We sometimes go on a trip for part of a day! GREAT trips like indoor rock climbing, bowling, movies, Funplex and more! It’s amazing, but I also LOVE all the stuff we do at camp like sports, Wonderworks, bikes, photography, and more!
  • I am learning all the American Red Cross swim skills and I am really getting great at everything! We swim every day (unless it rains-then we have fun indoor games with the swim staff-that’s cool too!) The pool is heated so I never have a problem getting in and I love that our counselors always swim with us.
  • Whether I bring lunch from home, eat the delicious Friday lunches or have the deli lunches that are brought in (I especially like their chicken nuggets)---lunch time is fun and enjoyable! Since it’s outside (unless the weather is bad) the noise doesn’t bother me at all!
  • Every day I practice my skills in reading, writing and math. It’s not so bad because my friends and counselors are with me, along with the teacher. I know I need the help anyway so I can keep up with my classmates at school. I also get to work on other skills in the social skills building times that I have at camp--- social skills groups and practice time at the Fun Zone and Challenge Sector.
  • …and did I mention tennis, karate, yoga, computers, cooking, creative arts, and choice time (where I get to choose from so many activities, like music and drama!)
  • Snack time at 3:00 is such a fun part of the day. The whole division is together---each group at its own picnic table---under our tent. We do fun things like Trivia Tuesday and Wacky Joke Wednesday. I told the funniest joke the other day! I loved that EVERYONE laughed.
  • The summer goes by so fast but I think about it all year, and each day when I say “good-bye, see ya tomorrow” to my friends I think all night long about how I can’t wait to go back the next day. Although I’m tired while I have snack at the end of the day with my group, I love camp until the last minute of every day----even going home on the bus.
  • Taking the Harbor Haven bus to camp is really great! I usually am running out the door as they pull up, but once I’m on I get to relax and enjoy the air-conditioned ride to camp.
  • I love being in an older division and can’t wait to get to our tent each morning to hang out with my friends and counselors and do cool stuff while we wait for everyone to arrive.
  • My friends and I like many of the same things and enjoy all the activities together. My favorite is sports---it’s a slam dunk time for me. The Specialists are really fun and are teaching me a bunch of new skills. I love creative arts, Wonderworks, bicycle riding, photography and believe it or not, I love drama! We get to go on trips to such awesome places like Liberty Science Center, New York Sports Club, movies, a minor league baseball game and so much more!
  • We swim almost every day at camp! I love swim because I can hang with my buddies in the pool, and work on skills for part of the time. I can even earn a Red Cross card with everything I’m learning!
  • Lunch is such a great time. I love the Friday lunches---they even get gluten-free pizza for me! I have gotten to be so much more social using the lunch topics to get great conversations started when I run out of things to say to my friends! Our counselors eat lunch with us, and they are so great that we really learn from them.
  • I have gotten so much better at dealing with my feelings since I’ve been going to Harbor Haven. The social skills groups, Fun Zone and Challenge Sector help me learn and practice (in a fun way!) all at the same time. I LOVE Learning Center because we practice our skills in math, reading and writing in such fun ways! My teacher is so energetic and creative, but I know she really wants me to do well when I get back to school in September!
  • Choice Time is really special because we get to pick what activities we want to do or do more of. I always choose music for my Choice Time. Other things we have in our weekly schedule are: yoga, karate, tennis and computers. I love when we have special events and entertainment too!
  • Last period of the day is snack and division games. I drink a lot of the cold water that is available all around camp ‘cause it is really hot at the end of the day. We have ice cream, ice pops or Italian ices a lot!!! Sometimes we have watermelon or cookies too!
  • It’s hard to leave such a fantastic place, especially on Fridays, but I’m so happy that I get to come back the next day to start all over again with the fun and friendship.
  • The ride to camp by bus is really ok. I get to listen to the music I like and have my electronics with me. They keep it safe for me in a secure spot when I get to camp so I can have it on the ride home.
  • The “Upper Camp” is what I’m in. I’ve been with some of my friends for several years and they have become my year round friends. I love the counselors---they’re in college or have graduated and they’re really great role models for me. When we get to camp we hang out, go over what they day is going to be like; choose our options and get psyched for the trips.
  • We still have some good old camp fun---sports, crafts (cool things like a lamp for my room!), wacky science experiments, bike riding, photography, cooking, and more!
  • We get to swim almost every day at camp! The lifeguards are really cool! They teach us new things that we didn’t know before, but they also let us have free swim. I’ve gotten to be such a good swimmer that I think someday I could be a lifeguard at Harbor Haven!
  • I love lunch! I love to eat and on Fridays I LOVE the food the camp brings in! And I LOVE the lunches we can order Monday through Thursday. My parents let ME determine what I order so I get all the things I like: burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, roast beef sandwiches and more!
  • Well, what can I say! I still need help with social skills, expressing my emotions and friendship building. Social skills time helps me with that and I get a chance to practice my social skills in Fun Zone (amazing place!) and Challenge Sector. Even Learning Center at camp is ok with me. We practice school stuff at our own levels----math, reading, and language arts.
  • We get to have Electives in the Upper Camp. That means activity periods where we choose the camp activity we want to do. Some other activities in our schedule are computers, tennis, karate, yoga, drama, music. Some of these we do in our regular schedule AND we get to do more of it if we love it!
  • At the end of the day we have a less structured Upper Camp social time (but our counselors and supervisor are there to help) with our friends while we have our snacks. It’s a great way to unwind with our friends at the end of the day and talk about regular “teen” type topics.
  • Then we say “good bye” for the night, but I know I can always text my camp friends to say, “hi.”
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