Beach May 2018
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land camps<br />
Into the Wilderness: Nights in Redondo’s backyard unique<br />
among the city’s summer camp options<br />
by David Mendez<br />
Wilderness Park is a patch<br />
of parkland that’s one of<br />
the few public places in<br />
the South Bay that a person is allowed<br />
to sleep outdoors. The missile<br />
site-turned-park has become a<br />
hub of activity since it was opened<br />
by the City of Redondo <strong>Beach</strong> in<br />
1977, particularly in the summer<br />
months.<br />
Summer Wilderness Camps, offered<br />
by Redondo’s Community<br />
Services Department, fill up<br />
quickly each year, and the summer<br />
of <strong>2018</strong> is no different — many sessions<br />
are already waitlisted, and<br />
camps don’t begin until June.<br />
“What’s wonderful about it is not<br />
only the location, but it’s one of<br />
our smaller camps – it caps out at<br />
35 campers each, so it’s almost like<br />
a classroom setting,” according to<br />
Monica Bruno, an after-school<br />
recreation assistant.<br />
All of the camp activities are<br />
planned with enrichment in mind.<br />
Often, they’re nature-themed<br />
crafts or projects, alongside games<br />
that take advantage of the treelined<br />
setting.<br />
“The kids are going to come<br />
home tired and dirty, making<br />
friends, but it’s nice that way,”<br />
Bruno said.<br />
Families can also get in on the<br />
action through the city’s Family<br />
Camp nights. Permits for overnight<br />
camping on weekends at Wilderness<br />
Park are available year-round,<br />
but the special weekends planned<br />
by the City offer themed activities<br />
and games that allow families to<br />
enjoy the woods from their own<br />
backyard.<br />
“Locals don’t have to drive far.<br />
Some families set up their campsites<br />
and have dinner at a restaurant,<br />
while others will get as close<br />
to camping as possible,” Bruno<br />
said.<br />
The Wilderness Park summer activities<br />
are only a sample of the<br />
land-side selections offered by Redondo<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>. The city offers 17<br />
camp options, including soccer,<br />
skateboarding, horseback riding<br />
and dance camps. The City also offers<br />
creative camps focused on art,<br />
computer coding, filmmaking and<br />
Lego engineering.<br />
“We seemingly never can have<br />
enough programs to get families<br />
and their kids booked into,” said<br />
Redondo <strong>Beach</strong> Community Development<br />
Director John LaRock.<br />
His department is constantly<br />
looking to add programs for campseeking<br />
customers. They’ve even<br />
tossed around the concept of putting<br />
together a “free-agent” membership,<br />
for people to attend<br />
multiple camps.<br />
“Especially with children – socially,<br />
varietally – we’re trying to<br />
give them as much to absorb, and<br />
we’re trying to stay ahead in their<br />
interests,” LaRock said. “Give the<br />
people what they want, and what<br />
they want is more cool stuff.”<br />
Redondo’s camps begin on June<br />
25, with new sessions beginning<br />
weekly for most camps. Prices<br />
vary by program.<br />
Wilderness Park is at 1102<br />
Camino Real, Redondo <strong>Beach</strong>.<br />
For more information on Redondo<br />
<strong>Beach</strong>’s camp offerings, call<br />
310-318-0610, ext. 3460, or visit redondo.org/camps.<br />
B<br />
Herons are among the many<br />
breeds of birds that find refuge in<br />
Wilderness Park. Photo by Bev<br />
Morse<br />
Dance 1 Summer Camps<br />
The owners of Redondo’s Dance<br />
1 believe their studio to be a place<br />
for all learning dancers to train in<br />
a comfortable, secure environment.<br />
The 3D Camp, for ages 6 to<br />
12, is themed “Take Me to the<br />
Movies,” featuring songs from<br />
“Trolls,” “The Greatest Showman,”<br />
“Descendants 2” and “Annie.” The<br />
3D Jr. Camp, for ages 3 to 5 years<br />
old, is built on different daily<br />
themes, and will teach children elements<br />
of ballet, jazz, tap and hiphop<br />
dance styles.<br />
$360 per session for 3D Camp,<br />
running July 16 to July 20 and Aug.<br />
6 to Aug. 10, and $150 for 3D Jr.<br />
Camp, from June 25 to June 29.<br />
redondo.org/camps<br />
PlayWell TEKnologies<br />
Summer Camps<br />
The LEGO-centrict PlayWell<br />
Summer Camps are designed to let<br />
kids explore their imaginations –<br />
and STEM concepts – through<br />
LEGO sets and pop-culture franchises.<br />
Engineer-designed projects<br />
allow campers to complete objectives<br />
through the lens of Minecraft<br />
and Star Wars-inspired worlds.<br />
Camps are for kids aged 5 to 6 and<br />
7 to 11, and are offered by both the<br />
City of Hermosa <strong>Beach</strong> and the<br />
City of Redondo <strong>Beach</strong>. Camps<br />
begin June 25. Hermosa camps<br />
cost $184 for residents, and $194<br />
for non-residents. Redondo camps<br />
cost $165.<br />
redondo.org/camps or<br />
hermosabch.org<br />
Code to the Future<br />
Video game lovers can become<br />
budding game designers and programmers<br />
with Code to the Future,<br />
a camp designed to help curious<br />
campers modify games through<br />
coding. Minescratch will teach<br />
campers programming through a<br />
block-based tool called “Scratch,”<br />
while Minecraft Modding will give<br />
campers the tools to modify the<br />
popular game Minecraft through<br />
the Java programming language.<br />
Minescratch costs $171, and is for<br />
kids 7 to 12 years old. Minecraft<br />
Modding costs $242, and is for kids<br />
9 to 14 years old. Both programs<br />
are at the Aviation Dance Room at<br />
Aviation Park, 1935 Manhattan<br />
<strong>Beach</strong> Blvd., Redondo <strong>Beach</strong>.<br />
redondo.org/camps<br />
• Serving the South<br />
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Visit Our<br />
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Appointments Are Recommended<br />
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<strong>May</strong> 10, <strong>2018</strong> • Easy Reader / <strong>Beach</strong> magazine 53