Children aged three-and-a-half to 12 are enjoying their summer at the City Park day camps that will be occurring until August 1.

Recreation Coordinator Kristin Otley said there are two different day camps available for the summer. One camp is for preschoolers aged three-and-a-half to five-and-a-half; the other day camp program is for children aged six to 12.

The preschool day camp program is not offered every week, according to Otley. The amount of weeks that it occurs is all based off of the amount of parents or guardians who register their children. However, Otley said the preschool camp is being offered four weeks out of the eight weeks that the day camp season is running during the summer.

There is a new theme each week during the day camp program. One theme that Otley claimed to be popular was a Wet-N-Wild week theme where children played dodgeball with wet sponges, went to the pool and zinged across a mixture of chocolate mix and Hershey’s chocolate syrup on a chocolate Slip N’ Slide.

Students from the University also have the chance to be counselors for the summer day camp program. Most students who work at the camp attend the University and hear about the opportunity through word of mouth, according to Otley.

Day camp positions are advertised right before the University’s spring break in places such as the BG News, The Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune and the city website.

“We have great staff available to hire,” Otley said. “If a student has worked here and really liked it, they’ll talk to people in their classes about it.”

A variety of students from different majors work at the day camp program, but the three most common majors are Education, Sport Management and Tourism and Event Planning.

Some requirements to become a day camp counselor are experiences with children such as babysitting or working in another recreational environment and having a personality that will comply with children. Otley said about 10 to 12 counselors are hired each summer.

CPR and First-Aid certifications are not required when applying, but the Red Cross trains workers one day for eight hours if they don’t already have them.

“If they don’t already have certification, we’ll make sure that they get it,” Otley said.

Next, workers complete a week-long training course held the week before camp starts once they are hired. One aspect of the training program is team building.

“They have to learn how to work well and have fun together,” Otley said. “Otherwise, the kids won’t have any fun.”

In addition, day camp counselors have the chance to create their own lesson plans for each week.

“They can take what they learn in the classroom and apply it,” Otley said. “They’re bringing their experience and what they learned in the classroom and their creativity. We also have years and years of examples that they can look at.”

Fifth year student at the University Molly Sandmann said that working as a day camp counselor is a fun way to spend the summer. Sandmann has been working as a camp counselor at City Park for two summers.

“Being a counselor gets you a lot more involved with the kids,” Sandmann said. “I like that interaction.”

Sandmann also said that she enjoys working with all of the different ages, but delights in working with the twelve-year-olds the most.

“They are starting to learn respect,” Sandmann said. “If we’re having trouble with the kids they can help and be a leader. They’re the leader of the pack.”

If you know a child who is looking for something to do this summer, then there is still time to register them for the City Park day camp program.

Day camp sessions are held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Day camp registration is $55 for Bowling Green residents and $63 for non-residents and preschool day camp registration is $45 for residents and $53 for non-residents.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for children,” Otley said. “It helps them grow with knowledge.”