Junior & Mini Explorers (Age 3 - Grade 1)

Program Overview

Junior Explorers Ages 5-6

The Junior Explorers are our youngest campers on the DC Campus. The program is designed to be a younger version of our Explorer Programs, exposing the campers to many different workshops throughout the week. The environment is intentionally designed to promote rich learning experiences that encourage children to be creative and curious. Through fun and interactive lesson planning, special events and inspiring activities, the Junior Explorers create and explore in an environment that fosters play and positive social interaction. 

Our summer teachers are licensed and professional teachers from the community and the surrounding area. Each teacher has a college age assistant that they team with to provide hands-on activities that foster growth and development. These teachers are well versed in Early Childhood and will help your camper operate positively in a social setting, while drawing on each child’s abilities and interests.

Campers register by age and rising grade for the Junior Explorers Program. Our Junior Explorer Program is structured to balance play with enriching and challenging activities to give our youngest campers a taste of what they can grow into at Sidwell Summer.

Mini-Explorers- Ages 3 and 4

NOTE-ALL CAMPERS MUST BE FULLY POTTY TRAINED TO ATTEND CAMP.
Our Mini-Explorers are the fastest growing program at Sidwell Summer. Ms Jody ( a Kindergarten teacher at GDS) and Ms Jaclyn (a first grade teacher at the Jewish Day School) team up to provide a dynamic environment to stimulate these young minds. They focus on social skills and character development, movement and coordination and creativity and the arts throughout the day.

Our mini explorers take part in many special activities throughout the week.  They sing and dance with Ms Joanne, create and explore with Ms Eliza, jump and move in a bouncy castle and splash at water play. Each day they interact with our theme of the week to create amazing butterflies while “Going Buggy” or dress up as tigers for a “Jungle Safari.”  Our Discovery Room provides an environment to discover and imagine from making pies in the store and sand table to building towers floor to ceiling in our construction area.

All of this excitement can be exhausting so the Mini-Explorer program includes a rest time from 12:15-1:15 to help recuperate from all our fun!

Dates/Hours/Fees

Dates:	June 17- August 2
Hours:	9:00 am to 3:00 pm; Half Day: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location:	DC Campus
Fees:	$375/session (full day) ($225 for week of July 1-July 3); $250/session (half day) ($100 for week of July 1-July 3)

Weekly Themes

Week 1: Camp Spirit - Welcome to Camp!

Week 2: Out of this World

Week 3: Party in the USA

Week 4: Under the Big Top

Week 5: Blast from the Past

Week 6: Animal Planet

Week 7: Life's a Beach

Sample Schedules

Sample Mini Explorer Schedule

9:00- 9:10	Greeting and Arrival
9:10- 9:30	Collection  (songs, games, and  movement; Community building)
9:30- 10:15	Craft and Activities based on theme (cooking, songs, centers in homebase); or Discovery Room (Discovery Room- Build, imagine and explore with dress up clothes, legos, and blocks. Sensory integration and creative expression through painting, water table, sand table, and play dough)
10:15- 10:30	Snack
10:30- 11:15	Playground or Moonbounce (Games, swings and climbing)
11:15- 11:45	Music
11:45- 12:15	Lunch
12:15- 1:15	Rest Time
1:15-2:15	Water play (water slide, small pools, bubbles, moon sand) *No prior swimming required
2:15-2:45 2:45- 3:15	Art with Ms Eliza Pack up and Dismissal

 

Half Day Mini Explorer Program
This year we are creating a separate program for our half day mini-explorers. These campers will participate in many of the activities the mini-explorers get to do, except in a condensed day. The half day mini-explorers will have music and other specialty activities along with water play three times a week. Half day mini-explorers do not each lunch at camp.

Sample Half Day Mini Explorer Schedule

9:00- 9:10	Greeting and Arrival
9:10- 9:30	Collection with Amy  (songs, games, and  movement; Community building)
9:30- 10:00	Craft and Activities based on theme (cooking, songs, centers in homebase); or Discovery Room (Discovery Room- Build, imagine and explore with dress up clothes, legos, and blocks. Sensory integration and creative expression through painting, water table, sand table, and play dough)
10:00- 10:15	Snack
10:15- 11:00	Playground (Hearst Playground) Moon bounce or Water play(water slide, small pools, bubbles, moon sand) *No prior swimming required
11:00- 11:45	Music with Ms Joanne
11:45- 12:15	Pack up and Dismissal

 

Junior Explorers- Ages 5 and 6
Our rising Kindergarteners and First Graders are the veterans of the Junior Program. They experience the Explorer Model of 5-Camps-in-1. They rotate through different activities throughout the week to provide each child with an opportunity to experience arts, science, music, sports and cooking. The juniors are also able to create and explore in our Discovery Room. The specialty workshops this summer include Drama, Art, Music, Tennis, Cooking, Yoga and Science.

Sample Junior Explorer Schedule

9:00- 9:10	Greeting and Arrival
9:10- 9:30	Collection  (songs, games, and  movement; Community building)
9:45- 10:15	Science with Ken
10:15- 10:30	Snack
10:30- 11:15	Craft and Activities based on theme
11:15- 11:45	Playground (Games, swings and climbing)
11:45- 12:15	Lunch
12:15- 12:45	Music with Ms Joanne
12:45-1:45	Water play (Water slide, small pools, slip and slide, bubbles, moon sand) *No prior swimming required
1:45-2:30	Discovery Room (Discovery Room- Build, imagine and explore with dress up clothes, legos, and blocks. Sensory integration and creative expression through painting, water table, sand table, and play dough)
2:30-3:00	End of Day, Pack Up and Dismissal

What To Bring

Lunch/ Snacks

Each camper is responsible to bring his/her own bag lunch and drink Monday - Thursday. Pizza and ice cream is provided for all on-campus campers each Friday. Lunches are not refrigerated nor are campers able to heat their lunch items.

Sidwell is not a nut free campus. Please contact us if your child has allergies or dietary restrictions that that we need to be aware of during the summer.

We recommend campers bring a healthy snack for morning and afternoon break times.

 

Drop Off/ Pick Up:

Drop Off	8:45 – 9:00 am All Junior and Mini Explorers
Pick Up	Noon: Half Day Junior Participants 3:00 – 3:15: All Full Day Junior and Mini Explorers

Junior Explorers join their homebases in the morning once dropped off.  In the afternoon, campers are escorted to their car by a counselor once his/her name is called.  Campers who have an older sibing in Explorer Day Camp or ExploreStar will be dismissed from 37th Street. All older siblings will be brought down to 37th Street for pick up.
Please click for more Off/Pick Up for details.

Forms & Health Information

Sidwell Summer does not require any additional medical forms beyond the information provided in the online application unless campers need wish to have permission to take over the counter medication or need to take prescription medication during the day.