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Summer Safari at SUNY Plattsburgh Provides Culture for Kids


For the past 26 years, SUNY Plattsburgh’s College Auxiliary Services has been striving to enrich summers for area kids through its Summer Safari program.

This year, beginning Monday, July 8, the program will offer a collection of creative outlets for youth, including opportunities for artistic expression, scientific experimentation and historical exploration. There are new additions, like the week-long programs: “An American Girl Adventure,” “Minecraft 101” and “Geo Adventure.” There are also long-standing programs like the three-week theater camp, which will culminate in a fully staged musical production of “My Son Pinocchio Jr.”

Conference Director Kate Chilton has been coordinating the program since its inception, when there were only a handful of offerings. It has grown immensely over the years to make creative use of the many different spaces on campus, she said.

More than 200 students participate in Summer Safari each year. Certain programs, like the theater workshop, attract dozens of students. Others still, like “Dancing Storybook Princess Camp,” tend to fill up early.

Kids return year after year and often bring their siblings, which Chilton attributes to the diversity of instructors, almost all of whom are local certified teachers.

“It’s a solid tradition,” and the program gives kids “the ability to pursue something they really like and share it with family and friends,” she added.

To register or for further information about Summer Safari, contact Chilton at 518-564-3054.

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