There are three options for Fours entering our camp program to most appropriately meet the needs of each child during their first time with us:
- Half Day Fours/Nearly Fours
- Full Day Fours
The camp day for Half Day Fours and Half Day Nearly Fours is 9am-1pm Monday-Thursday and 9am-4pm on Friday for Field Trips and Exploration Days. Full Day Fours meet 9am-4:00pm Monday-Friday. Registration is by two-week sessions. The camp program for children in the Fours includes organized activities in their Homegroups and outdoor play, daily workshop rotations of either movement, sensory, science, music or cooking, and Field Trips on each Friday of each session.
Please note that all campers are required to be toilet trained.
Fours Program Description
The Fours day begins at 9am. Activity stations are set up throughout the room in order to engage children in the beginning of the camp day.
Homegroup Time
Morning and afternoon circle meetings open and close the camp day and may include an activity such as a song or a game, a discussion of what will be happening in the day and the week, and a time for the children in the Homegroup to get to know one another.
Activities such as art, cooking, and outdoor play listed on the weekly schedule at times other than Choice Class blocks take place with the Homegroup. Outdoor play happens at Downing Street Park, Minetta Lane Park or on our rooftop play area. Outdoor play may occasionally include sprinkler time, so we ask all campers to bring a swimsuit and a change of clothes that they can leave at camp.
Lunch is served in Homegroup rooms for Fours. A snack of fruit, cheese, pretzels, water, and juice is also provided throughout the day.
Rest time following lunch is an opportunity for children to quiet their senses and to play individually. Some may really rest, while others may look at books or play quietly. Fours may choose to bring a favorite stuffed animal, book, or blanket to have with them during rest time.
Block A and Block B
During Block A, each Homegroup is visited on a rotating basis by a visual art, music, sensory, or movement Specialist for an hour each morning on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Note that Half Day Four/Half Day Nearly Fours participate in Block A activities only. Fours (Full Day) also sign up for a Choice Class during Block B during General Registration, in advance of the camp season. Block B Choice Classes meet outside of the Homegroup rooms in the afternoons on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for an hour each day over the course of a two-week session. Different classes are offered each session. Classes are taught by Specialists, Head and select Associate Counselors. Fours classes take place both inside and outside of the Homegroup room and are open to the participation of children in all Fours groups.
Camp-Wide Wednesday Activities
On Wednesday mornings, children from all Fours and Fives Homegroups gather together for age-appropriate activities, such as mural-making, a dance party, making a marching band, or a special cooking project. This is a fun chance for children to interact with different Homegroups. It is also a good opportunity for friends in different Homegroups to spend time with each other. Wednesday afternoons (Fours- full day) are set aside for collaborative projects and activities with other Homegroups in the camp or for more extended Homegroup activities.
The second Wednesday of each session is a theme day, such as “The Shrinking Machine,” “Little Red Rocket Ship” or “Big Green Meadow.” Camp-wide activities on those days are based on the theme, and each camp group chooses how it will participate in the theme.
Fridays
On Fridays, all Fours groups attend camp from 9:00am to 4:00pm for full day Field Trips. On Field Trip Fridays, Fours travel by chartered bus to locations such as the Green Meadows Farm and Central Park Zoo and Carousel. Our goal for Field Trips is to take the campers to “green,” natural spaces. We have a 1:3 or 1:4 counselor to camper ratio for Fours on Field Trips.