5 Fun Brookline Recreation Department Summer Programs

BROOKLINE, MA — The best part of summer for many is the chance to get outdoors after a long school year, cold winter or rainy spring. For children in Brookline, that can mean exploring the town and area communities in interesting ways well off the beaten path as part of the Brookline Recreation Department’s Nature Camp Program.

The largest and most popular of the town's environmental education programs are the Summer Nature Camps open to ages 5 through 13. Excursions range from field trips to Brookline sanctuaries for younger children in the Acorns program to overnight camps for the those in the Adventurers programs.

Brookline Recreation offers several sports-related camps for students, leagues for adults, as well as a head start for counselors of the future. Here are five cool things to check out this some summer whether you are looking for an active adventure or some competitive fun:

SUMMER NATURE CAMPS

The camps are broken up into four age groups — Acorns (5- to 6-year-olds), Sprouts (7- to 8-year-olds), Junior Rangers (9- to 10-year-olds) and Adventures (11- to 13-year-olds). Acorns will take trips to Brookline parks and sanctuaries and learn about nature through hands-on exploration, stories, arts and crafts. Sprouts will explore parks, sanctuaries and area farms with nature walks and games, while also helping maintain a community garden.

Junior Rangers will work toward earning a Junior Ranger badge through fishing, kayaking, tidepooling, team-building activities and orienteering, while being encouraged to take stewardship of natural areas. Adventurers will move beyond Brookline with hiking trips, canoeing, kayaking and a ropes challenge course. Both Adventures weeks will end with an overnight camp out on Thursday.

LEADERSHIP IN TRAINING

The Leadership in Training Program is a two-week camp helping to train future camp counselors through team-building challenges, workshops and assisting with summer camp groups. Those who complete both sections will be given a certificate of achievement.

Week A camps run July 8-12, 22-26 and Aug. 5-9. Week B camps run July 15-19, July 29-Aug. 2 and Aug. 12-16. Camps run 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lawrence School and can be taken in any order.

SWIM CAMP

This is a comprehensive camp for swimmers with competitive team experience, or those who have passed American Red Cross Level 4 training and are proficient in all four competitive strokes (freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke). Training involves dry-land workouts, two daily swim sessions, instructional videos and analysis from underwater taping.

Camp will run Aug. 19-23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday) at the Evelyn Kirrane Aquatics Center.

JUNIOR GOLF

A series of six, one-week introduction camps will run for players ages 5 through 8 that will focus on fundamentals of the game, etiquette, short game and full-swing techniques. Sessions are 9 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday starting July 8 at the Robert T. Lynch Golf Course.

A series of six, one-week advanced camps will run for players 8 (with experience) through 16 that will focus on improvement in all areas of the game through emphasizing practice techniques and using on-course instruction. Sessions are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday starting July 8 at the Robert T. Lynch Golf Course.

ADULT PICKLE-BALL

Pickle-ball is a paddle sport that is easy to learn, but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players. The sports includes elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. Players can use their own paddle or one from the Brookline Recreation.

The 21-plus league runs on Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. from July 9 to Aug. 27 with players having the option of joining for the entire season or just one night.

Go here for more information on all of the Brookline Recreation programs.