Dive Into Horsham Summer Camps

Andrew Lauerman is not easily grossed out.

That’s definitely a good thing. Andrew, 8, of North Wales, a Horsham summer camp science explorer, quite literally dove into his week-long day camp.

“I’m going to cut open the eyeball,” Andrew said with glee, while dissecting squid. As lunchtime neared and the overwhelming smell of the preserved fish filled the , Andrew grew even more excited with a new discovery: his squid had eggs inside.

“Andrew is our expert dissecter,” said camp instructor Kristin Ritter, an elementary education major at West Chester University. “I guess the guts don’t gross me out too bad.”

Besides smelling a bit fishy, campers learned about water pollution, conducted science experiments and examined how various animals make seashells their home.

The “Take a Dive” science camp – which wraps up today – is one of about three dozen diverse, week-long day camps offered through Horsham Township. Everything from arts and crafts, to a variety of sports, video game making, and, of course, science, dominate the summer weeks through Aug. 19.

Best of all for parents looking to keep the kids busy while school’s out, many of the camps, including the brand-new survivor camp, mega multi-sport camp and moviemaking camp, still have openings.

In all, several hundred kids, ranging in age from 3 to 16 enroll in the various camps, according to Horsham Park and Recreation Director Mark Hudson. Even though numbers are down a little, Hudson said he’s been able to register the minimum of 10 campers to keep the individual programs going.

“A lot of the kids are repeats,” Hudson said, adding that Hatboro kids are welcome to attend too. “We don’t charge a non-resident fee.”

Funds generated from camp enrollments go back into the recreation department’s budget and cover the township’s free summer concert series, he said.

Hudson said the township works with companies, as well as professionals with specific expertise to provide kids with authentic camping experiences. The tennis camp is taught by an experienced coach and the soccer camp, the most popular of all, is taught by instructors from England.

“The kids really get a big kick out of that,” Hudson said of the British accents that accompany the instruction.

Click here to view the summer camps schedule, pricing and registration information.