playground - South Huron

PLAYGROUND
Camper & Parent Guide
Summer 2015
Dear parent/guardian,
The purpose of this booklet is to inform you and your camper(s) of all the “need to know”
information necessary for an enjoyable experience at Playground. Please take the time to read
this entire booklet with care.
Contact Information……………...........................................................................................................2
Directions to Playground……………………………………………………………………………………2
Program Prices and Hours………………………………………………………………………………….3
Meet Our Leaders……………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Camper Checklist.................................................................................................................................4
Camper Clothing..................................................................................................................................4
Lost and Found………………………………………………………………………………........................4
Peanut Free…………………………………………………………………………………...........................5
Recycling……………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Behaviour Management Policy……………………………………………………………........................8
Electronics & Special Toys………………………………………………………………………………....9
Day Trips & Special Guests………………………………………………………………………………...10
Program Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………………….11
Program Calendar-July……………………………………………………………………........................13
Program Calendar -August……………………………………………………………….........................14
1
Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact the Program Supervisor, or Programs &
Events Coordinator at any time! We are pleased to offer our assist
Playground
Eva-Marie
Coordinator/Supervisor Allison
Phone#: (519) 235-2833
Cell #: (705) 822-4242
Email: [email protected]
Program & Events
Coordinator
Darcey Cook
Phone #: (519) 235-2833
Email: [email protected]
Community Services
Manager
Jo-Anne Fields
Phone #: (519) 235-2833
Email: [email protected]
Directions to Playground
•
•
•
South Huron Playground is located behind the South Huron Recreational
Centre, in the Agricultural Building at 96 Victoria St. E, Exeter ON
From Main Street Exeter, turn onto Victoria Street East
Drive directly behind the Rec. Centre, towards the Ag. Building
Please be cautious as you approach the building in your vehicle, as children are playing in the area
2
Program Hours
Our program operates for 8 weeks, beginning on June 29th, Monday to Friday.
Regular program hours are: 9am – 12pm & 1pm-4pm
with a supervised lunch hour between 12 and 1pm.
Early Hours 7:30am-9am & Late Hours 4pm-5:30pm
*Regular hours are subject to change on trip days (read trip forms for arrival and pick up times)
*Regular programs do not run on the following days due to trips:
July 16, July 30, August 13, August 19.
Trip capacity is 45 campers – speak to staff to reserve your child’s spot
*Playground will be closed on July 1st for Canada Day and August 3 for Civic Holiday
Program Prices
Regular Hour Prices:
# of Children
in a family
1
Full Day
Fee
$30
Half Day
Fee
$15
2
$45
$22.50
3
$50
$25
Forms of Payment:
 Cheques (made out to M.O.S.H.)
 Debit
 Cash
Early Hours: $3 per use (per family)
Late Hours $3 per use (per family)
*Please note, trip fees are in addition to regular hour fees
Payments can be made daily or weekly.
3
Meet Our Leaders
This year Playground has six full time leaders. All of us are High Five certified and
have experience working with children. We’ve been busy planning for all ages and
can’t wait for summer to start!
Hi there, my name is Eva-Marie Allison.
I’m your South Huron Playground Co-ordinator/Supervisor for Summer 2015. I have
just graduated from Teacher’s College at the University of Laurentian, in Sudbury and
am back for one more year of Playground! This summer I’ll be showing Heather the
ropes of the supervisor position. Some of my favourite things to do are summer and
winter outdoor activities ranging from paddle boarding, swimming and hiking to skating
and snow shoeing. I’ve also taken up yoga! I’m excited to begin my 7th summer with
the Playground Program and hoping to make my last year with the program the best
for our campers! This year our program continue with separate activities according to
age groups. We also have exciting trips planned which our staff has been working
hard to fundraise for in order to subsidize bussing costs.
Looking forward to seeing new and familiar faces again this summer!
Hi playground! My name is heather Godkin and this will be my fourth summer back at
playground and my first summer as part of the coordinator team! I am nineteen years old
and am currently attending wilfrid laurier university in Waterloo to study kinesiology and
just finished my first year. I am very excited to be back this summer and can't wait to
see everyone again!
Hi Playgrounders,
My name is Jared DenOtter and this summer will be my third at Playground, which I'm
very excited for! My favourite food is pizzaI'm going into Grade 12 at South Huron
District High School, and I play sports including basketball, hockey, soccer,
badminton, and more. I love to travel, and I’ve been to five countries including
England, U.S.A., France, Berlin, and The Netherlands! I can't wait to see everyone
this summer and I know we are going to have a blast!
4
Hello campers, I'm Aimee Rush! This will be my third summer with the
playground program and I couldn't be more excited to return! I just
completed my first year of psychology at Western University. I enjoy
several sports including soccer, hockey, volleyball and many others. I'm
looking forward to seeing everyone, I know we are going have an amazing
summer!
Hi! My name is Emily and I can’t wait to return as a Playground leader again this
summer. I love nature, animals, arts and crafts, creative play, and getting messy! My
favourite thing about Playground is our awesome theme days full of great activities
and games. I am a student at the University of Toronto working on a double degree
in Human Rights Equity and in K-6 Teaching. I’m passionate about accessible play
and creating programming that is engaged and exciting for everyone!
Hi! My name is Emily brand this is my second summer working for playground but my
first summer planning days! A little bit more about me-I go to school at fanshawe
college for food and nutrition management. I will be going into my second year in
September. I'm so excited for this summer at playground to start and I cannot wait for
all the fun we will have. I am looking forward to creative crafts, fun games and
enjoying the summer.
5
Camper Checklist
Here is a quick checklist to make sure you have included everything that your camper(s) will need
to have a fun camp experience each day:
Reusable water bottle
A lunch (packed individually for each camper please)
Sunscreen
Bathing suit
Towel
Sandals or other footwear to walk to the pool
Close-toe shoes (running shoes are the best choice)
Extra Clothes
A sweater or jacket for cool days
Check the calendar for any special items needed for the day 
Camper Clothing
When sending your child to Playground, please consider the following recommendations:
•
•
•
•
•
Old play clothes should be worn when possible
All valuable items (iPods, Ps2’s, DS’s, toys, etc) should be left at home
Please label everything (clothes, bathing suits, towels, lunch containers)
An extra change of clothes are often useful, especially for younger campers
A bag or backpack (per camper) that has a zipper is highly recommended to reduce the risk of losing
personal belongings
Lost & Found


In the event that your camper misplaces their belongings we have a Lost & Found at Playground
You may stop in yourself to check it out or sent a note with your camper describing the lost item and we
will do our best to locate it (this is where your labeling comes in handy).
6
Peanut Free
Throughout the summer there will be several campers attending Playground
who have serious allergies to peanuts and peanut butter. In
some cases, even the smell of the peanut butter is enough to elicit a severe
allergic reaction. We, therefore promote a PEANUT FREE FACILITY and we ask
that parents and guardians ensure that campers do not bring any peanut products such as peanut butter or
other snacks that may contain peanuts.
Your cooperation in this manner is greatly appreciated!
Companies are making peanut free options easier – just look for the “no peanuts” sign 
Please double check labels to ensure that products are peanut free
Recycling
Campers at Playground are asked to support our environment by
following the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Reduce
Limit the amount of garbage you bring to camp
Reuse
Make use of reusable lunch containers, lunch bags, and water bottles
Recycle
Every camper is invited to donate products such as Javex
and 2L bottles, milk cartons, material scraps, wood scraps,
buttons, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, egg cartons,
magazines, etc to our Arts and Crafts program!
Campers are also encouraged to recycle while at camp
by putting recyclable products in the appropriate bins.
Every act makes a difference!
7
Behaviour Management Policy
It is our hope that through preventative behaviour management techniques our staff will be able to create
programming that keeps kids engaged in positive behaviour. However, it is likely throughout the summer our
staff will have to manage behaviour problems. For this reason, a policy has been developed to address
behaviours.
This summer, we have two major rules to keep all participants and staff safe!
1. Respect
This includes:
• Respecting yourself
• Respecting each other
• Respecting leaders
• Respecting volunteers
• Respecting Equipment
2. Boundaries
This includes:
• Personal boundaries (for yourself and others)
-keeping your hands to yourself
-eating your own lunch (and not others)
•
Physical boundaries
-keeping within the boundaries set by staff
-checking with a leader before leaving for the washroom
Discipline
Our staff does their best to address situations while they are in the preliminary stages so that we may avoid
serious discipline issues. If a leader unable to handle the situation with their camper, the situation will be
directed to the Playground Supervisor.
Documenting poor behaviour can help us to track repetitive inappropriate behaviors. In the event that your
child demonstrates poor behaviour, their actions will be documented. This information will be shared with the
parent as necessary or as requested.
In the event that a camper displays inappropriate behaviour while at Playground, the following protocol will be
carried out. Please note that serious offences such as bullying and extreme violence will not be tolerated and
will result in immediate and permanent dismissal of your camper.
1st offense: Camper will be directed to the appropriate behaviour, a second reminder (if needed) may be given
if offense is minor.
2nd offense: Consequence will be given, which involves removal of the camper from the activity taking place.
Re-entering of the activity will occur when the camper is ready to participate in an appropriate manner.
If behaviour continues, and leaders are unable to find a solution in re-directing the behaviour, a
parent/guardian will be consulted in order to ensure the camper can have the best experience possible at
Playground 
8
Electronics & Toys
Playground offers outdoor and indoor activities, which are all carefully planned and prepared by our full-time
leaders. Our leaders do their best to cater to the age of campers and ensure a variety of activities throughout
their programming.
Activities include (but are not limited to) organized sports, large & small group games, scavenger hunts, crafts,
nature walks, swimming, special guests, day trips etc. As leaders, we hope that campers will foster friendships
made at camp and continue to peruse an interest in physical activity.
We understand your child(ren) has electronics or favourite toys they play with at home, however in the past
issues have arisen when children have brought their toys to Playground. These issues have included: fighting
over toys, refusing to participate in activities and the loss of toys.
With this being said, we ask that you please do not send your child(ren) to camp with any sort of electronic
device or toys from home.
If your child does arrive with these items, we will ask they return the item to their
backpack for use after Playground.
We appreciate your co-operation and understanding of this policy!
9
Day Trips & Special Guests
Each year Playground incorporates day trips & special guests into our programming. These days do require
pre-registration and an extra fee (for example, entrance fees per participant). Playground does their best to
cover costs associated with transportation, lowering trip costs per family!
For trip permission forms & pricing, please speak with our Playground Staff or print from southhuron.ca
This year we are excited to announce the following trips & special guests:
Campers 4-7 will be attending Storybook Gardens Cost $20
Campers 8-11 will be attending Boler Mountain in the morning and
viewing the Minions Movie in the afternoon. Cost $35
Date: July 16
Campers of all ages are invited to come to the Ontario Science
Center in Toronto. Our visit includes a viewing of the movie
Humpback Whales in the IMAX dome. Cost $30
Date: July 30
Playground will be cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center on Camp
Day! Be sure to look for us in the stands, we will have our banner flying and be
welcomed on the big screen. Cost $45
Date: August 13
Play in the morning and keep cool in the afternoon at Bingeman’s Park in
Kitchener with us! Cost $25
Date: August 19
To Be Confirmed:
Wednesday July 8: Mad Science of London
will be visiting Playground in the morning!
*Please note due to program ratios & bus capacity there are limited spaces available during our trips & special
guest days. Trips are filled on a first come-first-serve basis & pre-payment of trip fees is required. This year we
will be asking trip forms be handed in with their payment. Thank you for your understanding 
10
Program Evaluation
As a participant, we ask that you assist us in evaluating our Playground Program by completing this form. We
are continually striving to maintain and improve the quality of our program, as well as seek your input for new
ideas.
Program:
1. Were you pleased with the following… please circle and feel free to make comments.
Time
Yes
No
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Fee
Yes
No
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Safety Yes
No
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Activities my child(ren) enjoyed the most:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Activities my children enjoyed the least:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Would you sign your child up again?
Yes
No
Comments:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What improvements or new ideas do you have for the Playground Program?
________________________________________________________________________________________
11
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. How did you find out about this program? Please circle or specify.
Newspaper
Brochure
Recreation Centre
A friend
Other____________________________
6. Did you find the Playground Staff … please circle
Organized
Personable
Enthusiastic
Knowledgeable
Helpful
Comments:_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
8. What I liked (and/or my children liked) about the leaders:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Next steps or improvement(s) you would like to see concerning leaders:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Addition comments or concerns you may have about the program:
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
12
Reminders
and things
to bring!
!!
!
Week 1
PLAYGROUND SCHEDULE JULY 2015
Monday Tuesday
29
30
No
Playground
July 1.
!!
!!
!!
!
!
Week 2
Wednesday
!
1!
No Playground!
Happy Canada
Day!
Thursday Friday
2
Fancy Food
3
6
7
8
9
10
13
14
15
16
17
20
21
22
23
24
9: Bathing
suit and
towel
!!
!!
Week 3
13: clothes
that can
get messy
!
14:Bathing
suit and
towel
!
16:Boler
Mountain
and Story
Book
Gardens
trip
!
Week 4
20:Bathing
suit and
towel
Reminders
& Things
PLAYGROUND SCHEDULE AUGUST 2015
to Bring
!
!
!
!
!
Week 1
July 27:
comfy
shoes for
jungle
exploration
!
July 30:
Science
Centre Trip
!
!
Week 2
August 3:
Civic
holiday no
playground
!
!
!
Week 3
August 13:
Toronto
Blue Jays
Trip
!
Week 4 August 19:
Bingeman’s
Water
Park Trip
!
August 20:
Any thing
campers
need to
perform
their
talent!
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
!!
!!
!!
!!
27!
28
29
30
31
!!
!!
!!
!!
!
!
!!
!!
!!
!
3!
4
5
6
7
11
12
13
14
18
19
20
21
!!
!!
!!
!
10!
17!
Remember to bring a bathing suit,
towel and refillable water bottle to
Playground everyday!