While most Gettysburg families would consider summer to be a fun and eventful season, many are now restricted to their homes or in limited contact with others due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. As the pandemic continues, many of the numerous summer activities and programs meant to entertain and educate local children are no longer available.
As a result, several local organizations have developed programs that provide local families with activities that can be enjoyed from the comfort of their homes.
Summer STEM Adventure Program
WITF-FM has partnered with three regional educational intermediate units to create the Summer STEM Adventure Program, an online resource for families who are interested in engaging their children in new projects and active learning between July 1 and August 21.
The program highlights programs, books, careers, and activities centered around animal habitats, and provides weekly online reports that offer instructions for different interactive projects.
The program was developed as a response to the pandemic, according to Debbie Riek, WITF Education Director. The goal of the program, which consists of WITF media, online resources, books, and hands-on activities, is to provide ways “to get kids excited about going outside, technology, math, and exploring our environment.”
“Now that we are in a situation where kids are more individualized in their own homes, we want to make sure they have all those resources to keep the exploring going, and that it’s fun and engaging,” Riek said.
The program also focuses on trying to be inclusive and accessible to all residents in the county. In addition to providing online activities in both English and Spanish, program organizers have also created “grab and go” bags of supplies for children to use as they complete the summer adventures.
Riek says that organizers will continue to learn about and utilize the Summer Stem Adventure program’s current format, and will also continue a relationship with the current intermediate unit partners. Riek also states that the program is prepared to continue providing resources to families and to help them seek the resources they need.
“We’re trying to really see where the needs are and what the gaps are,” Riek said. “Our goal is to make sure kids are connected, however it all looks.”
Collaborating for Youth
Another program focused on accessibility and inclusivity within Adams County is Collaborating for Youth’s After School Program. While the organization ordinarily operates out of Camp Nawakwa in Biglerville, in addition to twenty different partner locations throughout Adams County, the program has focused this summer on packing activity bags for children, driving the materials directly to some of their homes, and providing online classes using the Zoom video platform.
Sami Slusser, the After School Program Director for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, was initially concerned with how the summer would look, due to the transition from seeing children four days a week in-person to online sessions. However, local individuals and companies have helped by donating and working to provide additional bags, according to Slusser. The program has received supplies for around 250 bags so far, more than the organization’s goal.
The bags are generally STEM-related, and have included materials for DIY kites, bottles, toilet paper rolls, other recycled items, and sidewalk chalk and extra bottles.
“The kids seem to love it, and the parents are very appreciative,” Slusser said. “Some of the kids use our sessions, and families can do activities together. They’re getting that extra little bit of learning.”
Children have also been able to complete science projects, attend virtual tours through the Baltimore Museum and NASA, and watch other educational content through the program’s Youtube channel, Summer Learning in Central PA.
While many of the local schools are still creating individual plans on how to safely operate during the new school year, the program will work together with educators to help support the students, according to Andrea Dolges, the Executive Director for the Center For Youth and Community Development.
Since many of the schools are expected to provide virtual programs in order to begin classes, some of the services provided by the organization include small group homework assistance and tutoring, expanded learning opportunities through Zoom, prevention programs, and programs based around social and emotional learning.
“We want them to have a fun opportunity virtually, and to be able to smile with each other and really connect,” Dolges said.
Slusser understands the need for safety, and states that the program will work closely with students and teachers through Zoom once the new school year begins.
“We are helping them concentrate on academics and are working on keeping that stability there,” Slusser said. “It’s hard seeing them on video, when we’re used to seeing them all in person, screaming and being together, but it’s also been a joy as well.”
Get Outdoors (GO!) Adams
While some community organizers have been creating new ways to engage children at home, other existing outdoor summer programs are adapting to current circumstances and safety guidelines presented by the state of Pennsylvania.
Get Outdoors!, or GO! Adams, a program that encourages families to read and be physically active during the summer, is returning to Adams County for its fourth year with updated safety guidelines.
Each summer, GO! Adams partners with the Adams County Library to guide children as they search for fifteen hidden “story pages,” or wooden marker posts with unique writing attached, in local and state parks. The program is based on “letterboxing,” an activity in which hikers place postcards and notes along hiking trails.
The theme follows the national summer reading theme and changes every year. Children and families bring a storybook and rubbing sheet, provided by the Adams County Library, along on their hikes, and document the 4-digit code they find on each story page. Participants can earn points by entering each code into Beanstack, a library and education app. Children can also receive prizes and rewards based on their findings.
In order to prevent the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus, the rubbing sheets used on the hikes will not be collected and participants are encouraged to remain a safe distance from others and to sanitize their hands after the hike, according to Sandy Gladfelter, Wellspan Health Educator. Gladfelter also says that the program is highlighting safety guidelines established by each park.
While the goal of the program is to provide a fun and easy way to read and stay physically active, Gladfelter believes that one of the most exciting aspects of the program is the time children get to spend with their families.
It’s a great way to get people out of their homes and back to some semblance of normalcy, to be out and reading,” Gladfelter said.
While Gladfelter believes that GO! Adams will remain a summer program, she believes that it will continue to have an impact on children and their parents after the season officially comes to a close.
“They’re creating lifelong memories of things that they did with their children,” Gladfelter said.
My name is Katherine, and I am a graduate student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. I graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 2018 with a degree in history, and I was one of the news editors for the Observer, the college's student-run newspaper. I love to learn about and cover different communities, and I am very excited to be interning for the Gettysburg Connection this summer and getting to know about all the work being done by the residents in the area.