CULLMAN – It’s always hard to adjust your schedule and keep the kids entertained during summer break. Many parents have trouble juggling work and kids when school is out, but here in Cullman there are always options. An option that many parents agreed to this year was the 2014 Camp Cullman.
Camp Cullman has been in operation for some time now, offering kids a fun and interactive day, and parents a safe, affordable place to send their children. The camp was held twice this summer with the first session running from June 3-28, and the current camp running from July 8 to August 2.
The camp was coordinated this year by Leigh Hempfling, and she sat down to talk a little bit about the activities that the kids have done this year.
“We do a lot of different things here,” Hempfling said. “When we are here at the Aquatic Center, we spend a lot of time in the pool, but we also do crafts, play basketball and soccer. Soccer has been really big this year with the kids because of the World Cup.”
The camp weekly fee is $100, and while that may seem like a lot of money to some parents today, the outside activities that are offered with that are tremendous.
“We go on field trips twice a week,” said Hempfling. “We have one every week on Wednesday where we go out of town. Those are our big days. We go to Air Walk in Birmingham, we went to the Nashville Zoo, and we have a Chattanooga trip coming up.”
The camp, on any given week, can have anywhere between 55 to 85 kids. That could seem like a completely overwhelming number to some. As a teacher, though, Hempfling takes it all in stride.
“Last summer, before John Hunt retired, I had mentioned to him that I work full time at West Elementary and that I didn’t know what I was going to do to keep myself busy all summer,” she said. “And he said I know exactly what you can do.”
“I really love taking the kids places they haven’t been before and seeing what they do. And I was nervous going into it just because it is a long process getting ready and getting things set up. Once it started though, everything went smoothly, and I have a lot of great helpers.”
Camp Cullman costs around the same amount as any daycare, but offers a richer experience for the children. From 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., the children spend the day learning and having fun in a safe and wholesome environment. If you missed this year’s camp, there is no need to fret as another camp will be here next summer, and Leigh Hempfling and crew will be ready to make it a summer to remember.
For more information about Camp Cullman, please contact Cullman Parks & Recreation at 256-734-9157.
