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Happy Campers

Back when school let out, I hosted a super fun pool party with my favorite blogger friends and their kids at lower Manhattan’s Leman Manhattan Preparatory School. My children are always excited to hang with the friends they’ve made through the years of my blogging, and the event turned out to be an incredible experience for them.
IMG_0366 IMG_0005What kid doesn’t love swimming, and in Leman’s olympic size pool, their pool time was nothing short of fantastic. After their swim, we all headed downstairs to the cafeteria, where personal chefs prepared the healthiest dinner, for our hungry swimmers. The meal included grilled chicken, marinated tofu, and grilled broccoli, and I was shocked that every single child enjoyed the meal, eating everything up. 
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For weeks after the event, the kids continued to talk about their experience at Leman, and as I prepared for summer by searching for camps, it had occurred to me that Leman would be the perfect option. With their location in close proximity to our house, and their awesome pool and school, I thought it was a great new camp option. A full day of camp runs from 8:30am – 3:30pm, and this year marked the first time both bigs would attend camp together. Upon arrival the first day, the kids were assigned lockers to store their belongings, which left them feeling mature, since they each had their own separate space.

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We had the option to walk to camp, or take the bus, but with the beautiful weather upon us, the kids opted to ride their scooters over to the financial district, every morning. The ride over added to their anticipation of the day’s activities, and the rides home from camp were always filled with stories about their experience at camp that day. Each day, Leman planned something special for the kids, like bringing animals for a petting zoo to their facility, trips to sprinkler playground, tied dying tee shirts, science classes, and yoga. They even provided both kids with lunch and snacks daily, and I was beyond impressed how they catered to Ryder’s gluten free diet. Since they were only enrolled for a two week period, the time passed in a flash. I would have loved to kept them enrolled through August, but the program closes so the facility can prep for the upcoming school year. I was thoroughly impressed by how much the program had to offer, and the staff worked diligently with the kids, teaching them valuable lessons along the way. I definitely plan to send them back next summer, and this time for the entire five week semester. In fact, their program and facility left such an impression on me, that I am considering enrolling Ryder for regular school.

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Summer Camp is somewhat foreign to Jason and I, as we were never attended when we grew up, but our friends went to camp, and they had fortified life long bonds and friendships from their experiences. This is something I do want to offer my children, and while we are a few years off from sleep away camp, I do see Leman becoming a big part of Ryder’s and Siella’s lives, and maybe Gemma’s too, in the years to come. I’m already looking forward to next summer.

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