Senior and Tween campers enjoy a nice break away from camp at the senior lake. Groups are scheduled once a week with campers in their same age level. After taking a short bus ride to the lake, lifeguard certified staff and our lake director provide a safety orientation and fishing instructions. While at the lake, campers wear water shoes and lifejackets. Paddle boats, paddle boards, kayaks, water trampoline, giant aqua slide, fishing, water play, and sand and beach activities keep campers engaged and busy at the lake. This private off-site lake has a bathroom and provides lots of opportunities for campers to enjoy an introduction to lake activities.

Archery and slingshot paintball at Banner offer campers a unique adventure experience. At archery, specialists first teach the commands of the range. Campers then learn to correctly nock a bow and aim the arrow to hit their target. Slingshot paintball provides even more opportunity to practice their aim as they shoot paintballs at metal targets. These activities are favorites for our Senior and Tween campers; Kindergarten campers enjoy slingshot paintball as well.

Campers love spending time at bumper boats. These motorized boats in a shallow pool of water are a favorite activity for many. As part of our regular schedule for Junior campers and Seniors in 1st grade, the program allows campers to safely drive, spin and bump into other boats. A little splashing cools campers off on a warm day.

Bungee trampoline is one of Banner’s most favorite activity! Campers wear a harness hooked to several bungee cords. They are assisted by an individual staff member who uses a handheld controller to adjust the tension of the cords to allow for higher jumps. Campers soar up into the air while encouraged to do flips and other exciting maneuvers! A little fun, adventure and excitement all while jumping on one of the four trampolines! Safety is our top focus; we ensure campers are secure and safe. Positive encouragement is given as campers step out of their comfort zone and jump high into the air.

A must have camp activity for Senior and Tween campers called tramp ball! An overnight camp activity brought to the day camp setting, tramp ball is like four square meets volleyball and basketball all in one. There are four above ground trampolines, padding around all springs separated by volleyball nets and enclosed in a wooden platform with netting all around. Campers compete for the king spot and progress in a clockwise rotation from each trampoline as they knock out opponents. You must catch the soft volleyball-like ball as it makes it way from trampoline to trampoline. While jumping the entire time, you welcome a quick break if you miss the ball!

Banner’s air-conditioned dining hall allows campers to cool off as they eat lunch. Our optional hot lunch program provides kid-friendly and healthy lunch options that meet the nutritional guidelines recommended for campers. Lunches are served family style as leadership and counselors ensure that all campers are taken care of and find something they like to eat. If you choose to send lunch from home, we will collect them at the morning Bannerama and refrigerate them in our kitchen until lunchtime. Just outside of the dining hall is our snack station. Celery and carrots with ranch dressing along with graham crackers are served throughout the day for campers needing an energy boost. Campers are also able to stop by for a drink of water or juice keeping them hydrated all day.

Dune Buggies for our oldest Senior campers (completed 2nd and 3rd grades) and Tweens (completed 4th, 5th and 6th grade) allow campers to experience fun and excitement. Safety is the top priority. Campers ride in pairs around our track bordered in hay wearing helmets, safety goggles and seatbelts while assisted by four staff members along the larger track with flags and stop signs. The rugged track in the woods allows for campers to explore their adventurous side taking turns as a driver or passenger. A favorite activity amongst our older campers as group scheduled time or as part of the choice programs.

Go Karts are geared for our campers that have just completed kindergarten and 1st grade. Go karts are a scaled down version of dune buggies – not quite as fast or as big but an introduction to driving! Campers drive one person at a time around a smaller track lined with hay barrels with seatbelts. While waiting for their turn, campers build and explore their creative side with our Imagination Playground set.

The Banner Art Studio provides ample opportunities for campers to develop creativity and explore their artistic abilities. Junior and Senior groups are scheduled weekly to craft, paint and draw projects using many different media. Older Senior campers and Tween campers can elect to do arts & crafts but also have the choice to participate in ceramics, jewelry making, lanyard, rocketry and model building. During the elective time, campers come every day for a more complex project over the entire week. Led by our art expert and specialty staff, campers make beautiful and spectacular projects, models and rockets. They get lost in their artistic mode at camp.

Banner has two covered pavilions for activities and rainy day space. Large covered areas allow for an abundance of activities and programs. The second pavilion houses Banner’s Tween and Senior game areas with knuckleball and ping pong, the traversing wall for Junior campers and the gymnastics programs. The junior wall is a mini wall in our pavilion with fun colorful animal holds to traverse along with soft mats underneath.

Banner’s climbing wall, high ropes area and zip line allow campers to explore their adventurous side. Senior and Tween campers enjoy the climbing wall’s four sides with multiple routes and climbs for a variety of individual challenges. There are routes for the beginner all the way to the advanced climber. Belaying staff provide motivation and instruction as campers ascend to the top. Entire groups are scheduled to go to the climbing wall together and can be heard cheering each other on as they climb and set record times.

For campers who have completed second grade and older, the High Ropes course has six elements including a giant swing. The Zip Line allows campers to climb a telephone pole to a platform where a staff member helps them secure to the zip line and soar through the trees towards the other end of the adventure area. Certified staff instructors ensure safety and climbing procedures are in check each and every time. Campers choose adventure programs as their elective choice each week.

Banner’s junior lake is tucked in a corner of our camp grounds. It is complete with a shallow lake, sandy beach and fishing area. Campers enjoy a ride out to the lake on the Tadpole Express – a wagon pulled by a tractor – to begin their lake adventure. Once at the lake, campers fish for sunfish and bluegill, enjoy time playing in the sand, swimming in the shallow water and gliding down the lake’s waterslide. Campers spend a full morning or afternoon at the lake and enjoy the slower pace of this traditional camp activity. The junior lake is staffed by certified lifeguards who ensure our campers’ safety all while encouraging fun.

Junior campers have a multitude of opportunities to explore their imaginations and playful side at our three playground areas. Staff actively supervise our campers as they are spotted at the playground slides, teeter totters, swings and climbing spaces. The wooden playgrounds allow opportunities for gross motor development, healthy exercise, social benefits of interacting with one another, taking turns, making up pretend play games and building self-confidence. The ship and train playgrounds are pretend play areas that allow imagination to run wild. Bannerville is a mini Banner village with play houses, mailboxes and pathways for campers to run and explore inside and outside the houses. Our youngest campers, ages three and four, visit the playgrounds every day. Our pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten campers get a chance to have fun at each of the playgrounds each week plus more play opportunities during morning opening activities, campers choice and special events days. Even our Senior and Tween campers enjoy some time on the playgrounds during morning arrival activities.

Juniors begin their adventure program by zipping down the zip line. Campers wear a helmet and are secured in either a swing for our youngest campers or a harness for the older, bigger junior campers. After they climb up the stairs to the start of the zip line, a specialty counselor straps them in and checks the safety clip. They zip down to the other end where a counselor awaits their smiling faces to unclip and send them back to try it again. It is just the right speed for our junior campers to have a blast and a great introduction to Banner’s adventure programs.

Junior campers enjoy instruction in basketball, soccer and baseball from skilled specialty instructors each week. Field sizes are designed to meet the instructional needs of beginning sports players at 3 years old to more competitive sports enthusiasts at 6 years old. Additional sports are played at pillo pollo (think hockey on grass with foam sticks), floor hockey for our oldest juniors, GaGa, kickball and tetherball allow continued success in developing a variety of sports skills. A focus on coordination, motor and skill development allows success in learning the fundamentals of playing a variety of sports. Counselors help campers develop basic skills and practice those skills prior to jumping into game play.

Banner campers are surrounded by magnificent trees in a natural setting; this creates the perfect environment for nature activities. The nature barn is home to our Banner garden where we grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, which campers are able to smell and taste, and learn about the world around us. Our nature specialist leads activities that encourage campers to explore what’s all around them. Campers can be found viewing the worm farm, watching butterflies emerge from their cocoons and taking care of frogs and newts found under logs at camp.

Campers love visiting the animals at the petting zoo at the Banner Farm. Each summer, our farm is home to goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits. Campers can pet and feed the animals as they learn about caring for others and compassion for animals.

Banner has two covered pavilions for activities and rainy day space. Large covered areas allow for an abundance of activities and programs. The pavilion has a large stage and sound system for indoor Bannerama, Senior and Tween hip hop programs and drama activities. On any typical day, the Performing Arts Pavilion will have Juniors racing around on plasma cars, making science themed projects at creative creations and building with giant blocks. Tween campers will be seen going in and out to check their club schedule and sign-ups on the Tween bulletin board.

Banner’s beautiful grounds are an inspiring setting to embrace performing arts and develop talents. Campers are able to perform their acts at our amphitheater that is home to daily assemblies known as Bannerama. Each morning and afternoon, campers gather at Bannerama and create the camp spirit that is a hallmark of Banner Day Camp. At the end of the day, everyone enjoys an ice-cream treat before heading home on the buses. Campers cheer, sing, dance and learn about our STARFISH goal of the week values such as friendship, sportsmanship, and teamwork. Campers express themselves through song, dance and drama throughout camp at our various performance stages. Activities are taught by specialists who help campers learn new skills like playing the guitar, singing, break dancing, hip hop and improvisation.

Senior and Tween campers enjoy a variety of pioneering projects and activities. Set in the woods with a fire pit and tree stump seating, campers enjoy sitting around a camp fire and cooking over an open flame. They learn how to pitch a tent, basic camping survival skills, knot tying, camp fire recipes, orienteering, scavenger hunts, and games. A favorite is making delicious s’mores of course!

Banner’s impressive pool complex houses four heated pools, two water slides, a frog slide, two diving boards and changing areas with restrooms and showers. Our innovative swim program provides daily instructional and recreational swim with over 40 certified lifeguards on staff. Each pool is designed to accommodate swimmers of different levels. Beginner swimmers enjoy a shallow water pool that has stairs on both ends and is 3 feet deep in the middle while our junior lifeguards swim in a deep water pool (up to 12 feet) with lane lines and diving boards. Swimming is a big part of the camp day with a focus on safety. Campers learn everything from basic swim skills up all the way through competitive strokes all while having a lot of fun. Counselors are in the water teaching small groups of three to four campers. Campers swim once per day unless temperatures rise to above 90 degrees then we have a double swim day – one period of lessons and one period of recreational swim split throughout the day. Progress and positive success allow campers to truly enjoy their swim experience.

Campers in Senior and Tween camps enjoy sports instruction in basketball, soccer and baseball from skilled specialty staff. Sports take place on larger, age appropriate fields and courts to meet the needs of all campers. Campers of all abilities are challenged to improve and master sports skills leading to higher confidence and sports performance. Campers completing 2nd through 6th grades are able to enjoy competition through our Elective Sports League and play games in basketball, baseball, soccer, flag football and floor hockey. Scores are kept in this league and standings are posted at camp. Teams compete through playoff and championship games for the coveted Banner Cup. Campers are also able to participate in other sports activities including sand soccer, Ga Ga, kickball, wiffle ball and tetherball.