Explorers (1st & 2nd Graders)
At Oak Crest, the program grows with the campers. As they age, our campers gain access to new activities and greater challenges, and our Explorers are no exception! Similar to the Munchkin program, the Explorer program focuses on developing skills in a variety of athletic and creative activities, improving their swimming skills, and continuing to develop their social and emotional intelligence.
Campers entering the 1st grade are introduced to our Climbing Tower, Zipline, and Giant Swing as well as the game of GAGA (an Oak Crest tradition)! As they are entering 2nd grade, our campers have CHOICE built into their schedule. Choice is the period where the campers select the activity they would like to participate in; their CHOICE selection lasts for that week and then the following week they are able to select another activity.
Explorer Athletics
Our 1st and 2nd graders participate in smaller versions of traditional sports. We use smaller fields and courts with age-appropriate equipment. This allows our campers to experience success while learning the basics of the game. Athletic Specialists who lead the activities are trained to spend part of the period teaching a new skill and to use the remainder of that period to play a game that emphasizes that new skill. Oak Crest counselors participate in all of the activities right along with the campers, helping the specialists create and validate success opportunities for our campers.
Creative Arts
Your child will be exposed to a variety of artistic activities in air-conditioned classrooms led by art teachers. At least once a week, our campers attend Ceramics, Music, Mad Science, Cooking, Drama, Nature, Dance, Digital Photography, Jewelry Making, Computers, and more.
All of our Explorer Girl groups perform a Dance routine in our annual Showcrest (Dance and Drama Production). Showcrest is no small production! It is traditionally held the 6th week of camp in the evening at a local venue, complete with professional sound and lighting!
Learn to Swim
At Oak Crest, our Learn-to-Swim Program is one of the cornerstones of the Oak Crest experience. Our aquatic facility is second to none! Our Explorers enjoy our brand new, state of art 12,000 square foot Aquatic Complex built exclusively for our 3-8 year olds. Our Aquatic Complex has water depths starting at 1 foot all the way up to 6 feet deep so we are able to start all of our swimmers in standing depth water and then move them into deeper water as their skills progress.
Every morning, our Explorers participate in a 40-minute swim lesson led by our certified swim instructions with the assistance of the group counselors, and in the afternoon, the groups return for free swim. Swim lessons are based on skill, not age, so we are able to challenge swimmers of all levels. We teach and train our own instructors every year and our swim techniques are based not only on the American Red Cross, but over 25 years of practical experience in teaching children how to swim.
Learn to Ride a Bicycle
Learning how to ride a bike has become a very important childhood milestone. What better place to learn how to ride a bicycle than at Oak Crest’s brand new Bicycle Village. Our Bicycle Village is complete with a 1/4 mile training course, a state of the art pump track, and a mountain bike preparation trail. Not only does cycling promote an independence in children, but it also teaches balance, posture control, coordination, and the development of motor skills. Our experienced instructors provide one-on-one attention allowing beginner bikers to gain the confidence they need. Oak Crest provides appropriately sized bikes and helmets.
Ropes Course and Low Ropes Course
At Oak Crest, we built a low ropes course not only to help develop our 1st Grade Explorer’s gross motor skills but also gain some of the tools they will need to tackle our Climbing Tower. Our 1st Grade Explorers spend their time at the Low Ropes Course climbing, exploring, and swinging while just inches off the ground. As a 2nd Grade Explorer, Oak Crest campers are introduced to our Climbing Tower and Zipline for the first time! Our Ropes Course is designed to allow campers to progress at their own pace. As the campers gain more comfort and confidence, they gain access to higher and more advanced elements.
Our ropes courses are inspected and certified for safety before each season by the same company that built the courses and daily by our certified ropes instructors, who also lead the groups through all of our ropes courses.
Social Development
In the Explorer Division, we place an emphasis on learning to work with others in a group. Throughout the day, the group will have to work together and learn to support each other. The group structure and the active role the counselors play an integral part in the development of strong bonds and friendships. Our counselors also teach the campers to interact respectfully with others and to communicate directly with both campers and staff. Oak Crest offers a caring environment where children learn the emotional and social skills necessary to succeed in life.