Metro Summer Camps Reopening Amid COVID-19 Reality, Renewed Interest

One year after the pandemic closed them down, summer camps are seeing an increased turnout.

Keystone Adventure School is an example of a local summer camp giving kids the opportunity to get the camp experience. Due to self-imposed COVID-19 procedures, it is using a large space with tons of room for kids to play in the great outdoors.  

Keystone has a focus on getting kids back into playing, interacting and being kids which is something they were not able to do last year.

“We make sure that it is done in a safe way, but we make sure that they drive that themselves and that they know that they have the power to regain that and it’s not lost and it can be rebuilt,” Keystone Adventure School co-director Jenny Dunning said.

The school has implemented several safety measures in place to protect students against COVID-19, including limiting class size and installing new filtration systems indoors and several exhaust fans.

They want to get children back to learning and embracing their curiosity.

“Curiosity is peaked they get to play,” Dunning said. “They get to learn with their hands. They get to explore. They get to collaborate and be exactly who they are as a learner whether they are playing outside or inside.”

Children get to learn by doing math and writing books to earn money (farm dollars), which will allow them to purchase a "house" for the day.

A majority of kids’ time is spent outside playing, running around, working with farm animals, kayaking and more.

The camp’s co-directors said their camp is full. At this point, they have said they are too overwhelmed to get back to everyone who wants to be on a waitlist.