Clawson Helps Keep Kids Active With Summer Parks & Rec Activities

Area parents can look forward to plenty of summer recreational activities for their kids thanks to .

There is a full schedule of local activities, from gymnastics to golf, Spanish, soccer, T-ball and baseball, as well as day camps in Clawson and at Independence Oaks County Park in Clarkston.

The Parks and Recreation Department strives to keep all activities affordable. “We try to keep costs in line,” Director Mickey Alderman said. “The day camp fee didn’t change in four years.”

Clawson is able to offer a lot of programs because of its partnerships with Oakland County, Royal Oak and Madison Heights, Alderman said. It also helps administer some programs run by outside sports leagues and organizations.

“All our activities are open to nonresidents, at the same rate for all," Alderman said. "This gives us additional revenue. And sometimes it enables classes to run if we don’t have enough residents sign up.”

Sports for little ones

“One popular activity is the Sports Starters programs for 3- to 5- year-olds,” Alderman said. “It’s an introduction to different sports." In the class, which runs from early May to mid-June, preschoolers use balls, bean bags and hula hoops to understand and execute the skills of running, catching, throwing and kicking.

The T-ball program, run by the Clawson Youth Baseball Association, attracts about 50 kids each year. "We introduce them to how the ball feels when they catch it, how to run around the bases," said Ben Kulp, director of the baseball association. The program, which runs from late June to late July, takes place two nights a week.

“We took the program over last year and moved the activities to the evening when more parents can come,” Kulp said. “It’s mostly for 5-year-olds, although every once in awhile there’s a 4-year-old. Parents want to get kids involved earlier and earlier. They’ll ask, ‘Do you have a spot for my 2-year-old?’”

British and Brazilian soccer camps

British Soccer Camp is open to kids age 3-12. “This is our eighth year offering the British Soccer Camp,” said Brittani Halaquist, soccer camp director and vice president of Clawson Youth Soccer.

New this year is TetraBrazil soccer for ages 6-14. “It was added to give our campers a new experience,” Halaquist said. “Brazil is the most successful soccer nation in the world. When most children hear about Brazilian soccer they immediately recognize players like Dunga, Kaka, and Pele. We wanted to offer a camp that has differing technical styles than the British camp.  Both soccer camps take place Aug. 8-12.

"Soccer gives players the opportunity to learn geography, traditions and cultures of other great soccer-playing countries,” Halaquist said.

Baseball program

Baseball hasn’t stopped being the great American pastime. Kulp said 140-160 kids will take part in the junior baseball program for 6- to 12-year-olds.

“We’ll have 60-80 participants in the 6- to 8-year-old category and 80 in the older age range,” he said. “Age 6-8 is control pitch with coaches doing the pitching,” Kulp said. “It’s all about learning the game. The older players play regular games, with players pitching and fielding."

Summer camps

Parents looking for daylong activities for kids and teens during the summer can check out the Parks & Recreation summer day camp. The camp, for kids ages 6-11, includes a weekly trip to the Clawson swimming pool, weekly field trips to locations such as the Huron-Clinton Metroparks, a wave pool and the Detroit Science Center, along with activities such as arts and crafts, barbecues and games.

The one-week Wild Adventures program offers campers ages 5-12 the chance to learn and explore in the outdoors at Independence Oaks County Park. Age-appropriate activities include fort building, the H2O-lympics and Starlab. Older campers engage in outdoor leadership, team-building activities and day trips featuring paddle sports, mountain biking and adventure racing.

The is also open all summer. Daily activities include open gym, basketball, indoor hockey, flag football, soccer, dodge-ball, Wii, movies and video games.

Other activities

Children as young as 3 years old can try out a kung fu class offered by Infinite Path Martial Arts at .

The parks department also has set up a partnership with First Tee of Michigan, which offers young golfers the chance to learn golf and life skills. Classes take place at the Van Dyke Golf Dome in Warren.

Troy Gymnastics is offering Clawson residents classes at its state-of-the-art facility on Maple west of Crooks.

For more information on all programs, contact Clawson Parks and Recreation at 248-589-0334 or  parksrec@cityofclawson.com or visit cityofclawson.com/youthprograms.htm.