Safe Haven is a recreation program for children ages 4-12. Fun activities will be planned each week to provide children with opportunities to learn and enjoy themselves. We will be scheduling weekly visits to the library in addition to a variety of other local trips. Each week our crafts and activities will be geared toward the weekly theme. Make this summer a memorable one by joining us!!
We’d like to invite you to enroll your child in the Summer Safe Haven Program at Colonel Town. We’re very excited to be adding 4-year olds to our program, so we’ll be welcoming children ages 4-12 this summer. We’ve hired a summer programs coordinator to assist us in creating a camp-like atmosphere for the children as we really want campers to look forward to coming to Safe Haven every day.
In trying to create a fun day camp for children, our program has weekly themes. The daily games, crafts, and various activities usually center on those themes. Campers will be divided into three age groups: blue group (ages 4-5), yellow group (ages 6-8), and the red group (ages 9-12). Children go to the pool each afternoon, weather permitting. We have Safe Haven staff members who remain at the pool with them to ensure each child’s safety. The days end with “Camper of the Day” awards for each group.
There are many local field trips that we take in the summer. For example, we go to the library each week, attend the free family movies at the Rialto Theatre, enjoy Impact’s live performances at the Rialto Theatre, take walking trips, etc.
We’re also very fortunate to be able to offer free lunches to our campers again this summer. The NH Department of Education partners with the NH Food Bank the White Mountains Regional High School to prepare well-balanced, nutritious cold lunches each day. They create two-week menus so that parents have advanced notice of what the meals will be, just in case a child may not like what’s going to be prepared. Parents do not have to fill out any paperwork for this service.
Our staff is currently working hard to finish scheduling all the summer field trips, activities, games, crafts, etc. The following is a breakdown of the weekly schedule so far:
- Week 1 (6/23-6/24) – No theme; field trip to Santa’s Village this week
- Week 2 (6/27-7/1) – “Slime & Grime”. Campers will make slime, create explosions with soda, make playdough, and more
- Week 3 (7/5-7/8) – “Holiday Scramble”. Campers will enjoy National Hat Day, National Ice Cream Day (make-your-own sundaes), National Balloon Day (lots of fun balloon games, including water balloons), and Halloween (dress in costume, trick-or-treating, Halloween carnival)
- Week 4 (7/11-7/15) – “Knights & Princesses”. Children will go on a quest to find a dragon egg, create a sword with a balloon, learn how to juggle, compete in a jester’s contest, and more. Walking trip to the Lancaster Fire/EMS Departments and a field trip to Storyland this week.
- Week 5 (7/18-7/22) – “Mission Impossible”. This week will be filled with mysteries, scavenger hunts, secret messages, clues, and more. Walking trip up Mt. Prospect this week.
- Week 6 (7/25-7/29) – “Superheroes”. Campers will participate in a superhero team quest, gain super powers, dress as their favorite superhero, and more.
- Week 7 (8/1-8/5) – “Camping Fun”. Enjoy “camping in”, making S’Mores, etc. We will take a trip to the Community Camp this week where the children will love participating in the Lost & Found program.
- Week 8 (8/8-8/12) – “The Wild, Wild West”. Children will pan for gold, lasso cowboy boots, herd sheep (fake sheep), have fun line dancing, as well as other activities. Trip to Fort Jefferson Fun Park this week.
- Week 9 (8/15-8/19) – “Hawaiian Hullabaloo”. This week is filled with leis, grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts, limbo, water balloons, a giant slip ‘n slide. We will play water games at the pool one morning. Campers will enjoy a luau lunch and dance.
- Week 10 (8/22-8/26) – “Camp Rewind”. We’ll revisit all of the children’s favorite activities and games as we put the entire summer on rewind.
The following is a list of items that would be packed in your child’s backpack each day:
- Two snacks
- Cold lunch (if you don’t want your child to have the free cold lunch provided at Safe Haven)
- Water bottle
- Flip flops or sandals
- Towel
- Sneakers
- Bathing suit
- One Safe Haven shirt (which is worn whenever your child leaves Colonel Town property or when there are a lot of children on Colonel Town property – as a safety precaution)
- Bottle of sunscreen labeled with your child’s name (this is only brought on the first day and is left at Safe Haven – our staff is very good at ensuring each child wears sunscreen throughout the day)
Many of our campers are enrolled in other Colonel Town programs, such as swim lessons, gymnastics camp, tennis, etc. If your child is enrolled in any of the summer Colonel Town programs, our staff will walk your child to and from those programs.
Lastly, we have the capability of electronically billing the state for any families who qualify for state childcare subsidy. If you qualify for state assistance, please let us know and we can help you get that process started.