A New Y Blog to Follow!

Want to see all the fun stuff that goes on at one of our after school sites? Check out the new blog started by our staff at Macdonough Kids' Korner. The staff have been hard at work planing and facilitating all sorts of fun activities and they want to show it off! Here's a sneak peek at some of the activities:

JoJo, Kashyss, Jenna and Kaley show off the bunnies they made for the Easter holiday!

The youngers were hard at work creating some colorful bunnies!

To visit the Kids' Korner at Macdonough School Blog, please click here. We hope you enjoy this new blog!

Swim Lessons for Life!!

 

Summer is just around the corner, and even though there is plenty of snow on the ground, why not come inside and learn to swim??  Summer will be here before we know it and, as we all know, most of our time will be spent at the beach or sitting by the family pool. 

 

Why not get the summer season off to an early start by coming into our facility and taking part in our swim lesson program. 

 

 

 

 

 

The YMCA Swim Lesson Program emphasizes a guided discovery approach to swim instruction where students are asked to try skills in different ways and reflect on what works best. We use floatation devices to correct body position, provide stability to weaker swimmers, and allow practice laps to go farther. Instructors are almost always in the water with their students to provide examples, encouragement, support, and guidance.

 

 

 

 

Registration is now open for our Spring 2 and Spring 3 sessions that begin on April 14th.  Space is limited and classes fill up fast!!

 

For more information on our swim lesson programs, please click here to visit our website. You may also contact Kasia Wojdyla @ 860-343-6221 or Linda Heidorn @ 860-343-6229.

Middlesex YMCA Summer Enrichment & Sports Camps

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all take a summer break like our kids? Summer brings back so many great memories for me. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend lots of time outside riding my bike, playing with my friends, going to the beach and spending a couple sessions out at YMCA Camp Ingersoll. All of those individual experiences added up to a well rounded summer where I got to play, socialize and learn about the world around me. Back when I was growing up the world was a little different; we were able to go outside for the day with friends and come back when it got dark. Our parents would have a neighbor watch us and we would check in once in a while with them. Although the world has changed greatly since I was a kid, children still want the same thing out of a summer vacation; to be active, play with friends and have fun adventures.

While I was fortunate to have the childhood summer experience I shared, many children do not have the same experience. Once school closes, some children and families struggle to gain access to quality enriching educational opportunities that a summer camp experience, family vacation or trips to local libraries or museums can offer. As a result, summer learning loss can occur.  Summer learning loss is the loss of academic knowledge and skills during the summer months as a result of being out of school. The National Summer Learning Institute explains that most of the learning loss affects the reading and mathematical skills over this two months time and parents consistently say that summer is the most difficult time for them to find productive things for their children to do. 

Everyone needs ongoing opportunities to learn and practice skills to become successful. This is even more important for children during the summer months. YMCAs are perfectly positioned to help children battle summer learning loss through day camp programming. One of the ways that our Y is helping children battle learning loss through the summer is through our Summer Enrichment Camp. The Summer Enrichment Camp offers eight weeks of discovery and hands on fun for children entering 1st though 6th grade. Each week a different theme engages children in a fun filled journey of experiential learning. This program is a great fit for children who like art, science and creative exploration. Mornings are spent diving into theme filled activities and afternoons are full of recreation and play. A daily recreational swim, optional swim lessons and a field trip complete each exciting week! Our goal is to offer children an opportunity to explore their interests, build their knowledge and skills and use their creative spirit during the summer months. Our intention is to enrich each child’s summer vacation with a variety of fun activities. 

NEW SPORTS PROGRAMS!

Does your child enjoy sports? We are now offering four weeks of new sports programs for children entering 3rd through 6th grades. These programs are perfect for kids who enjoy athletics and want to learn some new games and brush up on basic skills.

For more information about our Summer Enrichment & Sports Program please click here to visit our website or contact Melanie Carfora at 860.343.6208 or Kevin Cassesse at 860.343.6211.

Why the Northern Middlesex YMCA?

Why the Y? It seems like such a simple, straightforward question, yet we each have our own answers, unique to only us. Each and every member of our Y community has their own reasons for choosing to spend their invaluable time at the Northern Middlesex YMCA. I feel this is more true than ever about the world we live in today. There is certainly no shortage of comparable products in today's market. If you don't like a specific brand, never fear because that same product you need is also available in seventeen others! For me, this further illustrates the need for going above and beyond in our daily interactions. The frameworks may all look the same on the surface, but the intentional additional effort to transcend what is expected will always set us apart and helps us shine. It's not simply meeting expectations, it's exceeding them every chance we can. That is "why the Y?", to me. In this short video, we get an inside look at why some of our members, staff, and program participants choose the Northern Middlesex YMCA. What's YOUR reason?