Summer Camp Spotlight: Arts and Crafts Camp in Canton

offers children in kindergarten through grade 5 the chance to be creative in a relaxed atmosphere. Teacher Lori Mitcheroney, who has offered the program for the past 17 years, keeps campers busy while helping them through the steps of the day’s craft, and being flexible according to kids’ interests.

“I take a lot of my cues from what they’re enjoying,” Mitcheroney said.

Each of the camp’s five weekly sessions had a specific theme, like Christmas in July, animals and insects and fall crafts. The fifteen campers gather at at noon each day, and complete the first step of the day’s craft, which often is painting some of the parts. Campers then enjoy a leisurely lunch outside, with free time on the playground. They can also choose activities such as beading or working with gimp, and sometimes have water play as well. 

After lunch, they head back inside for the next phase of their project. Mitcheroney said she takes care in choosing crafts for the camp.

“I try to do things that are useful, stuff the kids can be proud of and hang up in their bedrooms,” she said. “A lot of them are wooden things that will last a long time.” 

A recent craft was an apple welcome sign. Campers took a wooden paddle and painted it with diluted brown paint, which lent the paddle a stained look. They then painted a wooden apple separately, and used paint pens to add the leaves and stem details. This type of craft, completed in stages, works with the campers’ wide age-range, said Mitcheroney. 

“Little ones don’t have to worry about coloring in the lines, and older ones can get more detailed,” she said. 

Aside from the crafts, Mitcheroney values the atmosphere of the camp. 

“There aren’t many days in a child’s summer that they can just be a kid,” she said. “We have a great time, the kids make wonderful friends and they look forward to coming back next year.”